Today in News History

On June 26, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 221, Roman emperor Elagabalus adopts his cousin Alexander Severus as his heir and receives the title of Caesar. 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 1857, The first investiture of the Victoria Cross in Hyde Park, London. In 1899, Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia (died 1918) was born. In 1919, George Athan Billias, American historian (died 2018) was born. In 1928, Samuel Belzberg, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (died 2018) was born. In 1948, Shirley Jackson's short story The Lottery is published in The New Yorker magazine. In 1998, Hacı Sabancı, Turkish businessman and philanthropist (born 1935) passed away. In 2013, The U.S. Supreme Court ruled, 5-4, that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional and in violation of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. In 2015, The U.S. Supreme Court ruled, 5-4, that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marriage under the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.