Today marks the 450th Anniversary of the Ottoman investment of Malta, which began the Siege of Malta itself.  I was going to do a write up for it, but this article, by Tony Rothman, is way better than I'm going to do:

The Siege of Malta By Tony Rothman

The Siege of Malta is one of the important battles that set the limits of territorial expansion for the Ottoman Empire in the explosion of growth it saw between the collapse of the Sultanate of Rum and ... well, the Siege of Malta in 1565.  The Siege of Vienna in 1526 was another major impediment to Ottoman expansion in central Europe, and, by 1565, most of the Middle East was under Ottoman control, anyway.  Malta represented the gateway for Turkish expansion into the Central and Western Mediterranean.  Ottoman plans after taking Malta included invasions of North Africa (Then under Spanish control) and Italy.  Needless to say, a triumphant Ottoman army marching through the weak states of Italy, with the support of its French allies, would have been a major break in European, and World, history.  It wasn't obvious at the time, but Malta represents the high water mark of Ottoman expansion, and the defeat in Malta proved to be beginning of the end, like a mid- 3rd quarter Pick Six.

That's leaving aside the drama of the siege itself.  About 6,000 defenders faced off 40,000 men with 70 siege cannon, on an island surrounded by enemy ships.  It's considered a nearly sure thing that a fortress without the possibility of relief will eventually fall- and how do you get an army to an island under blockade?  Still, the defenders of Malta, despite a number of misteps, bounced back to hold on until a relief army, rather miraculously, made it to the island.  There was strong tactics and strategy on both sides, as well as tales of individual heroism- when the Turks blasted a hole in the walls of the citadel, Jean Parisot de Vallette, Grand Master of the Knights Hospitalier, led the counter assault personally.  

So, if you're looking for a read this afternoon, take a moment and consider the events of a few centuries ago, and how they mean a lot even today.