Today in News History

On June 17, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1775, American Revolutionary War: Colonists inflict heavy casualties on British forces while losing the Battle of Bunker Hill. In 1898, Joe McKelvey, Executed Irish republican (died 1922) was born. In 1919, William Kaye Estes, American psychologist and academic (died 2011) was born. In 1920, Peter Le Cheminant, English air marshal and politician, Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey (died 2018) was born. In 1922, John Amis, English journalist and critic (died 2013) was born. In 1933, Harry Browne, American soldier and politician (died 2006) was born. In 1963, A day after South Vietnamese President Ngô Đình Diệm announced the Joint Communiqué to end the Buddhist crisis, a riot involving around 2,000 people breaks out. One person is killed. In 1971, U.S. President Richard Nixon in a televised press conference called drug abuse "America's public enemy number one", starting the War on drugs. In 2009, Ralf Dahrendorf, German-English sociologist and politician (born 1929) passed away. In 2012, Rodney King, American victim of police brutality (born 1965) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.