Today in News History

On June 24, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1917, Joan Clarke, English cryptanalyst and numismatist (died 1996) was born. In 1948, Cold War: Start of the Berlin Blockade: The Soviet Union makes overland travel between West Germany and West Berlin impossible. In 1957, In Roth v. United States, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment. In 1973, The UpStairs Lounge arson attack takes place at a gay bar located on the second floor of the three-story building at 141 Chartres Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, US. Thirty-two people die as a result of fire or smoke inhalation. 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 2004, In New York, capital punishment is declared unconstitutional. In 2015, Marva Collins, American author and educator (born 1936) passed away. In 2021, The Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside, Florida suffers a sudden partial collapse, killing 98 people inside. In 2022, In Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that the U.S. Constitution does not assign the authority to regulate abortions to the federal government, thereby returning such authority to the individual states. This overturns the prior decisions in Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992). In 2023, The Wagner Group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin launches an insurrection against the Russian government. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.