Today in News History

On July 1, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1690, Glorious Revolution: Battle of the Boyne in Ireland (as reckoned under the Julian calendar). In 1867, The British North America Act takes effect as the Province of Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia join into confederation to create the modern nation of Canada. John A. Macdonald is sworn in as the first Prime Minister of Canada. This date is commemorated annually in Canada as Canada Day, a national holiday. In 1879, Charles Taze Russell publishes the first edition of the religious magazine The Watchtower. In 1881, General Order 70, the culmination of the Cardwell and Childers reforms of the British Army, comes into effect. In 1916, World War I: First day on the Somme: On the first day of the Battle of the Somme 19,000 soldiers of the British Army are killed and 40,000 wounded. In 1924, The National War Memorial for the Dominion of Newfoundland was inaugurated by Field Marshall Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig in St. John's, Newfoundland. The date commemorates the first day of the Battle of the Somme, where at Beaumont-Hamel, 86 percent of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment was wiped out. In 1927, Joseph Martin Sartoris, American bishop was born. In 1980, "O Canada" officially becomes the national anthem of Canada. In 1990, German reunification: East Germany accepts the Deutsche Mark as its currency, thus uniting the economies of East and West Germany. In 2013, William H. Gray, American minister and politician (born 1941) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.