150 soldiers held a mission station against thousands of Zulu warriors

Hours after the British army suffered a catastrophic defeat at Isandlwana, around 150 British and colonial troops fortified the nearby Rorke's Drift mission station with mealie-bags and biscuit boxes and held off repeated assaults by 3,000-4,000 Zulu warriors through a night of close-quarters fighting. Eleven Victoria Crosses were awarded for the defence of 22-23 January 1879, still the most ever given for a single action. The 1964 film Zulu dramatised the battle.

— Historical event, Battle of Rorke's Drift — 22-23 January 1879