Today in News History

On June 21, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1824, Greek War of Independence: Egyptian forces capture Psara in the Aegean Sea. In 1864, American Civil War: The Battle of Jerusalem Plank Road begins. In 1898, The United States captures Guam from Spain. The few warning shots fired by the U.S. naval vessels are misinterpreted as salutes by the Spanish garrison, which was unaware that the two nations were at war. In 1900, Boxer Rebellion: China formally declares war on the United States, Britain, Germany, France and Japan, as an edict issued from the Empress Dowager Cixi. In 1929, An agreement brokered by U.S. Ambassador Dwight Whitney Morrow ends the Cristero War in Mexico. In 1940, World War II: Italy begins an unsuccessful invasion of France. In 1945, World War II: The Battle of Okinawa ends when the organized resistance of Imperial Japanese Army forces collapses in the Mabuni area on the southern tip of the main island. In 1947, Shirin Ebadi, Iranian lawyer, judge, and activist, Nobel Prize laureate was born. In 1986, Assi Rahbani, Lebanese singer-songwriter and producer (born 1923) passed away. 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.