Today in News History

On June 17, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1898, The United States Navy Hospital Corps is established. In 1932, Bonus Army: Around a thousand World War I veterans amass at the United States Capitol as the U.S. Senate considers a bill that would give them certain benefits. In 1940, George Akerlof, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate was born. In 1943, Newt Gingrich, American historian and politician, 58th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives was born. In 1971, U.S. President Richard Nixon in a televised press conference called drug abuse "America's public enemy number one", starting the War on drugs. In 1974, Refik Koraltan, Turkish lawyer and politician, 8th Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (born 1889) passed away. In 1979, Duffy Lewis, American baseball player and manager (born 1888) passed away. In 1992, A "joint understanding" agreement on arms reduction is signed by U.S. President George Bush and Russian President Boris Yeltsin (this would be later codified in START II). In 1996, Thomas Kuhn, American historian and philosopher (born 1922) passed away. In 2021, Juneteenth National Independence Day, was signed into law by President Joe Biden, to become the first federal holiday established since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.