Today in News History

On June 18, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 860, Byzantine-Rus' War: A fleet of about 200 Rus' vessels sails into the Bosphorus and starts pillaging the suburbs of the Byzantine capital Constantinople. In 1053, Battle of Civitate: Three thousand Norman horsemen of Count Humphrey rout the troops of Pope Leo IX. In 1234, Emperor Chūkyō of Japan (born 1218) passed away. In 1391, Tokhtamysh-Timur war: Battle of the Kondurcha River: Timur defeats Tokhtamysh of the Golden Horde in present-day southeast Russia. In 1429, Charles VII's army defeats an English army under John Talbot at the Battle of Patay during the Hundred Years' War. The English lost 2,200 men, over half their army, crippling their efforts during this segment of the war. In 1882, Georgi Dimitrov, Bulgarian compositor and politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Bulgaria (died 1949) was born. In 1953, A United States Air Force C-124 crashes and burns near Tachikawa, Japan, killing 129. In 1972, Staines air disaster: One hundred eighteen people are killed when a BEA H.S. Trident crashes minutes after takeoff from London's Heathrow Airport. In 1984, A major clash between about 5,000 police and a similar number of striking miners takes place at Orgreave, South Yorkshire, during the 1984-85 UK miners' strike. In 2018, An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 strikes northern Osaka. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.