Today in News History

On June 17, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1914, John Hersey, American journalist and author (died 1993) was born. In 1936, Julius Seljamaa, Estonian journalist, politician, and diplomat, Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs (born 1883) passed away. In 1943, Newt Gingrich, American historian and politician, 58th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives was born. In 1947, Linda Chavez, American journalist and author was born. In 1948, Dave Concepción, Venezuelan baseball player and manager was born. In 1958, Sam Hamad, Syrian-Canadian academic and politician was born. In 1966, Mohammed Ghazy Al-Akhras, Iraqi journalist and author was born. 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 2015, Roberto M. Levingston, Argentinian general and politician, 36th President of Argentina (born 1920) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.