German for 'lightning war'. An intense military campaign designed for quick victory.
Blitzkrieg
Fact of the Day
The cancan was originally a dance for couples, and its first stars were men.
Quote of the Day
"First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
"
~ Martin Niemöller
On This Day
62 The Roman towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum suffered an earthquake with an estimated magnitude of between 5 and 6. It caused severe damage and was probably a precursor to the Vesuvius eruption of 79CE.
1811 The Regency Act was passed, allowing Prince George of Wales to rule instead of his mad father, George III.
1924 The Greenwich Time Signal, more commonly known as the pips which broadcast at one-second intervals, was first broadcast.
1945 Second World War Special Operations Executive agents Lilian Rolfe, Denise Bloch and Violette Szabo were executed at Ravensbrück concentration camp after being repeatedly interrogated and tortured.
1953 Sweets were taken 'off ration' in Britain, eight years after the end of World War Two.
1971 Apollo 14 landed on the Moon.