Lord Nelson's Victory at Copenhagen

April 2, 1801, marks the First Battle of Copenhagen. Britain attacked the Danish fleet to prevent Denmark from joining a coalition that threatened British access to Baltic trade. Vice Admiral Nelson, serving as second-in-command, famously ignored his superior’s signal to retreat. Legend has it that he raised his telescope to his blind eye and declared, “I really do not see the signal.” Although not the origin of the idiom, this story is often associated with the phrase “turning a blind eye.”

After four hours of fierce combat, the Danish fleet was shattered, with 18 ships lost and over 2,000 men killed or wounded. Britain lost no ships. The victory solidified Lord Nelson’s fame, and Nelson's Victory at Copenhagen is just one of the many ballads to memorialize the day.