Today in News History

On July 2, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1504, Bogdan III the One-Eyed becomes Voivode of Moldavia. In 1881, Charles J. Guiteau shoots and fatally wounds U.S. President James A. Garfield (who will die of complications from his wounds on September 19). In 1934, The Night of the Long Knives ends after three days of killings. In 1979, Ahmed al-Ghamdi, Saudi Arabian terrorist, hijacker of United Airlines Flight 175 (died 2001) was born. In 1986, Rodrigo Rojas and Carmen Gloria Quintana are burnt alive during a street demonstration against the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet in Chile. In 1990, In the 1990 Mecca tunnel tragedy, 1,400 Muslim pilgrims are suffocated to death and trampled upon in a pedestrian tunnel leading to the holy city of Mecca. In 1994, USAir Flight 1016 crashes near Charlotte Douglas International Airport, killing 37 of the 57 people on board. In 2010, The South Kivu tank truck explosion in the Democratic Republic of the Congo kills at least 230 people. In 2014, Emilio Álvarez Montalván, Nicaraguan ophthalmologist and politician (born 1919) passed away. In 2016, Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor, activist, and author (born 1928) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.