Today in News History

On July 8, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1776, Church bells (possibly including the Liberty Bell) are rung after John Nixon delivers the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence of the United States. In 1864, Ikedaya Incident: The Choshu Han shishi's planned Shinsengumi sabotage on Kyoto, Japan at Ikedaya. In 1889, The first issue of The Wall Street Journal is published. In 1895, Johann Josef Loschmidt, Austrian chemist and physicist (born 1821) passed away. In 1927, Khensur Lungri Namgyel, Tibetan religious leader was born. In 1947, Reports are broadcast that a UFO crash-landed in Roswell, New Mexico in what became known as the Roswell UFO incident. In 1960, Francis Gary Powers is charged with espionage resulting from his flight over the Soviet Union. In 1966, Ralf Altmeyer, German-Chinese virologist and academic was born. In 1979, Robert Burns Woodward, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1917) passed away. In 2012, Gyang Dalyop Datong, Nigerian physician and politician (born 1959) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.