Today in News History

On July 1, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 552, Battle of Taginae: Byzantine forces under Narses defeat the Ostrogoths in Italy, and the Ostrogoth king, Totila, is mortally wounded. In 1431, The Battle of La Higueruela takes place in Granada, leading to a modest advance of the Kingdom of Castile during the Reconquista. In 1520, Spanish conquistadors led by Hernán Cortés fight their way out of Tenochtitlan after nightfall. In 1766, François-Jean de la Barre, a young French nobleman, is tortured and beheaded before his body is burnt on a pyre along with a copy of Voltaire's Dictionnaire philosophique nailed to his torso for the crime of not saluting a Roman Catholic religious procession in Abbeville, France. In 1823, The five Central American nations of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica declare independence from the First Mexican Empire after being annexed the year prior. In 1879, Léon Jouhaux, French union leader, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1954) was born. In 1917, World War I: Russia launches an offensive against Austria-Hungary to capture Galicia, its final offensive of the war. In 1988, Dedé, Brazilian footballer was born. In 1991, Lucas Vázquez, Spanish footballer was born. In 1992, Franco Cristaldi, Italian screenwriter and producer (born 1924) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.