Today in News History

On July 2, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1839, Twenty miles off the coast of Cuba, 53 kidnapped Africans led by Joseph Cinqué mutiny and take over the slave ship Amistad. In 1914, Erich Topp, German admiral (died 2005) 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 1964, Jose Canseco, Cuban-American baseball player and mixed martial artist was born. In 1976, Tomáš Vokoun, Czech-American ice hockey player was born. In 1979, Ahmed al-Ghamdi, Saudi Arabian terrorist, hijacker of United Airlines Flight 175 (died 2001) was born. 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 2002, Steve Fossett becomes the first person to fly solo around the world nonstop in a balloon. In 2008, Colombian conflict: Íngrid Betancourt, a member of the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia, is released from captivity after being held for six and a half years by FARC. In 2014, Manuel Cardona, Spanish physicist and academic (born 1934) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.