Today in News History

On July 8, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1864, Ikedaya Incident: The Choshu Han shishi's planned Shinsengumi sabotage on Kyoto, Japan at Ikedaya. In 1908, V. K. R. Varadaraja Rao, Indian economist, politician, professor and educator (died 1991) was born. In 1915, Lowell English, United States Marine Corps general (died 2005) was born. In 1926, John Dingell, American lieutenant and politician (died 2019) was born. In 1932, The Dow Jones Industrial Average reaches its lowest level of the Great Depression, closing at 41.22. In 1947, Reports are broadcast that a UFO crash-landed in Roswell, New Mexico in what became known as the Roswell UFO incident. In 1949, Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Indian politician, 14th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (died 2009) was born. In 1962, Ne Win besieges and blows up the Rangoon University Student Union building to crush the Student Movement. In 1980, Aeroflot Flight 4225 crashes near Almaty International Airport in the then Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (present day Kazakhstan) killing all 166 people on board. In 1988, The Island Express train travelling from Bangalore to Kanyakumari derails on the Peruman bridge and falls into Ashtamudi Lake, Kerala in India killing 105 passengers and injuring over 200 more. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.