Today in News History

On July 9, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1441, Jan van Eyck, Dutch painter (born 1359) passed away. In 1795, Financier James Swan pays off the $2,024,899 US national debt that had been accrued during the American Revolution. In 1935, Wim Duisenberg, Dutch economist and politician, Dutch Minister of Finance (died 2005) was born. In 1935, Mercedes Sosa, Argentine singer and activist (died 2009) was born. In 1961, Greece becomes the first member state to join the European Economic Community by signing the Athens Agreement, which was suspended in 1967 during the Greek junta. In 1987, Gert Jõeäär, Estonian cyclist was born. In 1988, Raul Rusescu, Romanian footballer was born. In 1997, A Fokker 100 from the Brazilian airline TAM launches engineer Fernando Caldeira de Moura Campos into 2,400 meters of free fall after an explosion that depressurized the aircraft. In 2011, A rally takes place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to call for fairer elections in the country. In 2011, South Sudan gains independence and secedes from Sudan. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.