Today in News History

On June 26, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1927, The Cyclone roller coaster opens on Coney Island. In 1940, World War II: Under the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the Soviet Union presents an ultimatum to Romania requiring it to cede Bessarabia and the northern part of Bukovina. In 1941, World War II: Soviet planes bomb Kassa, Hungary (now Košice, Slovakia), giving Hungary the impetus to declare war the next day. In 1942, The first flight of the Grumman F6F Hellcat. 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 1990, Belaynesh Oljira, Ethiopian runner was born. In 2000, The Human Genome Project announces the completion of a "rough draft" sequence. 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 2012, Mario O'Hara, Filipino director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1944) passed away. In 2012, Nora Ephron, American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1941) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.