Today in News History

On July 2, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1816, The French frigate Méduse strikes the Bank of Arguin and 151 people on board have to be evacuated on an improvised raft, a case immortalised by Géricault's painting The Raft of the Medusa. In 1915, Porfirio Díaz, Mexican general and politician, 29th President of Mexico (born 1830) passed away. In 1931, Mohammad Yazdi, Iranian cleric (died 2020) was born. In 1936, Omar Suleiman, Egyptian general and politician, 16th Vice President of Egypt (died 2012) was born. In 1940, World War II: The SS Arandora Star is sunk by U-47 in the North Atlantic with the loss of over 800 lives, mostly civilians. In 1942, Vicente Fox, Mexican businessman and politician, 35th President of Mexico was born. In 1966, France conducts its first nuclear weapon test in the Pacific, on Moruroa Atoll. In 1986, Rodrigo Rojas and Carmen Gloria Quintana are burnt alive during a street demonstration against the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet in Chile. In 1990, In the 1990 Mecca tunnel tragedy, 1,400 Muslim pilgrims are suffocated to death and trampled upon in a pedestrian tunnel leading to the holy city of Mecca. In 1997, The Bank of Thailand floats the baht, triggering the Asian financial crisis. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.