ON THIS DAY: August 26

ON THIS DAY IN TEENAGE HISTORY (1346), sixteen-year-old Edward the Black Prince commanded a wing of the English army to victory over France at the Battle of Crécy. Watching from a hilltop, England’s Edward III waved away an earl who insisted the king’s son needed help against a numerically superior French force. “Is he dead? Or so wounded he cannot help himself?” asked the king. When the earl said no, Edward III said, “Let the boy prove himself a true knight and win his spurs.” After the battle the king greeted his son by saying, “Prince, you are the conqueror of the French!” Turning to face the other soldiers who had gathered around him, King Edward yelled, “Cheer, cheer for the Black Prince! Cheer for the hero of Crécy!”