39 BC Triumph of G. Asinius Pollio for the defeat of the Partini in Illyria
1131 Louis VII "the Young" (c. 11) crowned King of France (1131-1180 - regency until 1137)
1415 Battle of Agincourt: Henry V routs the flower of French chivalry
1496 Cesare Borgia is created "Gonfalonier of the Church and Captain-General of Pontifical Troops" by his father, Pope Alexander VI
1506 Cesare Borgia escapes from imprisonment at Medina del Campo, Spain
1555 Charles V abdicates as Holy Roman Emperor (later quits as King of Spain too)
1596 Battle of Kiresztes: Imperialists defeat the Turks
1760 George III ascends British throne (1760-1820)
1812 Celebrated frigate duel between Stephen Decatur's 'United States' & HMS 'Macedonian', which is captured
1854 The Battle of Balaklava: The Light Brigade, the Heavy Brigade, & the Thin Red Streak
1864 Battle of Marais des Cygnes River, Mo
1864 Skirmish at Turkeytown, Ala
1900 England annexes the Transvaal
1913 Final reunion of the veterans of "The Charge of the Light Brigade", with 9 of 14 survivors attending
1917 The Bolsheviks stage a coup, initiating nearly eight decades of Communist misrule in Russia [Nov 7, NS]
1932 Mussolini promises to remain, dictator of Italy, for 30 years
1938 Japanese troops occupy Hankou & Wuhan
1942 Lunga Point: Japanese ships tangle with allied surface and air units
1943 Battle of Cape St. George: five US destroyers sink 3 of 6 Japanese destroyers
1943 Japanese open the Burma railroad ("The Bridge on the River Kwai")
1943 USAAF bombers from China raid Japanese airfields on Formosa.
1944 Leyte Gulf: Remnants of Japanese fleet retire, first kamikaze attacks, USS 'St Lo' (CVE-63) hit
1945 Japanese surrender Taiwan to Chiang Kai-shek
1951 Korean War peace talks resume in Panmunjom
1958 US Marines leave Lebanon (there since July)
1983 Operation Just Cause: US and West Indian forces invade Grenada
Apparently the origin of the Two Finger Salute...
The Battle of Agincourt was an English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It took place on 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day) near Azincourt, in Northern France. The unexpected English victory against the numerically superior French army boosted English morale and prestige, crippled France, and started a new period of English dominance in the war.
After several decades of relative peace, the English had resumed the war in 1415 amid the failure of negotiations with the French. In the ensuing campaign, many soldiers died from disease, and the English numbers dwindled; they tried to withdraw to English-held Calais but found their path blocked by a considerably larger French army. Despite the disadvantage, the battle ended in an overwhelming tactical victory for the English.
King Henry V of England led his troops into battle and participated in hand-to-hand fighting. King Charles VI of France did not command the French army as he suffered from psychotic illnesses and associated mental incapacity. The French were commanded by Constable Charles d'Albret and various prominent French noblemen of the Armagnac party. This battle is notable for the use of the English longbow in very large numbers, with the English and Welsh archers comprising nearly 80 percent of Henry's army.
Agincourt is one of England's most celebrated victories and was one of the most important English triumphs in the Hundred Years' War, along with the Battle of Crécy (1346) and Battle of Poitiers (1356). It forms the centrepiece of William Shakespeare's play Henry V, written in 1599.