Today in News History

On June 29, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1170, A major earthquake hits Syria, badly damaging towns such as Hama and Shaizar and structures such as the Krak des Chevaliers and the cathedral of St. Peter in Antioch. In 1457, The Dutch city of Dordrecht is devastated by fire. In 1613, The Globe Theatre in London, built by William Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, burns to the ground. In 1864, At least 99 people, mostly German and Polish immigrants, are killed in Canada's worst railway disaster after a train fails to stop for an open drawbridge and plunges into the Rivière Richelieu near St-Hilaire, Quebec. In 1915, The North Saskatchewan River flood of 1915 is the worst flood in Edmonton history. In 1922, France grants "one square kilometer" at Vimy Ridge "freely, and for all time, to the Government of Canada, the free use of the land exempt from all taxes". In 1976, The Conference of Communist and Workers Parties of Europe convenes in East Berlin. In 1995, The Sampoong Department Store collapses in the Seocho District of Seoul, South Korea, killing 502 and injuring 937. In 2007, Joel Siegel, American journalist and critic (born 1943) passed away. In 2014, The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant self-declares its caliphate in Syria and northern Iraq. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.