Today in News History

On June 17, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1821, Martín Miguel de Güemes, Argentinian general and politician (born 1785) passed away. In 1943, Newt Gingrich, American historian and politician, 58th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives was born. In 1958, Sam Hamad, Syrian-Canadian academic and politician was born. In 1966, Mohammed Ghazy Al-Akhras, Iraqi journalist and author was born. In 1967, Nuclear weapons testing: China announces a successful test of its first thermonuclear weapon. In 1981, Richard O'Connor, Indian-English general (born 1889) passed away. 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 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 2001, Donald J. Cram, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1919) passed away. In 2015, Roberto M. Levingston, Argentinian general and politician, 36th President of Argentina (born 1920) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.