Today in News History

On June 17, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1242, Following the Disputation of Paris, twenty-four carriage loads of Jewish religious manuscripts were burnt in Paris. In 1940, George Akerlof, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate was born. In 1947, Timothy Wright, American gospel singer, pastor (died 2009) was born. In 1952, Jack Parsons, American chemist and engineer (born 1914) passed away. In 1958, Sam Hamad, Syrian-Canadian academic and politician was born. In 1966, Mohammed Ghazy Al-Akhras, Iraqi journalist and author was born. In 1967, Nuclear weapons testing: China announces a successful test of its first thermonuclear weapon. In 1970, Michael Showalter, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter was born. 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 1979, Tyson Apostol, American television personality was born. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.