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 969, The Fatimid general Jawhar leads the Friday prayer in Fustat in the name of Caliph al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah, thereby symbolically completing the Fatimid conquest of Egypt. In 1401, Timur attacks the Jalairid Sultanate and destroys Baghdad. In 1572, Nineteen Catholics suffer martyrdom for their beliefs, in the Dutch town of Gorkum. In 1850, Persian prophet Báb is executed in Tabriz, Persia. In 1908, Allamah Rasheed Turabi, Pakistani philosopher and scholar (died 1973) was born. In 1917, Krystyna Dańko, Polish orphan, survivor of Holocaust (died 2019) was born. In 1929, Hassan II of Morocco (died 1999) was born. In 1979, A car bomb destroys a Renault motor car owned by "Nazi hunters" Serge and Beate Klarsfeld outside their home in France in an unsuccessful assassination attempt. In 1999, Days of student protests begin after Iranian police and hardliners attack a student dormitory at the University of Tehran. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.