Today in News History

On June 26, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1889, Bangui is founded by Albert Dolisie and Alfred Uzac in what was then the upper reaches of the French Congo. In 1936, Initial flight of the Focke-Wulf Fw 61, the first practical helicopter. In 1941, World War II: Soviet planes bomb Kassa, Hungary (now Košice, Slovakia), giving Hungary the impetus to declare war the next day. In 1948, Cold War: The first supply flights are made in response to the Berlin Blockade. In 1978, Air Canada Flight 189, flying to Toronto, overruns the runway and crashes into the Etobicoke Creek ravine. Two of the 107 passengers on board perish. In 1981, Dan-Air Flight 240, flying to East Midlands Airport, crashes in Nailstone, Leicestershire. All three crew members perish. In 1988, The first crash of an Airbus A320 occurs when Air France Flight 296Q crashes at Mulhouse-Habsheim Airfield in Habsheim, France, during an air show, killing three of the 136 people on board. In 2012, The Waldo Canyon fire descends into the Mountain Shadows neighborhood in Colorado Springs burning 347 homes in a matter of hours and killing two people. In 2013, Riots in China's Xinjiang region kill at least 36 people and injure 21 others. In 2015, Five different terrorist attacks in France, Tunisia, Somalia, Kuwait, and Syria occurred on what was dubbed Bloody Friday by international media. Upwards of 750 people were either killed or injured in these uncoordinated attacks. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.