Today in News History

On June 24, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1883, Victor Francis Hess, Austrian-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1964) was born. In 1924, Kurt Furgler, Swiss politician, 70th President of the Swiss Confederation (died 2008) was born. In 1927, Martin Lewis Perl, American physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2014) was born. In 1929, Carolyn S. Shoemaker, American astronomer (died 2021) was born. In 1949, Betty Jackson, English fashion designer was born. 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 1982, "The Jakarta Incident": British Airways Flight 009 flies into a cloud of volcanic ash thrown up by the eruption of Mount Galunggung, resulting in the failure of all four engines. In 1994, A Boeing B-52 Stratofortress crashes at Fairchild Air Force Base near Spokane, Washington, killing four. In 2013, Emilio Colombo, Italian politician, 40th Prime Minister of Italy (born 1920) passed away. In 2021, The Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside, Florida suffers a sudden partial collapse, killing 98 people inside. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.