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On this day in 1943, Allied bombers begin eight days of round-the-clock raids against the city of Hamburg. By the time it's over, more than 40,000 civilians will be dead. The British will later call it "Germany's Hiroshima."
On this day in 1743, King George II leads his army to victory against the French at Dettingen. It's the last time a British monarch commands troops in the field.
On this day in 1812, Napoleon Bonaparte marches 650,000 troops into Russia. Battle losses, disease and sub zero temperatures will cut his Grande Armée down to fewer than 100,000 men before the year is out.
On this day in 1798, British and Hessian troops attack and overrun a rebel Irish encampment at Vinegar Hill, County Wexford. Slaughter ensues.
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On this day in 1798, the United Irishmen rise up against British rule. Rebel leaders appeal to France for military aid.
On this day in 1756, Britain officially declares war on France. Both powers have already been fighting for at least two years in the wilderness of North America.
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On this day in 1242, the armies of Novgorod defeat the Teutonic Knights on a frozen lake in what is now Estonia. The Battle of the Ice, as it becomes known, will be later immortalized in the 1938 Sergei Eisenstein epic 'Alexander Nevsky.'
On this day in 1519, Hernán Cortés arrives in Mexico with 500 troops to crush the Aztec empire. After coming ashore, he orders his ships scuttled. Cortés believes that by eliminating the expedition's only means of escape, his men will fight harder.