Today in News History

On July 11, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1405, Ming admiral Zheng He sets sail to explore the world for the first time. In 1789, Jacques Necker is dismissed as France's Finance Minister sparking the Storming of the Bastille. In 1901, Gwendolyn Lizarraga, Belizean businesswoman, activist, and politician (died 1975) was born. In 1937, Pai Hsien-yung, Chinese-Taiwanese author was born. In 1955, Balaji Sadasivan, Singaporean neurosurgeon and politician, Singaporean Minister of Health (died 2010) was born. In 1960, Congo Crisis: The State of Katanga breaks away from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In 1962, Fumiya Fujii, Japanese music artist was born. In 1973, Varig Flight 820 crashes near Paris on approach to Orly Airport, killing 123 of the 134 on board. In response, the FAA bans smoking in airplane lavatories. In 1978, Los Alfaques disaster: A truck carrying liquid gas crashes and explodes at a coastal campsite in Tarragona, Spain killing 216 tourists. In 2009, Ji Xianlin, Chinese linguist and paleographer (born 1911) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.