Today in News History

On June 21, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 533, A Byzantine expeditionary fleet under Belisarios sails from Constantinople to attack the Vandals in Africa, via Greece and Sicily. In 1824, Greek War of Independence: Egyptian forces capture Psara in the Aegean Sea. In 1826, Maniots defeat Egyptians under Ibrahim Pasha in the Battle of Vergas. In 1864, American Civil War: The Battle of Jerusalem Plank Road begins. In 1910, Aleksandr Tvardovsky, Russian poet and author (died 1971) was born. In 1940, World War II: Italy begins an unsuccessful invasion of France. In 1942, World War II: A Japanese submarine surfaces near the Columbia River in Oregon, firing 17 shells at Fort Stevens in one of only a handful of attacks by Japan against the United States mainland. In 1942, World War II: Tobruk falls to Italian and German forces; 33,000 Allied troops are taken prisoner. In 1990, Sergei Matsenko, Russian chess player was born. 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.