Today in News History

On June 20, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1947, Pan Am Flight 121 crashes in the Syrian Desert near Mayadin, Syria, killing 15 and injuring 21. In 1953, Cold War: Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are executed at Sing Sing, in New York. In 1975, Sam Giancana, American mob boss (born 1908) passed away. In 1985, Members of the Revolutionary Party of Central American Workers, dressed as Salvadoran soldiers, attack the Zona Rosa area of San Salvador. In 1987, Aeroflot Flight N-528 crashes at Berdiansk Airport in present-day Ukraine, killing eight people. In 1987, Basque separatist group ETA commits one of its most violent attacks, in which a bomb is set off in a supermarket, Hipercor, killing 21 and injuring 45. In 1990, Moa Hjelmer, Swedish sprinter 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 2017, Otto Warmbier, American college student detained in North Korea (born 1994) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.