871day.year
Æthelred of Wessex is defeated by a Danish invasion army at the Battle of Marton.
King Æthelred of Wessex suffers a defeat at the Battle of Marton in 871 AD against invading Danish forces.
The Battle of Marton took place as Danish forces pressed into Wessex territory. King Æthelred, eldest son of King Æthelwulf, led the West Saxon defense. Despite initial resistance, the Danes secured a decisive victory at Marton. This defeat weakened Wessex and allowed Viking armies to consolidate control. Chroniclers noted the scale of the Saxon losses and the retreat that followed. The battle foreshadowed further raids on southern England. It underscored the persistent Viking threat during the late 9th century. Æthelred struggled to hold the kingdom until the arrival of reinforcements under Alfred the Great.
871
Æthelred of Wessex
Danish invasion
Battle of Marton
1185day.year
Battle of Yashima: the Japanese forces of the Taira clan are defeated by the Minamoto clan.
The Minamoto clan defeats the Taira forces at the Battle of Yashima in 1185, a pivotal clash in the Genpei War.
Fought near the island fortress of Yashima in Shikoku, the battle was a turning point in the Genpei War. Minamoto no Yoshitsune led a daring naval assault on the Taira stronghold. The defeat forced the Taira to flee and Emperor Antoku to retreat further west. Japanese chronicles celebrate the surprise tactics and archery skill of the Minamoto warriors. Yashima’s loss demoralized the Taira clan and weakened their hold on the capital. The battle set the stage for the decisive encounter at Dan-no-Ura later that year. It marked the rise of the Minamoto shogunate and the decline of Taira power. The site of Yashima remains a symbol of samurai valor and strategy.
1185
Battle of Yashima
Taira clan
Minamoto clan
1622day.year
Jamestown massacre: Algonquians kill 347 English settlers around Jamestown, Virginia, a third of the colony's population, during the Second Anglo-Powhatan War.
During the Second Anglo-Powhatan War in 1622, Algonquian warriors massacre 347 settlers at Jamestown.
On a spring dawn, coordinated Powhatan attacks struck English plantations across Virginia, targeting isolated settlements. The violence by Algonquian warriors, led by Opechancanough, killed roughly one-third of Jamestown’s population. Many colonists died in their sleep, prompting panic and calls for retaliation. The massacre shattered earlier peace accords and plunged the colony into a brutal cycle of revenge. Survivors fortified Jamestown and mounted expeditions against Powhatan villages. The event underscored the fragility of early English-indigenous relations. It altered colonial policy toward harsher military measures. The massacre remains a pivotal moment in America’s colonial history.
1622
Jamestown massacre
Algonquians
Jamestown, Virginia
Second Anglo-Powhatan War
1668day.year
Notable Privateer Henry Morgan lands in Cuba to raid and plunder the inland town of Puerto del Príncipe during the latter stages of the Anglo-Spanish War (1654–1660).
During the Anglo-Spanish War, the privateer Henry Morgan landed in Cuba and launched a daring raid on Puerto del Príncipe.
In 1668, famed privateer Henry Morgan led an expedition to Cuba under English commission. He targeted the inland town of Puerto del Príncipe, aiming to undermine Spanish holdings. Morgan’s raid was marked by swift naval landings and aggressive assaults on fortified positions. The plunder from the town enriched Morgan and his crew and dealt a blow to Spanish morale. This operation exemplified the ruthless tactics of privateering in the Caribbean. It also set the stage for Morgan’s later rise to fame as one of the most notorious buccaneers of the era.
1668
Privateer
Henry Morgan
Cuba
Puerto del Príncipe
Anglo-Spanish War (1654–1660)
1739day.year
Nader Shah occupies Delhi in India and sacks the city, stealing the jewels of the Peacock Throne.
Persian ruler Nader Shah captured and looted Delhi, taking the famed jewels of the Peacock Throne.
In 1739, Nader Shah of Persia launched a surprise invasion of the Mughal Empire. His forces overwhelmed Delhi’s defenses after a brutal assault. The city was sacked, and its priceless treasures, including the Peacock Throne, were seized. The sack caused massive destruction and loss of life, marking one of Delhi’s darkest days. Nader Shah’s victory weakened Mughal authority and shifted regional power balances. The looted jewels were carried back to Persia, becoming symbols of his military prowess.
1739
Nader Shah
Delhi
Peacock Throne
1792day.year
Battle of Croix-des-Bouquets: Black slave insurgents gain a victory in the first major battle of the Haitian Revolution.
Black insurgents scored a victory at the Battle of Croix-des-Bouquets during the Haitian Revolution.
On this day in 1792, enslaved insurgents fought Spanish forces at Croix-des-Bouquets in Haiti. The battle marked the first major victory of the Haitian Revolution. Led by brave commanders, the rebels used guerrilla tactics to overcome better-armed opponents. Their success inspired further uprisings and attracted international attention. It signaled a turning point in the struggle against colonial slavery. The Haitian Revolution would ultimately lead to the establishment of the first Black republic in 1804.
1792
Battle of Croix-des-Bouquets
Haitian Revolution
1849day.year
The Austrians defeat the Piedmontese at the Battle of Novara.
Austrian forces defeated the Piedmontese at the Battle of Novara during the First Italian War of Independence.
In 1849, at the Battle of Novara, the Austrian army under Field Marshal Radetzky faced the Kingdom of Sardinia’s Piedmontese troops. The Austrians launched a decisive offensive that shattered Piedmontese resistance. Heavy casualties forced King Charles Albert to abdicate and retreat. This victory secured Austrian dominance in northern Italy. It ended the First Italian War of Independence, delaying Italian unification efforts. The battlefield tactics and political fallout had lasting effects on Italian nationalism.
1849
Austrians
Piedmontese
Battle of Novara
1920day.year
Azeri and Turkish army soldiers with participation of Kurdish gangs attack the Armenian inhabitants of Shushi (Nagorno Karabakh).
A combined force of Azeri, Turkish troops and Kurdish irregulars attacks Armenian residents of Shushi in Nagorno Karabakh.
In the aftermath of World War I, regional tensions erupt in Nagorno Karabakh as Azeri and Turkish forces mobilize.
On 22 March 1920, units joined by Kurdish fighters launch a surprise assault on Shushi's Armenian quarter.
The attack sparks intense urban skirmishes and civilian casualties, deepening ethnic strife.
This violence marks a significant episode in the long-standing Armenian-Azeri conflict over Karabakh.
Shushi's fall amplifies regional instability during the collapse of imperial rule in the Caucasus.
1920
Azeri
Turkish
Kurdish
attack
Armenian
Shushi
Nagorno Karabakh
1933day.year
Nazi Germany opens its first concentration camp, Dachau.
Dachau, the first Nazi concentration camp, opens near Munich, marking a grim step in the regime's repression.
On 22 March 1933, the Nazi regime establishes Dachau as Germany's first concentration camp for political prisoners.
Located near Munich, the camp becomes a prototype for a vast network of detention and extermination camps.
Early inmates include communists, socialists, and other regime opponents forced into labor.
Dachau's creation signals the brutal tactics the Third Reich will employ to silence dissent.
The camp's legacy endures as a stark warning of state-sponsored terror and genocide.
Nazi Germany
concentration camp
Dachau
1942day.year
World War II: In the Mediterranean Sea, the Royal Navy confronts Italy's Regia Marina in the Second Battle of Sirte.
In 1942, the Royal Navy and Italy's Regia Marina clashed in the Second Battle of Sirte as both sides sought to control Mediterranean supply routes.
On March 22, 1942, during World War II, British naval forces engaged the Italian Regia Marina near the Egyptian port of Sirte.
The Second Battle of Sirte was fought to protect vital Allied convoys carrying supplies to the besieged city of Tobruk.
Despite heavy shelling and torpedo attacks, the Royal Navy succeeded in diverting Italian warships, ensuring most of the convoy reached its destination.
The encounter solidified Allied naval dominance in the Mediterranean, though losses on both sides were significant.
Historians regard the battle as a strategic victory that helped sustain Allied operations in North Africa.
1942
World War II
Royal Navy
Regia Marina
Second Battle of Sirte
1943day.year
World War II: The entire village of Khatyn (in present-day Republic of Belarus) is burnt alive by Schutzmannschaft Battalion 118.
In 1943, Nazi collaborators destroyed the Belarusian village of Khatyn, killing its entire population in one of the war's most brutal massacres.
On March 22, 1943, Schutzmannschaft Battalion 118, a Nazi auxiliary police unit, surrounded the village of Khatyn in present-day Belarus.
Accusing villagers of supporting partisan fighters, the battalion forced residents into a barn, which they then set ablaze.
Those who attempted to flee were shot or burned alive, resulting in the deaths of 149 people, including children and the elderly.
The massacre of Khatyn became a symbol of the widespread atrocities committed in occupied Eastern Europe.
Today, the Khatyn Memorial stands on the site, honoring victims and serving as a powerful reminder of wartime brutality.
1943
Khatyn
Republic of Belarus
Schutzmannschaft Battalion 118
1945day.year
World War II: The city of Hildesheim, Germany, is heavily damaged in a British air raid, though it had little military significance and Germany was on the verge of final defeat.
In 1945, a British air raid devastated the German city of Hildesheim, despite its lack of military significance, as the Allies pressed their final offensive.
On March 22, 1945, the Royal Air Force carried out a massive bombing raid over Hildesheim, a historic city in Lower Saxony.
Although Hildesheim held little strategic value, it suffered extensive damage, with much of its medieval architecture reduced to rubble.
The raid reflected the intensity of Allied efforts to cripple Germany's war capacity in the closing weeks of World War II.
Civilian casualties were heavy, and the city's populace endured significant hardship amid rapidly advancing Allied forces.
Post-war reconstruction restored many historic buildings, but the event remains a poignant example of wartime devastation.
1945
Hildesheim
British air raid