Today in News History

On July 9, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 551, A major earthquake strikes Beirut, triggering a devastating tsunami that affects the coastal towns of Byzantine Phoenicia, causing thousands of deaths. In 969, The Fatimid general Jawhar leads the Friday prayer in Fustat in the name of Caliph al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah, thereby symbolically completing the Fatimid conquest of Egypt. In 1401, Timur attacks the Jalairid Sultanate and destroys Baghdad. In 1850, Persian prophet Báb is executed in Tabriz, Persia. 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 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 1999, Days of student protests begin after Iranian police and hardliners attack a student dormitory at the University of Tehran. 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.