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 1795, Financier James Swan pays off the $2,024,899 US national debt that had been accrued during the American Revolution. In 1816, Argentina declares independence from Spain. In 1850, Zachary Taylor, American general and politician, 12th President of the United States (born 1784) passed away. In 1896, William Jennings Bryan delivers his Cross of Gold speech advocating bimetallism at the 1896 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. In 1956, The 7.7 Mw Amorgos earthquake shakes the Cyclades island group in the Aegean Sea with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). The shaking and the destructive tsunami that followed left fifty-three people dead. A damaging M7.2 aftershock occurred minutes after the mainshock. In 1960, Eduardo Montes-Bradley, Argentine journalist, photographer, and author was born. In 1977, The Pinochet dictatorship in Chile organises the youth event of Acto de Chacarillas, a ritualised act reminiscent of Francoist Spain. In 2011, South Sudan gains independence and secedes from Sudan. In 2019, Fernando de la Rúa, 43rd President of Argentina (born 1937) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.