Today in News History

On July 9, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 869, The 8.4-9.0 Mw Sanriku earthquake strikes the area around Sendai in northern Honshu, Japan. Inundation from the tsunami extended several kilometers inland. In 1795, Financier James Swan pays off the $2,024,899 US national debt that had been accrued during the American Revolution. In 1850, U.S. President Zachary Taylor dies after eating raw fruit and iced milk; he is succeeded in office by Vice President Millard Fillmore. In 1918, In Nashville, Tennessee, an inbound local train collides with an outbound express, killing 101 and injuring 171 people, making it the deadliest rail accident in United States history. In 1925, Ronald I. Spiers, American ambassador (died 2021) was born. In 1937, The silent film archives of Fox Film Corporation are destroyed by the 1937 Fox vault fire. In 1958, A 7.8 Mw strike-slip earthquake in Alaska causes a landslide that produces a megatsunami. The runup from the waves reached 525 m (1,722 ft) on the rim of Lituya Bay; five people were killed. In 1995, The Navaly church bombing is carried out by the Sri Lanka Air Force killing 125 Tamil civilian refugees. In 1996, Melvin Belli, American lawyer (born 1907) passed away. In 2012, Eugênio Sales, Brazilian cardinal (born 1920) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.