Today in News History

On June 20, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. 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 1945, The United States Secretary of State approves the transfer of Wernher von Braun and his team of Nazi rocket scientists to the U.S. under Operation Paperclip. In 1948, The Deutsche Mark is introduced in Western Allied-occupied Germany. The Soviet Military Administration in Germany responded by imposing the Berlin Blockade four days later. In 1954, Ilan Ramon, Israeli colonel, pilot, and astronaut (died 2003) was born. In 1956, Sohn Suk-hee, South Korean newscaster was born. In 1964, A Curtiss C-46 Commando crashes in the Shengang District of Taiwan, killing 57 people. In 1977, Gordan Giriček, Croatian basketball player was born. 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. In 2019, Iran's Air Defense Forces shoot down an American surveillance drone over the Strait of Hormuz amid rising tensions between the two countries. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.