Today in News History

On June 21, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 533, A Byzantine expeditionary fleet under Belisarios sails from Constantinople to attack the Vandals in Africa, via Greece and Sicily. In 870, Al-Muhtadi, Muslim caliph passed away. In 1824, Greek War of Independence: Egyptian forces capture Psara in the Aegean Sea. In 1826, Maniots defeat Egyptians under Ibrahim Pasha in the Battle of Vergas. In 1864, American Civil War: The Battle of Jerusalem Plank Road begins. In 1898, The United States captures Guam from Spain. The few warning shots fired by the U.S. naval vessels are misinterpreted as salutes by the Spanish garrison, which was unaware that the two nations were at war. In 1985, Braathens SAFE Flight 139 is hijacked on approach to Oslo Airport, Fornebu. Special forces arrest the hijacker and there are no fatalities. In 1993, Space Shuttle Endeavour is launched on STS-57 to retrieve the European Retrievable Carrier (EURECA) satellite. It is also the first shuttle mission to carry the Spacehab module. In 2001, A federal grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia, indicts 13 Saudis and a Lebanese in the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia that killed 19 American servicemen. In 2004, SpaceShipOne becomes the first privately funded spaceplane to achieve spaceflight. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.