A Belgian village in Flanders. The Battle of Passchendaele, also known as the Third Battle of Ypres, was an Allied offensive against the German lines in July to November 1917. Although it had some initial success, it is mostly remembered for the cost to human life and for the rain and mud, which became the main enemy.
Passchendaele
Fact of the Day
The cancan was originally a dance for couples, and its first stars were men.
Quote of the Day
"The business of America is business.
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~ Calvin Coolidge (US President)
On This Day
43 BCE The assassination of Cicero, requested by Marc Antony. When his head was delivered to Anthony, his wife, Fulvia, spat on it and jabbed hairpins into his tongue.
1732 The Theatre Royal, now known as the Covent Garden Opera House, opened with a performance of the Beggar's Opera.
1787 Delaware became the first state of the modern United States.
1817 Rear-Admiral William Bligh died. He had been captain of HMS Bounty during the mutiny.
1941 The Japanese launched a surprise attack on the American naval base a Pearl Harbour, Hawaii, killing 2,403.
1982 Charles Brooks Jr became the first person to be executed by lethal injection, with a huge dose of 'truth serum'
