Today in News History

On June 21, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1910, Aleksandr Tvardovsky, Russian poet and author (died 1971) was born. In 1912, Kazimierz Leski, Polish pilot and engineer (died 2000) was born. In 1925, Larisa Avdeyeva, Russian mezzo-soprano (died 2013) was born. 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 1945, Adam Zagajewski, Polish author and poet (died 2021) was born. In 1958, Gennady Padalka, Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut was born. In 1980, Łukasz Cyborowski, Polish chess player was born. In 1990, Sergei Matsenko, Russian chess player 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. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.