Today in News History

On July 6, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1411, Ming China's Admiral Zheng He returns to Nanjing after the third treasure voyage and presents the Sinhalese king, captured during the Ming-Kotte War, to the Yongle Emperor. In 1536, The explorer Jacques Cartier lands at St. Malo at the end of his second expedition to North America. He returns with none of the gold he expected to find. In 1747, John Paul Jones, Scottish-American captain (died 1792) was born. In 1779, Battle of Grenada: The French defeat British naval forces in the Caribbean during the American Revolutionary War. In 1884, Harold Stirling Vanderbilt, American businessman and sailor (died 1970) was born. In 1919, The British dirigible R34 lands in New York, completing the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by an airship. In 1964, Claude V. Ricketts, American admiral (born 1906) passed away. In 1988, The Piper Alpha drilling platform in the North Sea is destroyed by explosions and fires. One hundred sixty-seven oil workers are killed, making it the world's worst offshore oil disaster in terms of direct loss of life. In 1994, Andrew Benintendi, American baseball player was born. In 2003, The 70-metre Yevpatoria Planetary Radar sends a METI message (Cosmic Call 2) to five stars: Hip 4872, HD 245409, 55 Cancri (HD 75732), HD 10307 and 47 Ursae Majoris (HD 95128). The messages will arrive to these stars in 2036, 2040, 2044, and 2049, respectively. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.