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William Hayden English

William Hayden English.
William Hayden English (August 27, 1822 – February 7, 1896) was a US Representative from Indiana and the Democratic nominee for vice president in 1880. English entered politics at a young age, becoming part of the conservative wing of the state Democratic Party. He was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives in 1851 and served as its speaker at the age of 29. Elected to Congress in 1852, he served four terms, leaving office in 1861. English was a War Democrat, supporting the Union in the Civil War. He was successful in business, and became one of the wealthiest people in Indiana. He returned to political life as Winfield Scott Hancock's running mate in 1880, but they were narrowly defeated by their Republican opponents, James A. Garfield and Chester A. Arthur. Afterwards, English continued in business and wrote two books.

Alabama Centennial half dollar

Alabama Centennial half dollar.
The Alabama Centennial half dollar is a commemorative fifty-cent coin struck by the United States Bureau of the Mint in 1921 as a belated acknowledgement of the 100th anniversary of Alabama's admission to the Union in 1819. The half dollar was created by Laura Gardin Fraser, who became the first woman designer of a coin. Alabama Congressman Lilius Bratton Rainey introduced authorizing at the request of the state's centennial commission. The bill moved quickly through the legislative process and became law on May 10, 1920. The sponsors of the issue chose to depict William Bibb, the State of Alabama's first governor, and Thomas Kilby, its governor at the time of the centennial, thus making Governor Kilby the first living person to appear on a U.S. coin. They were issued in October 1921, and to boost sales, a symbol, 2X2, was included in the design for a minority of the coins; these are generally more expensive today.

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Richie Farmer

Richie Farmer.
Richie Farmer (born August 25, 1969) is a former collegiate basketball player and Republican Party politician from the U.S. state of Kentucky. He led Clay County High School to the 1987 state high school boys' basketball championship, scoring a championship game record 51 points and being named 1988's Kentucky Mr. Basketball. He played collegiately for the Kentucky Wildcats. In his senior year, the team reached the Elite Eight of the 1992 NCAA Tournament, losing to Duke in one of the most memorable college basketball games ever. He served as Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner from 2004 to 2012, winning two terms by large margins. Kentucky Senate President David L. Williams made Farmer his running mate in the 2011 gubernatorial election, but their ticket was defeated. After leaving office as commissioner, Farmer was investigated for corruption and was eventually sentenced to 27 months in federal prison. He was released from a halfway house in 2016.

Battle of Blanchetaque

Battle of Blanchetaque.
The Battle of Blanchetaque was fought on 24 August 1346, during the early stages of the Hundred Years' War, between an English army under King Edward III and a French force commanded by Godemar du Fay. The English army had burnt a path of destruction through some of the richest lands in France to within 20 miles (32 km) of Paris, then had marched north, hoping to link up with an allied Flemish army. The French king, Philip VI, garrisoned all of the bridges and fords over the River Somme and followed the English with his own field army. The area had previously been stripped of food stocks, and the English were essentially trapped. They launched an attack across a tidal ford at Blanchetaque, and after a disorderly mêlée the French blocking force there broke and fled. French casualties were reported as over half of their force, while English losses were light. Two days later, the main army under Philip was defeated at the Battle of Crécy.