A convoy that set out from Iceland, destined for the Soviet Union, in the summer of 1942. Only 11 out of 34 merchant ships made it thanks to the bungled orders and intelligence.
PQ-17
Fact of the Day
In 1794, women in a village on the Loire responded to a revolutionary talk on divinity by giving the speaker a mass moonie.
Quote of the Day
"Nothing can be said in his vindication, but that his abolishing Religious Houses and leaving them to the ruinous depredations of time has been of infinite use to the landscape of England in general.
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~ Jane Austen on Henry VIII
On This Day
1429 A French force led by Joan of Arc lifted the seven-month-long Siege of Orléans.
1559 Elizabeth I gave her approval to the Acts of Uniformity and Supremacy, establishing a middle of the road Protestant faith for the whole country, banning Catholicism and enforcing church attendance, and confirming Elizabeth as the head of the Church of England.
1660 Charles II was proclaimed king of England. The British monarchy was restored after the English Civil War.
1701 Captain Kidd went on trial for murder and piracy on the high seas. He was found guilty and hanged 15 days later.
1903 French post-Impressionist Paul Gauguin died of an accidental drug overdose, aged 54.
1945 VE Day: The Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of Germany, bringing an end to war in Europe.
1952 Women in Greece were granted the right to vote.