Action of 22 January 1809 Action of 22 January 1809 The Action of 22 January 1809 was a minor naval engagement fought off the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe during the Napoleonic Wars. The action was fought as part of the blockade of Guadeloupe and neighbouring Martinique by a large British Royal Navy squadron, which was seeking to cut the islands off from contact and supplies from France by preventing the passage of shipping from Europe to the islands. The British blockade was part of their preparation for planned invasions during the next year. The French made numerous efforts to supply their colonies during this period,
Black Thursday (1960 Rome Olympics) final looking a shadow of his former self. John Thomas was the world record holder but settled for a bronze medal. The loss by Thomas to two Soviet athletes at the height of the Cold War was seen as a national embarrassment for the Americans and a national triumph by the Soviets. The phrase ‘Black Thursday’ was resonant of other ‘Black Thursdays’ of the then recent past and in the living memory of many people alive at the time, most notably the Thursday that signalled the start of the wall Street Crash of 1929. In addition, 1 September was the