Today in News History

On June 18, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1789, In France, the Third Estate declares itself the National Assembly. In 1917, Dufferin Roblin, Canadian politician, 14th Premier of Manitoba (died 2010) was born. In 1930, U.S. President Herbert Hoover signs the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act into law. In 1940, The three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania fall under the occupation of the Soviet Union. In 1952, Guatemala passes Decree 900, ordering the redistribution of uncultivated land. In 1960, The Nez Perce tribe is awarded $4 million for 7 million acres (28,000 km2) of land undervalued at four cents/acre in the 1863 treaty. In 1967, Nuclear weapons testing: China announces a successful test of its first thermonuclear weapon. 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). In 2013, James Holshouser, American politician, 68th Governor of North Carolina (born 1934) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.