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On August 5, 910, the Battle of Tettenhall took place near Wolverhampton, England, where Anglo-Saxon armies from Wessex and Mercia defeated a major Viking army, effectively ending the last great Viking invasion of England. The battle was fought between King Edward the Elder of Wessex and his sister Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians, against Northumbrian Vikings who had been raiding south into Mercia.

The Vikings had come from the Danelaw (Viking-controlled northern England) on a major raiding mission, collecting lots of treasure and plunder from Mercian lands. They were heading back north when the combined Anglo-Saxon forces caught up with them. The Vikings thought King Edward was away in Kent with his fleet, so they weren't expecting a fight. But Edward had secretly joined with Mercian troops to trap the raiders.

The battle was a complete disaster for the Vikings. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, "many thousands of men" were killed, including three important Viking kings - Eowils, Halfdan, and Ingwær. This was huge because losing three kings in one battle was almost unheard of. The Anglo-Saxons used smart tactics, trapping the Vikings on high ground and using the terrain to their advantage.

The victory at Tettenhall was so decisive that it broke Viking power in the region for good. After this battle, there were no more major Viking armies that tried to invade England from the north. It allowed Edward the Elder and Æthelflæd to start taking back Danelaw territories in the following years. The battle marked the beginning of the end for Viking control in England and helped pave the way for England to become one united kingdom under Anglo-Saxon rule.

On August 5, 1926, Harry Houdini performed his greatest and final escape at the Hotel Shelton in New York City, spending 91 minutes trapped in a sealed metal coffin underwater. The 52-year-old magician was trying to beat the record set by Egyptian magician Rahman Bey, who had stayed underwater in a metal box for one hour the month before. Bey claimed he used supernatural powers, but Houdini wanted to prove it could be done through skill and training.

Houdini spent weeks preparing for the stunt by practicing shallow breathing to conserve oxygen. He had his assistants build a special glass case so he could signal if he was in trouble. During two practice runs, he managed 70 minutes and 73 minutes underwater. For the public performance, he used a 700-pound metal casket that was completely airtight.

In front of journalists and spectators at the hotel's swimming pool, Houdini climbed into the coffin and was lowered to the bottom. He had eaten only fruit salad and half a cup of coffee for breakfast to prepare his body. After 88 minutes, he had beaten Bey's record, but he decided to keep going. Dr. W.J. McConnell, a scientist from the U.S. Bureau of Mines, was watching to study how people survive in small spaces with limited air.

Houdini finally signaled to be pulled up after 91 minutes. He later wrote that after 88 minutes, he started seeing yellow lights and had to fight not to fall asleep. He emerged sweaty and gasping but alive. Tragically, this would be Houdini's last great escape. Just three months later, he died from a ruptured appendix, reportedly after a college student punched him to test his claim that he could take any blow to the stomach.

Banana Berry🫐
Bananas are berries, but strawberries aren't - botanically speaking. True berries must have seeds inside their flesh and develop from a single flower with one ovary. Bananas qualify perfectly, while strawberries are actually "aggregate accessory fruits" with seeds on the outside. This botanical classification often surprises people who assume the opposite based on common naming conventions.

Eiffel Tower NDE🇫🇷
The Eiffel Tower was originally temporary and nearly demolished in 1909. Built as the entrance arch for the 1889 World's Fair, it was supposed to be torn down after 20 years. However, its usefulness as a radio transmission tower saved it from destruction, transforming what was meant to be a temporary structure into Paris's most iconic landmark.

Nintendo Playing Cards👾
Before becoming a gaming giant, Nintendo was founded in 1889 as a company that made handcrafted Hanafuda playing cards in Kyoto, Japan. These cards were used for traditional Japanese games and often featured floral designs. Nintendo dominated the market and even partnered with yakuza-run gambling parlors to expand sales. It wasn’t until the 1960s and '70s that they began experimenting with toys, electronics, and arcade games. The shift from paper cards to pixelated adventures laid the foundation for one of the most iconic video game empires in history.

A Flamboyance🦩
A group of flamingos is called a "flamboyance" - a name that perfectly captures their vibrant pink color and dramatic appearance. When they gather in large groups, sometimes numbering in hundreds of thousands, the collective term becomes even more fitting as these elegant birds create spectacular displays of synchronized movement and brilliant color.

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