On this day, in 52 BCE, The siege and battle of Alesia is ended by the surrender of Vercingetorix, leader of the Gauls, to Julius Caesar. Vercingetorix was a Gallic king and chieftain of the Arverni tribe who united the Gauls in a failed revolt against Roman forces during the last phase of Julius Caesar’s Gallic Wars.
As leader of the Arverni, he established an alliance with other Gallic tribes, took command, combined all forces, and led them in the Celts’ most significant revolt against Roman power. He won the Battle of Gergovia against Julius Caesar in which several thousand Romans and their allies were killed, and the Roman legions withdrew.
Caesar had been able to exploit Gaulish internal divisions to easily subjugate the country, since Vercingetorix’s attempt to unite the Gauls against Roman invasion came too late. At the Battle of Alesia in 52 BC the Romans besieged and defeated his forces. To spare as many of his men as possible, he gave himself to the Romans. He was held prisoner for five years. In 46 BC as part of Caesar’s triumph, he was paraded through the streets of Rome and then executed by garrote. He is considered a folk hero in France, and especially in Auvergne, his native region.
Poster for the French silent film Vercingétorix (1909) directed by Cândido de Faria for Pathé.
Used to be cheaper to have babies…
Yarpy Birthdap!!
Merely Canadian…
Participant Andreas Pelowski from Germany poses during the European Beard Championship in Leogang, Austria, on September 20, 2025
Feels like Autumn
SIGNS and Signs
The Ndlovu Youth Choir was formed in 2009 at a childcare facility in Elandsdoorn, Limpopo, South Africa. They are all grown up now, but are not about to change the name. The Ndlovu Youth Choir got authorization from Queen to cover “Bohemian Rhapsody” in the isiZulu language of the Zulu people of South Africa. Or partially, because some of the song is in English. It is also partially a cappella, with a band joining in halfway through. The singing is sublime, the staging is sumptuous, and the video is pure eye candy. You can see more from the Ndlovu Youth Choir at their YouTube channel.
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