Untimely Losses
This King learned the hard way not to look at the sky when the Norman archers were doing their work.
Harold Godswain
This American runner won the Olympic gold medal in his event, but the dictator of the host country refused to shake his hand.
Jesse Owens (Berlin 1936)
Both were misfits given to heavy drinking, but one burned Atlanta while the other laid siege to Richmond.
Sherman and Grant
This failure of heavy artillery to break the German lines of barbed wire led to one of the greatest slaughters of the Great War, witnessed by a young J.R.R Tolkien
The Somme (1916)
In this iconic hockey game, a rag-tag American team beat the undefeated USSR to win the Olympic gold medal.
Miracle on Ice
All he did was get angry about some eagles and jump over a wall.
Remus
At this ancient festival the winners received laurel wreaths.
The Olympics
Both were present at the signing of the Declaration of Independence and were presidents, but would lead bitter political campaigns against each other and die on the same day.
Adams and Jefferson
Three hundred Spartans guarded a mountain pass against Persian invaders in this battle
Thermopylae
These 85 letters share the same pen name, but have different authors.
Federalist Letters
Buried with full military honors, this casualty was replaced with a cane later stolen by the Texas Rangers.
Santa Anna's Leg
You might be a sports fan, but would you burn down the imperial city in support of your team the way these sports fans did?
Blues and Greens
You might be best friends, but are you borrow your best friend’s armor because he is not going into battle like he should, get killed because everyone wants to kill your best friend, and be avenged by your best friend best friends?
Achilles and Patroclus
During this WW2 battle, a small island in the Pacific was defended to the last man, despite the overwhelming naval force employed by the US.
Battle of Okinawa
The bloodiest battle of the American Civil War, marking a turning point in the war in favor of the North.
Battle of Gettysburg
This Roman’s trip to the senate resulted in a stab in the back - or 23.
Julius Caesar
After this battle, a messenger ran all the way to Athens to declare their victory and died from exhaustion upon his arrival.
Battle of Marathon
This pair of lovers both committed suicide in the wake of Octavian’s victories.
Antony and Cleopatra
Julius Caesar’s battlefield reports from this campaign are still read today.
Conquest of Gaul
This holy order was established 1119 and became a major banking power.
The Knights Templars
This man’s assassination in Bosnia sparked the First World War.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Soldiers on the front lines in the Great War stopped fighting to play football together during this event famously known as:
"The Christmas Ceasefire" or "The Christmas Truce"
The sight of her inspired him to the new life.
Dante and Beatrice
Socrates took part in this famous battle during the Peloponnesian War.
Battle of Delium
The fall of this city to the Ottoman Turks marks the end of the Eastern Roman Empire and the Medieval period.
Sack of Constantinople