Battle of Marathon
The battle started on the Marathon plain of northeastern Attica in the time of 490 B.C. This marked the first fight of the Greco-Persian War. With the Persians getting into the Greek capitol, the Athenian general Miltiades took command of the quickly assembled army he had formed. Miltiades employed a successful strategy. He weakened the center of the other mans force to strengthen its wings, causing confusion among the Persians. The victory "the Marathon men" captured the collective imagination of the Greeks. The tale is of a messenger running a whole 25 miles to Athens to deliver the news. This action was the fuel of the creation of the modern day marathon.