Today in News History

On July 9, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1790, The Swedish Navy captures one third of the Russian Baltic fleet. In 1887, Samuel Eliot Morison, American admiral and historian (died 1976) was born. In 1932, Donald Rumsfeld, American captain and politician, 13th United States Secretary of Defense (died 2021) was born. In 1943, John Casper, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut was born. In 1944, World War II: American forces take Saipan, bringing the Japanese archipelago within range of B-29 raids, and causing the downfall of the Tojo government. In 1990, Rafael, Brazilian footballer was born. In 1995, The Navaly church bombing is carried out by the Sri Lanka Air Force killing 125 Tamil civilian refugees. In 1997, A Fokker 100 from the Brazilian airline TAM launches engineer Fernando Caldeira de Moura Campos into 2,400 meters of free fall after an explosion that depressurized the aircraft. In 2004, The Senate Report on Iraqi WMD Intelligence is released by the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, casting doubt on the rationale for the Iraq War. In 2006, One hundred and twenty-five people are killed when S7 Airlines Flight 778, an Airbus A310 passenger jet, veers off the runway while landing in wet conditions at Irkutsk Airport in Siberia. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.