Today in News History

On June 17, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 656, Uthman, caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate (born 579) passed away. In 1877, American Indian Wars: Battle of White Bird Canyon: The Nez Perce defeat the U.S. Cavalry at White Bird Canyon in the Idaho Territory. In 1900, Boxer Rebellion: Western Allied and Japanese forces capture the Taku Forts in Tianjin, China. In 1940, World War II: The British Army's 11th Hussars assault and take Fort Capuzzo in Libya, Africa from Italian forces. In 1949, Russell Smith, American country singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2019) was born. In 1967, Nuclear weapons testing: China announces a successful test of its first thermonuclear weapon. In 1974, Refik Koraltan, Turkish lawyer and politician, 8th Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (born 1889) passed away. 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 2020, Jean Kennedy Smith, American activist, humanitarian, author and diplomat (United States Ambassador to Ireland, 1993-1998) (born 1928) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.