Today in News History

On June 28, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1870, The US Congress establishes the first federal holidays (New Year Day, July 4th, Thanksgiving, and Christmas). In 1896, An explosion in the Newton Coal Company's Twin Shaft Mine in Pittston, Pennsylvania results in a massive cave-in that kills 58 miners. In 1911, The Nakhla meteorite, the first one to suggest signs of aqueous processes on Mars, falls to Earth, landing in Egypt. In 1928, Harold Evans, English-American historian and journalist (died 2020) was born. In 1942, World War II: Nazi Germany starts its strategic summer offensive against the Soviet Union, codenamed Case Blue. In 1956, In Poznań, workers from HCP factory go to the streets, sparking one of the first major protests against communist government both in Poland and Europe. In 1981, A powerful bomb explodes in Tehran, killing 73 officials of the Islamic Republican Party. In 1982, Aeroflot Flight 8641 crashes in Mazyr, Belarus, killing 132 people. In 1987, For the first time in military history, a civilian population is targeted for chemical attack when Iraqi warplanes bombed the Iranian town of Sardasht. In 2016, A terrorist attack in Turkey's Istanbul Atatürk Airport kills 42 people and injures more than 230 others. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.