Today in News History

On June 24, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1604, Samuel de Champlain encounters the mouth of the Saint John River, site of Reversing Falls and the present-day city of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. In 1767, Jean-Baptiste Benoît Eyriès, French geographer and author (died 1846) was born. In 1813, Battle of Beaver Dams: A British and Indian combined force defeats the United States Army. In 1938, Pieces of a meteorite land near Chicora, Pennsylvania. The meteorite is estimated to have weighed 450 metric tons when it hit the Earth's atmosphere and exploded. In 1947, Kenneth Arnold makes the first widely reported UFO sighting near Mount Rainier, Washington. In 1973, The UpStairs Lounge arson attack takes place at a gay bar located on the second floor of the three-story building at 141 Chartres Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, US. Thirty-two people die as a result of fire or smoke inhalation. 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 1987, Pierre Vaultier, French snowboarder was born. In 1994, A Boeing B-52 Stratofortress crashes at Fairchild Air Force Base near Spokane, Washington, killing four. 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.