Today in News History

On June 17, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1863, American Civil War: Battle of Aldie in the Gettysburg Campaign. In 1970, Will Forte, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter was born. In 1970, Michael Showalter, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter was born. In 1971, U.S. President Richard Nixon in a televised press conference called drug abuse "America's public enemy number one", starting the War on drugs. In 1984, Si Tianfeng, Chinese race walker was born. In 1984, Michael Mathieu, Bahamian sprinter 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 1987, Kendrick Lamar, American rapper was born. 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 2017, Baldwin Lonsdale, president of Vanuatu (born 1948) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.