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 1836, Joseph Chamberlain, English businessman and politician, Secretary of State for the Colonies (died 1914) was born. In 1876, Alexandros Papanastasiou, Greek sociologist and politician, Prime Minister of Greece (died 1936) was born. In 1889, The first issue of The Wall Street Journal is published. In 1934, Raquel Correa, Chilean journalist (died 2012) was born. In 1939, Ed Lumley, Canadian businessman and politician, 8th Canadian Minister of Communications (died 2025) was born. In 1942, Phil Gramm, American economist and politician 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 1961, Ces Drilon, Filipino journalist was born. In 1970, Mark Butler, Australian politician was born. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.