My inner history nerd decided the topic for today’s post.

I stumbled across a This Day in History post that reminded me of an awesome historical movie. Not Regency romance, but still, filled with much drama and heroic valor, displayed by all the participants.

The Battle of Rorke’s Drift

Stanley Baker and Michael Caine as the British Commanders

Last Friday, January 22nd, marked the anniversary of an African battle made famous by one of my favorite movies, the 1964 movie, Zulu. Zulu, introduced a young Michael Caine as one of the commanding officers of a South African mission station called Rorke’s Drift.

Prince Dabulamanzi kaMpande

If you haven’t heard of this fantastic film, I’d urge you to find it and watch it. The Battle of Rorke’s Drift involved a David-and-Goliath confrontation between 4000 Zulu warriors under the command of Prince Dabulamanzi kaMpande and 139 British soldiers.

The Zulu attack commenced the night of January 22nd, 1879. Earlier that day, the Zulu warriors had met the British at the Battle of Isandlwana, an overwhelming victory for the Zulus, in which they annihilated the majority of the British troops.

Defense of Rorke’s Drift by Lady Butler

In the film, Zulu, the story is told mostly from the point of view of the British defenders, but it’s not an ode to British colonialism. If you enjoy films about great battles and have an interest in military and world history, you’ll like it! If you’re a history nerd, you might love it!

Now, I’m off to put the finishing touches on a more romance-y story due to my editor!