Today in News History

On July 6, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1415, Jan Hus is condemned by the assembly of the council in the Konstanz Cathedral as a heretic and sentenced to be burned at the stake. In 1484, Portuguese sea captain Diogo Cão finds the mouth of the Congo River. In 1893, Guy de Maupassant, French short story writer, novelist, and poet (born 1850) passed away. In 1904, Erik Wickberg, Swedish 9th General of The Salvation Army (died 1996) was born. In 1912, Heinrich Harrer, Austrian geographer and mountaineer (died 2006) was born. In 1953, Robert Ménard, French politician and former journalist was born. In 1964, Thierry Warmoes, politician was born. In 1988, The Piper Alpha drilling platform in the North Sea is destroyed by explosions and fires. One hundred sixty-seven oil workers are killed, making it the world's worst offshore oil disaster in terms of direct loss of life. In 1994, Ahmet Haxhiu, Kosovan activist (born 1932) passed away. In 2013, A 73-car oil train derails in the town of Lac-Mégantic, Quebec and explodes into flames, killing at least 47 people and destroying more than 30 buildings in the town's central area. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.