Today in News History

On June 19, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1917, Joshua Nkomo, Zimbabwean guerrilla leader and politician, Vice President of Zimbabwe (died 1999) was born. In 1939, Grace Abbott, American social worker and activist (born 1878) passed away. In 1947, John Ralston Saul, Canadian philosopher and author was born. In 1959, Christian Wulff, German lawyer and politician, 10th President of Germany was born. In 1960, Andrew Dilnot, English economist and academic was born. In 1967, Bjørn Dæhlie, Norwegian skier and businessman was born. In 1999, Jordan Poole, American basketball player was born. In 2007, Ze'ev Schiff, Israeli journalist and author (born 1932) passed away. In 2010, Carlos Monsiváis, Mexican writer, journalist and political activist (born 1938) passed away. In 2012, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange requests asylum in London's Ecuadorian Embassy for fear of extradition to the US after publication of previously classified documents including footage of civilian killings by the US army. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.