Today in News History

On June 17, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1665, Battle of Montes Claros: Portugal definitively secured independence from Spain in the last battle of the Portuguese Restoration War. In 1673, French explorers Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet reach the Mississippi River and become the first Europeans to make a detailed account of its course. In 1734, Claude Louis Hector de Villars, French general and politician, French Secretary of State for War (born 1653) passed away. In 1867, John Robert Gregg, Irish-born American educator, publisher, and humanitarian (died 1948) was born. In 1952, Jack Parsons, American chemist and engineer (born 1914) passed away. In 1957, Philip Chevron, Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2013) was born. In 1966, Mohammed Ghazy Al-Akhras, Iraqi journalist and author was born. In 1985, Space Shuttle program: STS-51-G mission: Space Shuttle Discovery launches carrying Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the first Arab and first Muslim in space, as a payload specialist. 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 2015, Süleyman Demirel, Turkish engineer and politician, 9th President of Turkey (born 1924) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.