September 7 in Russian history

The bloodiest battle with Napoleon’s previously all-conquering army took over 70,000 lives outside the Russian village of Borodino.

­Battle with Napoleon at Borodino

­September 7, 1812, saw the bloodiest battle of the war against Napoleon. It took place near the village of Borodino.

The fight lasted 12 hours and resulted in at least 70,000 casualties.

The Russian side was led by the celebrated General Mikhail Kutuzov.

Both sides claimed victory. But Napolean’s heavy losses led to his ultimate defeat three months later.

­Allied forces march in Berlin

­A joint parade of the allied forces took place in devastated Berlin on September 7, 1945.

Soviet, American, British and French troops marched in front of the Brandenburg Gate.

The parade marked the official end of the war and Germany’s capitulation. The idea was initiated by the most prominent Soviet military commander of the Second World War, Marshal Georgy Zhukov.

Zhukov also became the first commander of the Soviet occupation zone in Germany.

­Subway timers appear in Moscow Metro

­Two years later, the Soviet Union had begun its return to normal life, including making improvements to the Moscow Metro.

Special clocks appeared at several stations. They told the driver how much time had elapsed since the last train left the station. This helped trains to run on time.

In the beginning, the clocks were mechanical. These were later replaced by digital ones.

You can still see them the next time you use the Metro.

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