Today in News History

On July 1, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. 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 1899, Konstantinos Tsatsos, Greek scholar and politician, President of Greece (died 1987) was born. In 1911, Sergey Sokolov, Russian marshal and politician, Soviet Minister of Defence (died 2012) was born. In 1930, Moustapha Akkad, Syrian-American director and producer (died 2005) was born. In 1940, Cahit Zarifoğlu, Turkish poet and author (died 1987) was born. In 1942, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, Iraqi field marshal and politician (died 2020) was born. In 1954, Hossein Nuri, Iranian artist and director was born. In 1962, Mokhzani Mahathir, Malaysian businessman was born. In 1968, The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons is signed in Washington, D.C., London and Moscow by sixty-two countries. In 1984, Moshé Feldenkrais, Ukrainian-Israeli physicist and academic (born 1904) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.