The Battle of Dunkirk is an example of how humanity dares to stand up against all odds and pull off the impossible consistently. The defence and the subsequent evacuation of British and other allied forces from the beaches of Dunkirk is one of humanity's finest achievements, especially considering the fact that they were getting pincered on both sides by the Nazi German army. 

Before you go to theatres and watch what seems to be another one of Nolan's masterclass movies, here's what you need to know. 

1. Newly minted British Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered the BEF’s commander, Lord Gort, to evacuate as many troops back to Britain as possible as the army retreated to the area around the port of Dunkirk.

2. Initially it was estimated that just 45,000 men could be evacuated in 48 hours. This was before a call was sent out for any kind of naval vessel to help in the evacuation effort. The British people responded in droves. All sorts of vessels and civilians volunteered to go get the troops back home, one craft was from as far away as the Isle of Man. 

3. The smallest boat to take part was the Tamzine, a 14ft open-topped fi shing boat, now in the Imperial War Museum. 

4. On the first day, 8000 people were rescued. This number would soon swell to become one of the biggest evacuations in the history of mankind. 

5. More than 200 ships and boats were lost during the evacuation with many tragedies . On May 29 the destroyer Wakeful was torpedoed and sank in 15 seconds with the loss of 600 lives. 26It is estimated that around 3,500 British were killed at sea or on the beaches and more than 1,000 Dunkirk citizens in air raids.

For a full scope of the sheer number of people that were evacuated, I would strongly suggest you watch the movie first thing tomorrow. The Battle of Dunkirk, the spirit of the soldiers ordered to fight to the last man to save their fellows, the bravery and the daring escapes by soldiers captured by the Nazis because they stayed behind so people may escape, all of it make it a story for the ages, a story that we must remember for ages to come, for this effort of human kind shows us what we are capable of, should we work together.