The Battle of the Bagradas River was fought in 240 BC, in present-day north-east Tunisia, between a Carthaginian army led by Hamilcar Barca and a rebel force led by Spendius. Carthage was fighting a coalition of mutinous soldiers and rebellious African cities in the Mercenary War, which had started late the previous year in the wake of the First Punic War. Hamilcar left Carthage and evaded a rebel blockade by crossing the Bagradas River (the modern Medjerda River) at its mouth. Two rebel armies marched towards the Carthaginians. When they came into sight Hamilcar ordered a feigned retreat. The rebels broke ranks to chase the Carthaginians and this impetuous pursuit caused them to fall into disorder. Once the rebels had closed, the Carthaginians turned and charged them. The rebels broke and were routed. The Carthaginians pursued, killing or capturing many of the rebels and taking a bridge over the Bagradas. This victory gave Hamilcar freedom to manoeuvre and the operational initiative. (This article is part of a featured topic: Mercenary War.).
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/Mercenary_War> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1940: The superhero Captain America made his first published appearance in the comic book Captain America Comics #1. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_America> 1980: NBC aired the American football match between the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins without announcers. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Announcerless_game> 1995: Mandated by the Dayton Agreement that ended the Bosnian War, the NATO-led Implementation Force (troops pictured) began peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Implementation_Force> 1999: Portugal transferred the sovereignty over Macau, which it had administered since the mid–16th century, to China. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macau> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: condescend: 1. (intransitive) 2. (obsolete) To come down or go down; to descend. 3. (figurative) 4. To come down from a superior position and do something; to deign; (with a negative connotation) to stoop. 5. To treat someone as though inferior; to talk down to someone; to patronize. 6. Chiefly followed by on or upon: to go into detail; to particularize, to specify. 7. (obsolete) To agree to something; to accede, to assent, to consent; also, to reach an agreement. 8. (obsolete) To give way or yield in a deferential manner; to be amenable or compliant. 9. (obsolete) To graciously give; to vouchsafe. 10. (obsolete) To reach a certain point; to settle on. 11. (obsolete) To secretly make plans, usually to bring about a bad or illegal result; to conspire, to plot. 12. (transitive) 13. (nonstandard, rare) To treat (someone) as though inferior; to talk down to (someone); to patronize. 14. (chiefly passive voice, obsolete) Often preceded by the dummy pronoun it: to agree to (something); to consent. <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/condescend> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day: The primal and perennial work of social organization is not to fix the bounds of behavior as permanent lines, which would make all evolutionary process impossible, but to retrieve the vital balance every time some act, public or private, has upset it. --Susanne Langer <https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Susanne_Langer> _______________________________________________ Wikipedia Daily Article mailing list. To unsubscribe write to: [email protected] Questions or comments? Contact [email protected]
