The Battle of Dupplin Moor, the first major battle of the Second War of Scottish Independence, was fought between supporters of King David II of Scotland and English-backed invaders supporting Edward Balliol (seal pictured) on 11 August 1332. Balliol and a largely English force of 1,500 landed in Fife and marched on Perth, the Scottish capital. The Scots, estimated to have been between 15,000 and 40,000 strong, raced to attack the English, disorganising their own formations. Unable to break the line of English men-at-arms, the Scots became trapped in a valley with fresh forces arriving from the rear pressing them forward and giving them no room to manoeuvre, or even to use their weapons. English longbowmen shot into both Scottish flanks. Many Scots died of suffocation or were trampled underfoot. Eventually the Scots broke and the English men-at-arms mounted and pursued the fugitives until nightfall. Perth fell, the remaining Scottish forces dispersed, and Balliol was crowned King of Scots. (Full article...)
August 11: Independence Day in Chad (1960)
The first deputy premier of the Soviet Union was the deputy head of government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Despite the title, the office was not necessarily held by a single individual. A first deputy premier was responsible over a specific policy area. For example, Kirill Mazurov was responsible for industry, while Dmitry Polyansky was responsible for agriculture. In addition, an officeholder would be responsible for coordinating the activities of ministries, state committees, and other bodies subordinated to the government. Twenty-six individuals held the post of first deputy premier. The first officeholder was Valerian Kuybyshev, who was inaugurated in 1934. Lavrentiy Beria spent the shortest time in office, serving for 113 days. At more than seventeen years, Vyacheslav Molotov (pictured) spent the longest time in office, and held his position through most of Joseph Stalin's term as Premier of the Soviet Union, as well as through the chairmanships of Georgy Malenkov and Nikolai Bulganin. (Full list...)
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