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 1876, The Hamburg massacre prior to the 1876 United States presidential election results in the deaths of six African-Americans of the Republican Party, along with one white assailant. In 1889, The first issue of The Wall Street Journal is published. In 1898, The death of crime boss Soapy Smith, killed in the Shootout on Juneau Wharf, releases Skagway, Alaska from his iron grip. In 1909, Ike Petersen, American football player (died 1995) was born. In 1960, Francis Gary Powers is charged with espionage resulting from his flight over the Soviet Union. In 1972, Israeli Mossad assassinate Palestinian writer Ghassan Kanafani. In 1982, A failed assassination attempt against Iraqi president Saddam Hussein results in the Dujail Massacre over the next several months. In 1994, Kim Jong Il begins to assume supreme leadership of North Korea upon the death of his father, Kim Il Sung. In 2003, Sudan Airways Flight 139 crashes near Port Sudan Airport during an emergency landing attempt, killing 116 of the 117 people on board. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.