January 20th - 26th
On 20th January…
On 21st January…
1793 - King Louis XVI of France was executed by guillotine after being found guilty of treason during the French Revolution.
On 22nd January…
871 - The Battle of Basing took place between Anglo-Saxons and Vikings in the English kingdom of Wessex. The Anglo-Saxons, led by King Ethelred and his younger brother Alfred, were defeated despite their victory in the previous battle at Ashdown just two weeks earlier. This was the third time that the Saxon armies faced the Vikings in January, and there would be many more battles to come before the end of the year.
On 23rd January…
1963 - Kim Philby the infamous double agent defected to Russia. He was a high-ranking British intelligence officer (spy) who leaked secrets to Russia during both World War II and the Cold War. His actions led to the deaths of many Western agents during the 1940s and early 1950s.
On 24th January…
1965 - Winston Churchill died aged 90 years. He was British Prime Minster from 1940-1945 and 1951-1955. As Prime Minister he led the nation to victory during World War II and kept the population upbeat and positive despite being in the midst of a war with his famous speeches.