Today in News History

On June 21, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1621, Execution of 27 Czech noblemen on the Old Town Square in Prague as a consequence of the Battle of White Mountain. In 1864, American Civil War: The Battle of Jerusalem Plank Road begins. In 1919, The Royal Canadian Mounted Police fire a volley into a crowd of unemployed war veterans, killing two, during the Winnipeg general strike. In 1921, The Irish village of Knockcroghery was burned by British forces. In 1942, World War II: A Japanese submarine surfaces near the Columbia River in Oregon, firing 17 shells at Fort Stevens in one of only a handful of attacks by Japan against the United States mainland. In 1953, Augustus Pablo, Jamaican producer and musician (died 1999) was born. 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 1987, Pablo Barrera, Mexican footballer was born. In 1989, The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397, that American flag-burning is a form of political protest protected by the First Amendment. 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. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.