This article shows major events that occurred on this day in history (to select another date use the menu to find events that occurred on that day).
On This Day
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On this day in 1429 Peasant girl Joan of Arc would lead her first small force of French troops into their first mission. At the age of 17 she slipped into the besieged castle in Orleans bringing much needed supplies. The Castle had been under siege since the 12th of October 1428 by the English during the 100 Years War (1337 – 1453). While the English were attacking the west side of the castle, Joan and her small force slipped into the East side of the castle. The new supplies gave hope to the French troops and by the 8th of May 1429 the siege was broken and the English retreated. Joan of Arc was a 16 year old peasant girl who first began to hear voices at the age of 16. Believing it was the voices of religious saints giving her a holy quest to rid France of the English, she met with the French dauphin, Charles. Joan convinced Charles of her divinity and gave her the small force and mission to aid the besieged castle. Her success led to her growing popularity and the brave young girl led French troops to many victories against the English. Joan of arc was captured by the English allies on the 23rd May 1430 and given to English forces in Normandy. She was put on trial for heresy among other charges and after being found guilty, burnt at the stake on the 30th of May 1431 aged 19. 25 years after her trial Pope Callixtus III examined the evidence and pronounced her innocent of heresy and proclaimed her a Martyr. After the French defeat at Agincourt on the 25th of October 1415 where Henry V’s forces defeated a much larger French force, morale had been low for years. The defeat of the English at the siege was the first major victory for the French since Agincourt and would lead to many more and eventually to France winning the war after 116 years.
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On this day in 1945 Hitler marries Eva Braun while they hide away in Hitler’s underground bunker. While the Russian’s lay waste to Berlin, Hitler prepares for his end. He decided his fate several days ago and the news of Mussolini’s undignified end had assisted Hitler in making his plans. He and Eva would commit suicide and his associates still in the bunker would burn the bodies. Fresh from convent school and aged just 17, Eva Braun was the assistant to Hitler’s personal photographer and shortly after their first meeting she was invited to Hitler’s mountain top home (the Berghof) in the Bavarian Alps. She moved their as his mistress in 1936 (aged 24) where she remained somewhat isolated from Hitler’s work and politics but was a large part of his inner social circle. This remained until 1944 after her sister had married the SS liaison officer, Hermann Fegelein. She swore her loyalty to Hitler as the Third Reich began to weaken and on the 16th of January 1945 both Hitler and Eva descended into the Fuhrerbunker. They would never leave.