Today in News History

On June 25, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1774, François-Nicolas-Benoît Haxo, French general and engineer (died 1838) was born. In 1916, William B. Saxbe, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 70th United States Attorney General (died 2010) was born. In 1940, World War II: Operation Collar, the first British Commando raid on occupied France, by No 11 Independent Company. In 1943, US military police attempt to arrest a black soldier in Bamber Bridge, England, sparking the Battle of Bamber Bridge mutiny that leaves one dead and seven wounded. In 1975, Eastern Air Lines Flight 66 encounters severe wind shear and crashes on final approach to New York's JFK Airport killing 113 of the 124 passengers on board, making it the deadliest U.S. plane crash at the time. This accident led to decades of research into downburst and microburst phenomena and their effects on aircraft. In 1989, Jiang Zemin succeeds Zhao Ziyang to become the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party after the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre. In 1994, A Boeing B-52 Stratofortress crashes at Fairchild Air Force Base near Spokane, Washington, killing four. In 2001, Konstantin Gerchik, the second head of the world's first cosmodrome — "Baikonur" (1958-1961). passed away. In 2009, Roméo LeBlanc, Canadian journalist and politician, 25th Governor General of Canada (born 1927) passed away. In 2021, Trần Thiện Khiêm, 7th Prime Minister of South Vietnam and army officer (born 1925) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.