Today in News History

On June 17, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 656, Uthman, caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate (born 579) passed away. In 1797, Mohammad Khan Qajar, Persian tribal chief (born 1742) passed away. In 1863, American Civil War: Battle of Aldie in the Gettysburg Campaign. In 1943, Newt Gingrich, American historian and politician, 58th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives was born. In 1966, Mohammed Ghazy Al-Akhras, Iraqi journalist and author was born. In 1967, Nuclear weapons testing: China announces a successful test of its first thermonuclear weapon. In 1974, Refik Koraltan, Turkish lawyer and politician, 8th Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (born 1889) passed away. In 1985, Space Shuttle program: STS-51-G mission: Space Shuttle Discovery launches carrying Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the first Arab and first Muslim in space, as a payload specialist. In 1992, A "joint understanding" agreement on arms reduction is signed by U.S. President George Bush and Russian President Boris Yeltsin (this would be later codified in START II). In 2019, Mohamed Morsi, Egyptian professor and politician, first elected president of Egypt after Egyptian revolution (born 1951) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.