Today in News History

On July 1, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1523, Jan van Essen and Hendrik Vos become the first Lutheran martyrs, burned at the stake by Roman Catholic authorities in Brussels. 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 1906, Jean Dieudonné, French mathematician and academic (died 1992) was born. 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 1920, Henri Amouroux, French historian and journalist (died 2007) was born. In 1924, Georges Rivière, French actor (died 2011) was born. In 1932, Ze'ev Schiff, French-Israeli journalist and author (died 2007) was born. In 1944, Nurul Haque Miah, Bangladeshi professor and writer (died 2021) was born. In 1961, Louis-Ferdinand Céline, French physician and author (born 1894) passed away. In 2007, Smoking in England is banned in all public indoor spaces. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.