Santa Anna's army retook the Alamo in 1836 and killed nearly all of its defenders

historyWikipedia23 February–6 March 1836 · San Antonio, Texas

Santa Anna's army retook the Alamo in 1836 and killed nearly all of its defenders

the gist

The Battle of the Alamo lasted from 23 February to 6 March 1836 during the Texas Revolution. About one hundred Texians were garrisoned at the former mission near San Antonio, joined by about one hundred reinforcements, under James Bowie and William B. Travis. Mexican forces under Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, numbering around 1,500, besieged the mission for thirteen days. On 6 March they stormed the walls in the early morning, and nearly all the Texian fighters were killed, with a few escaping and being caught by Mexican lancers. The news spread panic among Texian settlers in the Runaway Scrape. Santa Anna's refusal to spare surrendering soldiers angered Texians and inspired many to join the army, which defeated him at San Jacinto on 21 April 1836.

so what

The Alamo became a rallying cry for Texan independence, and the battle helped secure the Republic of Texas. Its later myth, shaped by films, differs in many ways from the historical record.

fun fact

The Alamo church was designated an official Texas State Shrine after the state bought it in 1883.

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗