October 21st

On this day - October 21st 1805 - Battle of Trafalgar and Nelsons death

The Battle of Trafalgar was a navy battle between the British Royal Navy and the combined forces of the French and Spanish Navy. The British ships were led by Admiral Lord Nelson and won the battle, even with a smaller force. The French-Spanish fleet lost 22 of its ships, while the British Navy lost none. The battle also ended France plance for invading England. Lord Nelson however, lost his life when he was shot by a French Musketeer. He is considered as one of Britains greates war heros. Some of his last words were "Hardy, I do believe they have done it at last… my backbone is shot through". He was transported back to England where he is burried.

September 12th

On this day – 12th of September 490 BC - The Battle of Marathon

The battle of Marathon was fought between the Greek and the Persian empires. It was a part of the first attempt to subjugate Greece by Persian troops. The Greek troops defeated the much larger Persian troop, and the battle was a turningpoint in the Greek-Persian wars. The battle has played a role in todays society as well, because this battle gave the name and the distance for today’s Marathon. Ever wondered why a Marathon is 42km (26 miles)? The Greek soldier, Pheildippides was allegedly sent from the battlefield to Athens with news of the Greek victory. He arrived in Athens, exclaimed, “We have won” and died. The accuracy of this is highly debated, but already in the first modern Olympic Games, in 1896, was Marathon included as a competition.

September 9th

On this day – 9th of September – 1513 - Lost the scots at the Battle of Flodden 

The kingdom of England and The kingdom of Scotland was constantly in conflicts around the  13th and 14th century. The Battle of Flodden was one of the larger conflicts. Scotland, led by James IV decided to try to invade England, and on the 9th of September met the two countries troops in Northumberland, north in England. James IV was killed during the battle and the scots led a devastating loss. Somewhere around 5000 and 12000 scots died during the battle. This was not the last time Scotland and England fought against each other.  Other remarkable losses by Scotland includes the Battle at Culloden in 1746 and the more peaceful referendum last year.