On this day... October 21:

On this day...

October 21:  Trafalgar Day in various Commonwealth countries 1805 – Napoleonic Wars: Lord Nelson signalled "England expects that every man will do his duty" to the rest of his Royal Navy forces before they defeated Pierre-Charles Villeneuve and his combined French–Spanish navy at the Battle of Trafalgar off the coast of Spain's Cape Trafalgar. 1854 – Florence Nightingale (pictured) and a staff of 38 nurses were sent to Turkey to help treat wounded British soldiers fighting in the Crimean War. 1910 – HMS Niobe arrived in Halifax Harbour to become the first large ship of the Royal Canadian Navy. 1944 – World War II: German forces surrendered to American troops, ending the three-week-long Battle of Aachen. 1978 – After reporting contact with an unidentified aircraft,Frederick Valentich disappeared in unexplained circumstances while piloting a Cessna 182L light aircraft over the Bass Strait toKing Island, Australia.