Today in News History

On June 26, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1843, Treaty of Nanking comes into effect, Hong Kong Island is ceded to the British "in perpetuity". In 1919, Richard Neustadt, American political scientist and academic (died 2003) was born. In 1938, Gerald North, American climatologist and academic was born. In 1970, Adam Ndlovu, Zimbabwean footballer (died 2012) was born. In 1975, Two FBI agents and a member of the American Indian Movement are killed in a shootout on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota; Leonard Peltier is later convicted of the murders in a controversial trial. In 1997, The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the Communications Decency Act violates the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. In 2003, The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Lawrence v. Texas that sex-based sodomy laws are unconstitutional. In 2012, The Waldo Canyon fire descends into the Mountain Shadows neighborhood in Colorado Springs burning 347 homes in a matter of hours and killing two people. In 2013, The U.S. Supreme Court ruled, 5-4, that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional and in violation of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. In 2015, The U.S. Supreme Court ruled, 5-4, that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marriage under the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.