This day in history

During the Hundred Years War, King Edward III's small English army annihilates a much larger French force at the Battle of Crecy in Normandy.

The battle, which saw an early use of the deadly longbow by the English, is regarded as one of the most decisive in history. In charge after charge, the French cavalry attempted to penetrate the English infantry lines, but the horses and riders were cut down in the merciless shower of arrows. The battle marked the decline of the mounted knight in European warfare and the rise of England as a world power. From Crecy, Edward marched on to Calais, which surrendered to him in 1347.

A Roman army led by Julius Caesar invades Britain.

Arthur Cornhill becomes the world’s first recipient of a battery-operated heart whilst undergoing surgery in Britain.

United States of America ratifies the 19th Amendment to the Constitution granting women the right to vote.

The French Assembly adopts the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.

The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Empire at the Battle of Manzikert in modern day Turkey.