The Battle of Rethymno was part of the Battle of Crete, fought during
World War II on the Greek island of Crete between 20 and 29 May 1941.
Two Australian battalions, supported by Greek forces, defended an
airstrip and the nearby town of Rethymno against a German paratrooper
attack (pictured). Due to confusion and delays at the airfields in
Greece, the German assault was launched without direct air support, and
drops occurred over an extended period rather than simultaneously.
German units dropping near Allied positions suffered very high
casualties, both in the air and on the ground. More than 500 Germans
were captured, including the local commander. The Germans concentrated
their resources on the battle for the airfield at Maleme, 50 mi
(80 km) to the west, which they won. The Allies ordered an evacuation
of Crete on 27 May, but were unable to communicate this to the units at
Rethymno. Faced by a superior force of Germans equipped with tanks and
artillery the Australians surrendered on 29 May.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Rethymno>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1217:
First Barons' War: English forces under William Marshal
defeated French troops at the Battle of Lincoln.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lincoln_%281217%29>
1873:
Levi Strauss and Jacob W. Davis received a patent for using
copper rivets to strengthen the pockets of denim overalls, allowing
their company to start manufacturing blue jeans.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_W._Davis>
1983:
uMkhonto we Sizwe, the paramilitary wing of the African
National Congress, detonated a car bomb in Pretoria, resulting in 19
deaths and 217 injuries.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_Street,_Pretoria_bombing>
1996:
In deciding Romer v. Evans, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down
a constitutional amendment in Colorado that prevented protected status
under the law for homosexuals or bisexuals.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romer_v._Evans>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
wheelhouse:
1. A building or other structure containing a (large) wheel, such as the
water wheel of a mill.
2. (automotive) The partially enclosed structure above and around a
wheel of an automobile, typically partly formed by a portion of a fender
panel that has been extended outward beyond the plane of the rest of the
panel.
3. (nautical) An enclosed compartment on the deck of a vessel such as a
fishing boat, originally housing its helm or steering wheel, from which
it may be navigated; on a larger vessel it is the bridge.
4. (nautical) The enclosed structure around the paddlewheel of a
steamboat.
5. (archaeology) A prehistoric structure from the Iron Age found in
Scotland, characteristically including an outer wall within which a
circle of stone piers (resembling the spokes of a wheel) form the basis
for lintel arches supporting corbelled roofing with a hearth at the hub.
6. (Canada, US, baseball, by extension from sense 1.2) A pitch location
which is favourable to the hitter.
7. (Canada, US, figuratively) A person's area of authority or expertise.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wheelhouse>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Ages are no more infallible than individuals; every age having
held many opinions which subsequent ages have deemed not only false but
absurd; and it is as certain that many opinions now general will be
rejected by future ages, as it is that many, once general, are rejected
by the present.
--John Stuart Mill
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Stuart_Mill>
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