Today in News History

On July 4, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1845, Henry David Thoreau moves into a small cabin on Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. Thoreau's account of his two years there, Walden, will become a touchstone of the environmental movement. In 1850, William Kirby, English entomologist and author (born 1759) passed away. In 1862, Lewis Carroll tells Alice Liddell a story that would grow into Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequels. In 1898, En route from New York to Le Havre, the SS La Bourgogne collides with another ship and sinks off the coast of Sable Island, with the loss of 549 lives. In 1927, Gina Lollobrigida, Italian actress and photographer (died 2023) was born. In 1994, Rwandan genocide: Kigali, the Rwandan capital, is captured by the Rwandan Patriotic Front, ending the genocide in the city. In 1997, NASA's Pathfinder space probe lands on the surface of Mars. In 2004, The cornerstone of the Freedom Tower is laid on the World Trade Center site in New York City. 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 2009, The Statue of Liberty's crown reopens to the public after eight years of closure due to security concerns following the September 11 attacks. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.