Today in News History

On June 17, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1904, Nikolay Bobrikov, Russian soldier and politician, Governor-General of Finland (born 1839) passed away. In 1940, World War II: The British Army's 11th Hussars assault and take Fort Capuzzo in Libya, Africa from Italian forces. In 1945, Eddy Merckx, Belgian cyclist and sportscaster was born. In 1964, Rinaldo Capello, Italian race car driver was born. In 1966, Mohammed Ghazy Al-Akhras, Iraqi journalist and author was born. In 1977, Tjaša Jezernik, Slovenian tennis player was born. In 1982, Marek Svatoš, Slovak ice hockey player (died 2016) was born. 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 1991, Apartheid: The South African Parliament repeals the Population Registration Act which required racial classification of all South Africans at birth. 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). Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.