Today in News History

On July 4, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1818, US Flag Act of 1818 goes into effect creating a 13 stripe flag with a star for each state. New stars would be added on July 4 after a new state had been admitted. In 1892, Western Samoa changes the International Date Line, causing Monday (July 4) to occur twice, resulting in a leap year with 367 days. 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 1950, Cold War: Radio Free Europe first broadcasts. In 1977, The George Jackson Brigade plants a bomb at the main power substation for the Washington state capitol in Olympia, in solidarity with a prison strike at the Walla Walla State Penitentiary Intensive Security Unit. In 1990, Olive Ann Burns, American journalist and author (born 1924) passed away. 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 2008, A bomb explodes at a concert in Minsk's Independence Square, injuring 50 people. In 2009, The first of four days of bombings begins on the southern Philippine island group of Mindanao. In 2012, The discovery of particles consistent with the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider is announced at CERN. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.