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 1818, Ignaz Semmelweis, Hungarian-Austrian physician and obstetrician (died 1865) was born. In 1828, Lyncoya Jackson, a Muscogee war orphan adopted by Andrew Jackson passed away. In 1837, A system of civil registration of births, marriages and deaths is established in England and Wales. In 1884, Allan Pinkerton, Scottish-American detective and spy (born 1819) passed away. In 1903, Amy Johnson, English pilot (died 1941) was born. In 1915, Joseph Ransohoff, American soldier and neurosurgeon (died 2001) was born. In 1933, C. Scott Littleton, American anthropologist and academic (died 2010) was born. In 1939, Karen Black, American actress (died 2013) was born. In 2014, Bob Jones, English lawyer and politician (born 1955) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.