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 1911, John Archibald Wheeler, American physicist and author (died 2008) was born. In 1934, Michael Graves, American architect, designed the Portland Building and the Humana Building (died 2015) was born. In 1954, Kevin O'Leary, Canadian journalist and businessman was born. In 1958, A 7.8 Mw strike-slip earthquake in Alaska causes a landslide that produces a megatsunami. The runup from the waves reached 525 m (1,722 ft) on the rim of Lituya Bay; five people were killed. In 1972, Ara Babajian, American drummer and songwriter was born. In 1995, The Navaly church bombing is carried out by the Sri Lanka Air Force killing 125 Tamil civilian refugees. In 2002, The African Union is established in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, replacing the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). The organization's first chairman is Thabo Mbeki, President of South Africa. In 2011, A rally takes place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to call for fairer elections in the country. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.