Today in News History

On June 19, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1903, Benito Mussolini, at the time a radical Socialist, is arrested by Bern police for advocating a violent general strike. In 1917, Joshua Nkomo, Zimbabwean guerrilla leader and politician, Vice President of Zimbabwe (died 1999) was born. In 1951, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Egyptian terrorist (died 2022) was born. In 1977, Ali Shariati, Iranian sociologist and philosopher (born 1933) passed away. 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, War in North-West Pakistan: The Pakistani Armed Forces open Operation Rah-e-Nijat against the Taliban and other Islamist rebels in the South Waziristan area of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. In 2009, Tomoji Tanabe, Japanese engineer and surveyor (born 1895) passed away. In 2012, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange requests asylum in London's Ecuadorian Embassy for fear of extradition to the US after publication of previously classified documents including footage of civilian killings by the US army. In 2017, Otto Warmbier, American college student detained in North Korea (born 1994) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.