Today in News History

On June 19, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1933, Viktor Patsayev, Kazakh engineer and astronaut (died 1971) was born. In 1947, Pan Am Flight 121 crashes in the Syrian Desert near Mayadin, Syria, killing 15 and injuring 21. In 1974, Mustaque Ahmed Ruhi, Bangladeshi member of parliament was born. In 1978, Zoe Saldana, American actress was born. In 1984, Andri Eleftheriou, Cypriot sport shooter was born. 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 1995, Peter Townsend, Burmese-English captain and pilot (born 1914) passed away. In 2007, The al-Khilani Mosque bombing in Baghdad leaves 78 people dead and another 218 injured. In 2009, War in North-West Pakistan: The Pakistani Armed Forces open Operation Rah-e-Nijat against the Taliban and other Islamist rebels in the South Waziristan area of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. 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. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.