Today in News History

On June 19, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1833, Mary Tenney Gray, American editorial writer, club-woman, philanthropist, and suffragette (died 1904) was born. In 1840, Georg Karl Maria Seidlitz, German entomologist and academic (died 1917) was born. In 1865, Over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, slaves in Galveston, Texas, United States, are officially informed of their freedom. The anniversary was officially celebrated in Texas and other states as Juneteenth. On June 17, 2021, Juneteenth officially became a federal holiday in the United States. In 1867, Maximilian I of the Second Mexican Empire is executed by a firing squad in Querétaro, Querétaro. In 1872, Theodore Payne, English-American gardener and botanist (died 1963) was born. In 1921, The village of Knockcroghery, Ireland, is burned by British forces. In 1987, Basque separatist group ETA commits one of its most violent attacks, in which a bomb is set off in a supermarket, Hipercor, killing 21 and injuring 45. In 2007, The al-Khilani Mosque bombing in Baghdad leaves 78 people dead and another 218 injured. In 2009, Mass riots involving over 10,000 people and 10,000 police officers break out in Shishou, China, over the dubious circumstances surrounding the death of a local chef. In 2020, Animal rights advocate Regan Russell is run over and killed by a transport truck outside of a pig slaughterhouse in Burlington, Ontario. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.