Henry the Fowler, king of East Francia and founder of the Ottonian dynasty of German rulers, once traded a large part of Swabia (modern Switzerland and Alsace) for a spear.
Fact of the Day
Quote of the Day
"Foul as it is, hell itself is made more foul by the presence of John.
"
~ Matthew Paris (13th century chronicler) on King John
On This Day
634 The Byzantine city of Damascus fell to the expanding Caliphate after almost a month's siege.
1356 The English won a major victory against the French at the Battle of Poitiers in the Hundred Years' War, and captured the French king, John II, in the process.
1893 New Zealand became the first self-governing country to give women the vote in parliamentary elections. They could not stand for election, however, until 1919.
1944 Guy Gibson, the RAF wing commander who had led the Dam Busters raid (for which he won a Victoria Cross), was killed in action after a raid on München Gladbach. He was twenty-six years old.
1960 The UK's first ever parking ticket was issued in London, to Dr Thomas Creighton, who was helping a heart attack victim.
1970 The first Glastonbury music festival was held, with T.Rex as the emergency headliners (The Kinks having pulled out).
1981 Ötzi the Iceman was discovered in a glacier in the Ötztal Alps.