On this day, August 3rd in the year 8 AD, Roman Empire general and future emperor Tiberius defeated the Dalmatians on the river Bathinus. Heroic tales of the battle became legend throughout the empire and may have been a driving force in Tiberius’ eventual rise to power.
It was not until 1956 that the truth about the battle was exposed by ancient history scholar Dodie Smith in her epic treatise “One Hundred and One Dalmatians.” It was not an army of Delmatae soldiers, an Illyrian tribe in Dalmatia, contemporary southern Croatia and western Bosnia and Herzegovina, but rather a pack of unruly dogs. Disney Studios, in a departure from their usual formula films, immortalized the heroics of the Dalmatians by bringing the epic battle to the big screen in a 1961 animated film.
Although the Disney film remained true to Smith’s work we did learn one historical fact not in the book. Tiberius, whose marriage was reportedly on the rocks due to his frequent departures for battle and rumored bouts of E.D. was able to rekindle the romance in his relationship by returning home from this battle and presenting his wife with a full length fur coat; white with black spots.