Today in News History

On June 21, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. 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 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 1942, Togo D. West Jr., American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 3rd United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs (died 2018) was born. In 1954, Mark Kimmitt, American general and politician, 16th Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs was born. In 1972, Tomáš Valášek, Slovak diplomat and politician 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. In 2012, Anna Schwartz, American economist and author (born 1915) passed away. In 2014, Yozo Ishikawa, Japanese politician, Japanese Minister of Defense (born 1925) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.