Today in News History

On June 26, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1718, Alexei Petrovich, Tsarevich of Russia, Peter the Great's son, mysteriously dies after being sentenced to death by his father for plotting against him. In 1835, Thomas W. Knox, American journalist and author (died 1896) was born. In 1915, Paul Castellano, American gangster (died 1985) was born. In 1945, Issa al-Haadi al-Mahdi (Dwight York), American criminal, black supremacist, pedophile, convicted child molester, and musician was born. In 1970, Irv Gotti, American record producer, co-founded Murder Inc Records (died 2025) was born. In 1975, Two FBI agents and a member of the American Indian Movement are killed in a shootout on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota; Leonard Peltier is later convicted of the murders in a controversial trial. In 2003, The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Lawrence v. Texas that sex-based sodomy laws are unconstitutional. In 2012, The Waldo Canyon fire descends into the Mountain Shadows neighborhood in Colorado Springs burning 347 homes in a matter of hours and killing two people. In 2013, Riots in China's Xinjiang region kill at least 36 people and injure 21 others. In 2015, Five different terrorist attacks in France, Tunisia, Somalia, Kuwait, and Syria occurred on what was dubbed Bloody Friday by international media. Upwards of 750 people were either killed or injured in these uncoordinated attacks. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.