Today in News History

On June 17, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1900, Boxer Rebellion: Western Allied and Japanese forces capture the Taku Forts in Tianjin, China. In 1932, Bonus Army: Around a thousand World War I veterans amass at the United States Capitol as the U.S. Senate considers a bill that would give them certain benefits. In 1940, The three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania fall under the occupation of the Soviet Union. In 1943, Newt Gingrich, American historian and politician, 58th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives was born. In 1953, Cold War: East Germany Workers Uprising: In East Germany, the Soviet Union orders a division of troops into East Berlin to quell a rebellion. In 1959, Nikos Stavropoulos, Greek basketball player and coach was born. In 1963, A day after South Vietnamese President Ngô Đình Diệm announced the Joint Communiqué to end the Buddhist crisis, a riot involving around 2,000 people breaks out. One person is killed. In 1967, Nuclear weapons testing: China announces a successful test of its first thermonuclear weapon. 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 2001, Donald J. Cram, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1919) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.