Today in News History

On July 4, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1845, Henry David Thoreau moves into a small cabin on Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. Thoreau's account of his two years there, Walden, will become a touchstone of the environmental movement. In 1898, En route from New York to Le Havre, the SS La Bourgogne collides with another ship and sinks off the coast of Sable Island, with the loss of 549 lives. In 1911, A massive heat wave strikes the northeastern United States, killing 380 people in eleven days and breaking temperature records in several cities. In 1961, On its maiden voyage, the Soviet nuclear-powered submarine K-19 suffers a complete loss of coolant to its reactor. The crew are able to effect repairs, but 22 of them die of radiation poisoning over the following two years. In 1963, Bernard Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg, New Zealand general and politician, 7th Governor-General of New Zealand (born 1889) passed away. In 1985, Kane Tenace, Australian footballer was born. In 1994, Rwandan genocide: Kigali, the Rwandan capital, is captured by the Rwandan Patriotic Front, ending the genocide in the city. In 1998, Japan launches the Nozomi probe to Mars, joining the United States and Russia as a space exploring nation. In 2006, Space Shuttle program: Discovery launches STS-121 to the International Space Station. The event gained wide media attention as it was the only shuttle launch in the program's history to occur on the United States' Independence Day. In 2021, Harmoko, Indonesian politician, former parliament speaker and government minister (born 1939) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.