Today in News History

On July 1, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1885, The Congo Free State is established by King Leopold II of Belgium. In 1916, World War I: First day on the Somme: On the first day of the Battle of the Somme 19,000 soldiers of the British Army are killed and 40,000 wounded. In 1960, The Trust Territory of Somaliland (the former Italian Somaliland) gains its independence from Italy. Concurrently, it unites as scheduled with the five-day-old State of Somaliland (the former British Somaliland) to form the Somali Republic. In 1964, Bernard Laporte, French rugby player and coach was born. In 1965, Garry Schofield, English rugby player and coach was born. In 1965, Wally Hammond, English cricketer (born 1903) passed away. In 1981, Carlos de Oliveira, Portuguese author and poet (born 1921) passed away. In 1986, Julian Prochnow, German footballer was born. In 1988, Dedé, Brazilian footballer was born. In 1995, Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo, Belgian footballer was born. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.