Today in News History

On July 2, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1494, The Treaty of Tordesillas is ratified by Spain. In 1566, Nostradamus, French astrologer and author (born 1503) passed away. In 1816, The French frigate Méduse strikes the Bank of Arguin and 151 people on board have to be evacuated on an improvised raft, a case immortalised by Géricault's painting The Raft of the Medusa. In 1823, Bahia Independence Day: The end of Portuguese rule in Brazil, with the final defeat of the Portuguese crown loyalists in the province of Bahia. In 1839, Twenty miles off the coast of Cuba, 53 kidnapped Africans led by Joseph Cinqué mutiny and take over the slave ship Amistad. In 1940, World War II: The SS Arandora Star is sunk by U-47 in the North Atlantic with the loss of over 800 lives, mostly civilians. In 1954, Chris Huhne, English journalist and politician, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change was born. In 1976, Ľudovít Ódor, Prime minister of Slovakia was born. In 1986, Aeroflot Flight 2306 crashes while attempting an emergency landing at Syktyvkar Airport in Syktyvkar, in present-day Komi Republic, Russia, killing 54 people. In 2014, Manuel Cardona, Spanish physicist and academic (born 1934) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.