Today in News History

On June 20, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1918, George Lynch, American race car driver (died 1997) was born. In 1921, Pancho Segura, Ecuadorian tennis player (died 2017) was born. In 1942, The Holocaust: Kazimierz Piechowski and three others, dressed as members of the SS-Totenkopfverbände, steal an SS staff car and escape from the Auschwitz concentration camp. In 1956, A Venezuelan Super-Constellation crashes in the Atlantic Ocean off Asbury Park, New Jersey, killing 74 people. In 1959, A rare June hurricane strikes Canada's Gulf of St. Lawrence killing 35. In 1964, A Curtiss C-46 Commando crashes in the Shengang District of Taiwan, killing 57 people. In 1973, Aeroméxico Flight 229 crashes on approach to Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport, killing all 27 people on board. In 1979, ABC News correspondent Bill Stewart is shot dead by a Nicaraguan National Guard soldier under the regime of Anastasio Somoza Debayle during the Nicaraguan Revolution. The murder is caught on tape and sparks an international outcry against the regime. In 1996, Space Shuttle Columbia launches on STS-78 to conduct life science and microgravity research aboard the Spacelab module. In 2011, RusAir Flight 9605 crashes in Besovets during approach to Petrozavodsk Airport, killing 47. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.