Today in News History

On June 19, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1883, Gladys Mills Phipps, American horse breeder (died 1970) was born. In 1896, Wallis Simpson, American wife of Edward VIII (died 1986) was born. In 1910, Abe Fortas, American lawyer and jurist (died 1982) was born. In 1917, Joshua Nkomo, Zimbabwean guerrilla leader and politician, Vice President of Zimbabwe (died 1999) was born. In 1947, Pan Am Flight 121 crashes in the Syrian Desert near Mayadin, Syria, killing 15 and injuring 21. In 1951, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Egyptian terrorist (died 2022) was born. In 2004, Clayton Kirkpatrick, journalist and newspaper editor (born 1915) passed away. In 2009, Mass riots involving over 10,000 people and 10,000 police officers break out in Shishou, China, over the dubious circumstances surrounding the death of a local chef. In 2018, Koko, western lowland gorilla and user of American Sign Language (born 1971) passed away. In 2020, Animal rights advocate Regan Russell is run over and killed by a transport truck outside of a pig slaughterhouse in Burlington, Ontario. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.