Today in News History

On June 21, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1798, Irish Rebellion of 1798: The British Army defeats Irish rebels at the Battle of Vinegar Hill. In 1918, J. Clyde Mitchell, British sociologist and anthropologist (died 1995) was born. In 1918, James Joll, English historian, author, and academic (died 1994) was born. In 1918, Josephine Webb, American engineer (died 2017) was born. In 1931, Margaret Heckler, American journalist, lawyer, and politician, 15th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (died 2018) was born. In 1942, World War II: Tobruk falls to Italian and German forces; 33,000 Allied troops are taken prisoner. 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 1985, Braathens SAFE Flight 139 is hijacked on approach to Oslo Airport, Fornebu. Special forces arrest the hijacker and there are no fatalities. In 2004, SpaceShipOne becomes the first privately funded spaceplane to achieve spaceflight. 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.