Forgive the pun, but this is post 1066 here, so it might as well be now.
History throws up a few really significant dates, the kind you’re expected to remember through history lessons. 1066 AD is the classic example in the UK, the year of the Norman Conquest. Don’t ask for a specific day for the Battle of Hastings, though, it’s not like the 4th of July in the USA. See also the 5th of November. We remember, remember, but would probably have to look up which year the Gunpowder Plot happened in.
Which dates, day and year, do you remember from your history lessons? If you stepped out of the TARDIS and saw a newspaper for a specific day, what would it take to get a reaction?
1066 works for me, but culturally, the one date no Acadian can ever forget is 1755, the year of the first Deportation of the Acadians conducted by the British. Our most famous band is called just that, several Acadian films invoke it. It is inescapable.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, the start and end of both World Wars, obviously. 1000 AD has the Vikings landing in Newfoundland. 50 BC - Asterix' village resists against Roman aggression. And the Narcissist in me would recognize the date of my birth, not that I would visit my parents in hospital or anything.
I'd never heard of the Deportation of the Acadians. I feel like I should apologise on behalf of my nation.
DeleteThat's more than the Crown ever did.
Delete(I don't actually hold any modern-day Brits accountable for this, nor was I personally harmed.)