Today in News History

On July 8, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1933, The first rugby union test match between the Wallabies of Australia and the Springboks of South Africa is played at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town. In 1947, Reports are broadcast that a UFO crash-landed in Roswell, New Mexico in what became known as the Roswell UFO incident. In 1965, Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 21 is destroyed by a bomb near 100 Mile House, Canada, killing 52. In 1976, Ellen MacArthur, English sailor was born. 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. In 1994, Space Shuttle Columbia is launched on an international science mission. In 1999, Pete Conrad, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (born 1930) passed away. In 2003, Sudan Airways Flight 139 crashes near Port Sudan Airport during an emergency landing attempt, killing 116 of the 117 people on board. In 2011, Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched in the final mission of the U.S. Space Shuttle program. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.