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A medieval depiction of a fortification being assaulted

The siege of Breteuil was the investment of the Norman town of Breteuil, held by partisans of Charles II, King of Navarre, by French forces between April and about 20 August 1356. It was interrupted on 5 July when a small English army relieved and resupplied the town. The French king, John II, attempted to bring the English to battle, but they evaded him and the siege was renewed. The French attracted praise for the splendour and high status of many of the participants, but made little progress as the town was well-garrisoned and stocked with food for a year. Attempts to mine under the walls were to no avail. In August a large mobile siege tower was pushed up to the walls and an assault launched, but the tower was set on fire and the attack repulsed with many casualties. Taking Breteuil became a matter of prestige for John and he refused to take the army south to face a major English offensive. Eventually the garrison was given free passage and a huge bribe to persuade them to depart. (Full article...)

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On this day

July 5: Fifth of July in New York

Coat of arms of the Regency of Algiers

1830 – Algiers surrendered to French invaders, ending the Regency of Algiers (coat of arms pictured).
1922 – Brazilian Army rebels took over Fort Copacabana and launched a rebellion in Rio de Janeiro against President Epitácio Pessoa and President-elect Artur Bernardes.
1937 – The Hormel Foods Corporation introduced Spam, the canned precooked meat product that would eventually enter into pop culture, folklore, and urban legend.

1950 – Korean War: In the first encounter between North Korean and American forces, an unprepared and undisciplined U.S. Army task force was routed at the Battle of Osan.
1990 – An explosion at a petrochemical plant in Channelview, Texas, killed 17 people and injured five others.

Sarah Siddons (b. 1755)
Sophie Wyss (b. 1897)
John Curtin (d. 1945)
Megan Rapinoe (b. 1985)

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Today's featured picture

William Rankine (5 July 1820 – 24 December 1872) was a Scottish mathematician and physicist. He was a founding contributor, with Rudolf Clausius and Lord Kelvin, to the science of thermodynamics, particularly focusing on its First Law. He developed the Rankine scale, a Fahrenheit-based equivalent to the Celsius-based Kelvin scale of temperature. This undated photograph of Rankine was taken by Thomas Annan.

Photograph credit: Thomas Annan; restored by Adam Cuerden

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