Today in News History

On June 17, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1885, The Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor. In 1943, Newt Gingrich, American historian and politician, 58th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives 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 1985, Rafael Sóbis, Brazilian footballer was born. In 1987, Kendrick Lamar, American rapper was born. In 1989, Interflug Flight 102 crashes during a rejected takeoff from Berlin Schönefeld Airport, killing 21 people. In 1992, A "joint understanding" agreement on arms reduction is signed by U.S. President George Bush and Russian President Boris Yeltsin (this would be later codified in START II). In 2001, Donald J. Cram, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1919) passed away. In 2014, Éric Dewailly, Canadian epidemiologist and academic (born 1954) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.