Today in News History

On June 23, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1314, First War of Scottish Independence: The Battle of Bannockburn (south of Stirling) begins. In 1760, Seven Years' War: Battle of Landeshut: Austria defeats Prussia. In 1919, Estonian War of Independence: The decisive defeat of the Baltische Landeswehr in the Battle of Cēsis; this date is celebrated as Victory Day in Estonia. In 1937, Martti Ahtisaari, Finnish captain and politician, 10th President of Finland, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2023) was born. In 1942, World War II: Germany's latest fighter aircraft, a Focke-Wulf Fw 190, is captured intact when it mistakenly lands at RAF Pembrey in Wales. In 1946, The 1946 Vancouver Island earthquake strikes Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. In 1973, A fire at a house in Hull, England, which kills a six-year-old boy is passed off as an accident; it later emerges as the first of 26 deaths by fire caused over the next seven years by serial arsonist Peter Dinsdale. In 1985, A terrorist bomb explodes at Narita International Airport near Tokyo, killing two and injuring four. An hour later, the same group detonates a second bomb aboard Air India Flight 182, bringing the Boeing 747 down off the coast of Ireland killing all 329 aboard. In 2013, Militants storm a high-altitude mountaineering base camp near Nanga Parbat in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, killing ten climbers and a local guide. In 2014, The last of Syria's declared chemical weapons are shipped out for destruction. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.