Today in News History

On June 18, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 860, Byzantine-Rus' War: A fleet of about 200 Rus' vessels sails into the Bosphorus and starts pillaging the suburbs of the Byzantine capital Constantinople. In 1916, Max Immelmann, German lieutenant and pilot (born 1890) passed away. In 1918, Alf Francis, West Prussia-born, English motor racing mechanic and race car constructor (died 1983) was born. In 1928, Aviator Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly in an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean (she is a passenger; Wilmer Stultz is the pilot and Lou Gordon the mechanic). In 1935, Police in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, clash with striking longshoremen, resulting in a total of 60 injuries and 24 arrests. In 1936, Denny Hulme, New Zealand race car driver (died 1992) was born. In 1947, Shigematsu Sakaibara, Japanese admiral (born 1898) passed away. In 1967, Geki, Italian race car driver (born 1937) passed away. In 1983, Space Shuttle program: STS-7, Astronaut Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space. In 1984, A major clash between about 5,000 police and a similar number of striking miners takes place at Orgreave, South Yorkshire, during the 1984-85 UK miners' strike. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.