Today in News History

On June 24, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1374, A sudden outbreak of St. John's Dance causes people in the streets of Aachen, Germany, to experience hallucinations and begin to jump and twitch uncontrollably until they collapse from exhaustion. In 1804, Willard Richards, American religious leader (died 1854) was born. In 1842, Ambrose Bierce, American short story writer, essayist, and journalist (died 1914) was born. In 1882, Athanase David, Canadian lawyer and politician (died 1953) was born. In 1906, Willard Maas, American poet and educator (died 1971) was born. In 1914, Pearl Witherington, French secret agent (died 2008) was born. In 1940, Ian Ross, Australian newsreader (died 2014) was born. In 1941, Erkin Koray, Turkish singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2023) was born. In 1982, "The Jakarta Incident": British Airways Flight 009 flies into a cloud of volcanic ash thrown up by the eruption of Mount Galunggung, resulting in the failure of all four engines. In 2002, The Igandu train disaster in Tanzania kills 281, the worst train accident in African history. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.