June 20

in History

Battle of Chalons — Rome and the Huns fight to a bloody standstill

Catalaunian Plains, Gaul (modern France)Classical

451

Battle of Chalons

Rome and the Huns fight to a bloody standstill

On the Catalaunian Plains of Gaul, the Roman general Flavius Aetius led a coalition of Romans, Visigoths, and other allies against the vast horde of Attila the Hun in one of the most consequential battles in Western history. The fighting was savage and inconclusive, but Attila retreated -- the first time his seemingly invincible army had been checked. The Battle of Chalons preserved Western European civilization from Hunnic domination, earning Aetius the title 'the Last of the Romans.'

451 AD

Siege of Beijing Begins — The Boxers surround the foreign legations

Beijing, ChinaEarly 20th Century

1900

Siege of Beijing Begins

The Boxers surround the foreign legations

During the Boxer Rebellion, the Imperial Chinese Army began a fifty-five-day siege of the Legation Quarter in Beijing, trapping hundreds of foreign diplomats, their families, and Chinese Christians behind hastily constructed barricades. The siege, one of the most dramatic episodes of the era, gripped the world's attention as rumors of massacres circulated. When an international relief force finally broke through, the legation's defenders had held out against overwhelming odds.

1900 AD

World War II — World War II: The Royal Air Force launches Operation Bellicose, the first shuttle bombing raid of the war.

1939–1945 global conflictEarly 20th Century

1943

World War II

World War II: The Royal Air Force launches Operation Bellicose, the first shuttle bombing raid of the war.

World War II or the Second World War was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated. Tanks and aircraft played major roles, the latter enabling the strategic bombing of cities and delivery of the only nuclear weapons used in war. World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, causing the death of 60 to 75 million people.

1943 AD