The famous battle took place in 1066 on this day, but not where you think. And The Bayeux Tapestry isn’t even a tapestry. With its countless details embroidered on linen cloth, the embroidery (not tapestry) serves as a unique representation of one of the greatest battles of the Middle Ages.

The thwarting of Harold Godwinson, last of the Anglo-Saxon kings, was the decisive event in the conquest of England by William, Duke of Normandy. But it didn’t take place in Hastings. The site of the skirmish is actually about 11 kilometres away in the present-day town of Battle.