Today in News History

On June 17, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1631, Mumtaz Mahal dies during childbirth. Her husband, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan I, will spend the next 17 years building her mausoleum, the Taj Mahal. In 1631, Mumtaz Mahal, Mughal princess (born 1593) passed away. In 1665, Battle of Montes Claros: Portugal definitively secured independence from Spain in the last battle of the Portuguese Restoration War. In 1775, American Revolutionary War: Colonists inflict heavy casualties on British forces while losing the Battle of Bunker Hill. In 1885, The Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor. In 1940, The three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania fall under the occupation of the Soviet Union. In 1944, Iceland declares independence from Denmark and becomes a republic. In 1958, The Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing, in the process of being built to connect Vancouver and North Vancouver (Canada), collapses into the Burrard Inlet killing 18 ironworkers and injuring others. In 1967, Nuclear weapons testing: China announces a successful test of its first thermonuclear weapon. In 2021, Juneteenth National Independence Day, was signed into law by President Joe Biden, to become the first federal holiday established since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.