Wager of Battle. Trial by Combat. 8C-1817. Norse custom in England. Accused challenges accuser to combat-acquitted if he refuses.

Wagner, Richard. 1813-83. German Romantic opera composer/librettist. Leitmotif. Unified drama and music in long and complex operas. Tannhäuser 1845. Lohengrin 1850. Nibelung Ring 1853-76. Tristan and Isolde 1857-9. Parsifal 1882.

Wagram, Battle. 1809. Napoleon defeats Austrian Archduke Charles. Znaim. Schönbrunn Treaty.

Wahabi. 18-19C. Militant Moslem Arab Puritan sect. Fought Porte 1813-15. Invaded Kuwait 1919,27,28; repulsed with British help. 2001 World Trade Center. Taliban.

Wailing Wall, Battle. 1929. Jews battle Moslems.

Wairau Affray. 1843. Maori kill 22 English Settlers in New Zealand. Maori Wars.

Waìtangi, Treaty. 1840. Britain annexes New Zealand from Maori.

Wakefield, Battle. 1460. War of Roses. 1643 English Civil War.

Wakley. Founded Lancet (British medical journal), 1823.

Waksman, Selman. 1888-1973. Ukraine/US Streptomycin 1943.

Walachia. 1290 Vlachs settle. 1417 Ottoman suzerainty. 1774 Russia. 1859 +Moldavia =Romania.

Waldenses. 1170-. Austere heretical Christian sect. Founded by Waldo at Lyons. Persecuted in France, Italy, England.

Waldheim, Kurt. 1918-. Austrian. UN Secretary General 1972-82. Austrian president 1986-92. German officer WWII.

Wales. Celts. 55BC Rome. 7C +England. 8C Divided. 9C Re-united. 11C Norman. 1284 English suzerainty. 1536 Union with England.

Wales, Prince of. 1301-. Title of heir apparent to the British throne.

Wales, Statute. 1284. England annexes Wales.

Walesa, Lech. 1943-. Polish Solidarity leader instrumental in forcing decline of Communist rule. President 1990-96.

Walker, George. 1618-90. Hero of siege of Londonderry, 1688.

Walker, William. 1824-60. American filibuster. Nicaraguan president. 1856-7.

Walking Purchase. 1737. Americans cheat Indians in buying Delaware land by running instead of walking to determine land size. French-Indian Wars 1754-63.

Wallace, Alfred. 1823-1913. British naturalist. Theory of natural selection, 1838, independent of Darwin.

Wallace, George. 1919-98. Alabama segregationist governor, presidential candidate. Shot 1972.

Wallace, Lewis. 1827-1905. US soldier, author. Ben Hur 1880.

Wallenberg, Raoul. 1912-47?. Swedish diplomat. Saved thousands of Jews in WWII Budapest. Jailed by Soviets. Holocaust.

Wallenstein, Albrecht von. 1583-1634. Bohemian HRE general in Thirty Years War.

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