Today in News History

On June 19, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1718, At least 73,000 people died in the 1718 Tongwei-Gansu earthquake due to landslides in the Qing dynasty. In 1932, Sol Plaatje, South African journalist and activist (born 1876) passed away. In 1945, Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese politician, Nobel Prize laureate was born. In 1947, Pan Am Flight 121 crashes in the Syrian Desert near Mayadin, Syria, killing 15 and injuring 21. In 1957, Subcomandante Marcos, Mexican insurgent and EZLN leader was born. In 1987, Aeroflot Flight N-528 crashes at Berdiansk Airport in present-day Ukraine, killing eight people. 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 1988, Pope John Paul II canonizes 117 Vietnamese Martyrs. In 2007, The al-Khilani Mosque bombing in Baghdad leaves 78 people dead and another 218 injured. In 2009, Mass riots involving over 10,000 people and 10,000 police officers break out in Shishou, China, over the dubious circumstances surrounding the death of a local chef. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.