Today in News History

On June 21, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1824, Greek War of Independence: Egyptian forces capture Psara in the Aegean Sea. In 1882, Ya'acov Ben-Dov, Israeli photographer and cinematographer (died 1968) was born. In 1918, J. Clyde Mitchell, British sociologist and anthropologist (died 1995) was born. In 1931, David Kushnir, Israeli Olympic long-jumper (died 2020) was born. In 1942, World War II: Tobruk falls to Italian and German forces; 33,000 Allied troops are taken prisoner. In 1967, Yingluck Shinawatra, Thai businesswoman and politician, 28th Prime Minister of Thailand was born. In 1970, Penn Central declares Section 77 bankruptcy in what was the largest U.S. corporate bankruptcy to date. 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 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. In 2004, SpaceShipOne becomes the first privately funded spaceplane to achieve spaceflight. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.