Today in News History

On July 9, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 551, A major earthquake strikes Beirut, triggering a devastating tsunami that affects the coastal towns of Byzantine Phoenicia, causing thousands of deaths. In 869, The 8.4-9.0 Mw Sanriku earthquake strikes the area around Sendai in northern Honshu, Japan. Inundation from the tsunami extended several kilometers inland. In 1914, Willi Stoph, German engineer and politician, 4th Prime Minister of East Germany (died 1999) was born. In 1948, Hassan Wirajuda, Indonesian lawyer and politician, 15th Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs was born. In 1999, Days of student protests begin after Iranian police and hardliners attack a student dormitory at the University of Tehran. In 2004, The Senate Report on Iraqi WMD Intelligence is released by the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, casting doubt on the rationale for the Iraq War. In 2004, Paul Klebnikov, American journalist and historian (born 1963) passed away. In 2006, One hundred and twenty-five people are killed when S7 Airlines Flight 778, an Airbus A310 passenger jet, veers off the runway while landing in wet conditions at Irkutsk Airport in Siberia. In 2011, A rally takes place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to call for fairer elections in the country. In 2022, John Gwynne, English reporter and commentator (born 1945) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.