Today in News History

On July 8, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1822, Percy Bysshe Shelley, English poet and playwright (born 1792) passed away. 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 1898, The death of crime boss Soapy Smith, killed in the Shootout on Juneau Wharf, releases Skagway, Alaska from his iron grip. 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 1987, Josh Harrison, American baseball player was born. In 1994, Kim Jong Il begins to assume supreme leadership of North Korea upon the death of his father, Kim Il Sung. In 1998, Lilí Álvarez, Spanish tennis player, author, and feminist (born 1905) passed away. In 2003, Sudan Airways Flight 139 crashes near Port Sudan Airport during an emergency landing attempt, killing 116 of the 117 people on board. In 2014, John V. Evans, American soldier and politician, 27th Governor of Idaho (born 1925) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.