Today in News History

On June 21, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1860, William Dobinson Halliburton, British physiologist and biochemist (died 1931) was born. In 1894, Milward Kennedy, English journalist and civil servant (died 1968) was born. In 1915, The U.S. Supreme Court hands down its decision in Guinn v. United States 238 US 347 1915, striking down Oklahoma grandfather clause legislation which had the effect of denying the right to vote to blacks. In 1919, The Royal Canadian Mounted Police fire a volley into a crowd of unemployed war veterans, killing two, during the Winnipeg general strike. In 1947, Shirin Ebadi, Iranian lawyer, judge, and activist, Nobel Prize laureate was born. In 1949, Derek Emslie, Lord Kingarth, Scottish lawyer and judge was born. In 1951, Terence Etherton, English lawyer and judge was born. In 1973, In its decision in Miller v. California, 413 U.S. 15, the Supreme Court of the United States establishes the Miller test for determining whether something is obscene and not protected speech under the U.S. constitution. In 1989, The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397, that American flag-burning is a form of political protest protected by the First Amendment. In 2001, A federal grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia, indicts 13 Saudis and a Lebanese in the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia that killed 19 American servicemen. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.