July 18

in History

Battle of the Cremera — Rome learns the bitter cost of ambush

Cremera River, near Veii, ItalyAncient

477

Battle of the Cremera

Rome learns the bitter cost of ambush

Along the banks of the Cremera River, the Etruscan city of Veii sprung a devastating ambush on Roman forces during the long-running Romano-Etruscan Wars. The Roman army, overconfident and poorly positioned, was routed in a battle that became one of the early Republic's most painful defeats. The loss taught Rome a lesson in military caution that would inform its strategies for generations.

477 BC

Ivanovo-Voznesensk, RussiaEarly 20th Century

1900

Nathalie Sarraute Was Born

A writer who saw beneath the surface of words

In Ivanovo-Voznesensk, Russia, Nathalie Sarraute was born to a life that would straddle two cultures. Settling in France, she became a pioneering writer and lawyer whose experimental novels anticipated the nouveau roman movement. Nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature, she explored the hidden psychological movements beneath everyday conversation, revealing tremors lurking under calm surfaces.

1900 AD

Late 20th Century

1966

Human spaceflight

Human spaceflight: Gemini 10 is launched from Cape Kennedy on a 70-hour mission that includes docking with an orbiting Agena target vehicle.

1966 AD