Today in News History

On June 19, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1865, Evangelos Zappas, Greek-Romanian businessman and philanthropist (born 1800) passed away. In 1903, Benito Mussolini, at the time a radical Socialist, is arrested by Bern police for advocating a violent general strike. In 1917, Joshua Nkomo, Zimbabwean guerrilla leader and politician, Vice President of Zimbabwe (died 1999) was born. In 1942, Merata Mita, New Zealand director and producer (died 2010) was born. In 1948, Nick Drake, English singer-songwriter (died 1974) was born. In 1974, Mustaque Ahmed Ruhi, Bangladeshi member of parliament was born. In 1978, Claudio Vargas, Dominican baseball player was born. In 1985, Members of the Revolutionary Party of Central American Workers, dressed as Salvadoran soldiers, attack the Zona Rosa area of San Salvador. In 1987, Basque separatist group ETA commits one of its most violent attacks, in which a bomb is set off in a supermarket, Hipercor, killing 21 and injuring 45. In 2007, Ze'ev Schiff, Israeli journalist and author (born 1932) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.