Today in News History

On July 5, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 465, Ahkal Moʼ Nahb I, Mayan ruler (died 524) was born. In 1849, William Thomas Stead, English journalist (died 1912) was born. In 1852, Frederick Douglass delivers his "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" speech in Rochester, New York. In 1890, Frederick Lewis Allen, American historian and journalist (died 1954) was born. In 1908, Henri of Orléans, (died 1999) was born. In 1934, "Bloody Thursday": The police open fire on striking longshoremen in San Francisco. In 1970, Air Canada Flight 621 crashes in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, killing all 109 people on board. In 1973, A boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion (BLEVE) in Kingman, Arizona, following a fire that broke out as propane was being transferred from a railroad car to a storage tank, kills eleven firefighters. In 2003, The World Health Organization announces that the 2002-2004 SARS outbreak has been contained. In 2009, A series of violent riots break out in Ürümqi, the capital city of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.