This Day In Our History

Robert the Bruce (1274 - 1329)

Robert I, known as Robert the Bruce, was the heroic King of Scots who secured Scotland's independence from England.

At the Battle of Bannockburn in June 1314, he defeated a much larger English army under Edward II, confirming the re-establishment of an independent Scottish monarchy. Two years later, his brother Edward Bruce was inaugurated as high king of Ireland but was killed in battle in 1318.


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1914 Babe Ruth makes his Major League Baseball debut in America

George Herman Ruth, (1895 - 1948) known to the world as "Babe Ruth," was the first sports superstar. He might have become baseball's greatest left-handed pitcher. Instead, he moved to the outfield and became its greatest hitter. After leading the Boston Red Sox to two World Series victories, he was traded to the New York Yankees following the 1918 season. The Yankees, who had never won a pennant before, became perennial American League and World Series champions. The Red Sox did not win another World Series until 2004.

How did he get the nickname "Babe Ruth"?

At the age of 19, Ruth was spotted by Jack Dunn, owner of the Baltimore Orioles of the International League, who signed him to his first professional contract. Ruth's parents had given custody of the boy to the Jesuits at the time he enrolled at St. Mary's, where he was supposed to remain until he turned 21. To complete the contract and remove him from the school, Dunn was forced to adopt him. This led to Ruth's being described as Dunn's "baby," which became "Babe," the nickname the stayed with him for the rest of his life.

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1975 China’s Terracotta Army uncovered near the ancient capital of Xian

More than 8,000 life sized warriors were buried around 206BC to guard the tomb of the first Chinese Emperor.

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Today's Trivia Question

Which country gained its independence from China this day in 1921?

Answer in tomorrow's blog post AND If you email me at purplecards@googlemail.com with the right answer I'll give you a mention in tomorrow's blog post!


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St. Martins le Grand - London - 1907 - One of the many Vintage Postcards at My Postcard Blog - Pretty As A Postcard