Today in News History

On July 4, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1054, A supernova, called SN 1054, is seen by Chinese Song dynasty, Arab, and possibly Amerindian observers near the star Zeta Tauri. For several months it remains bright enough to be seen during the day. Its remnants form the Crab Nebula. 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 1831, Samuel Francis Smith writes "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" for the Boston, Massachusetts July 4 festivities. In 1838, The Iowa Territory is organized. 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 1910, Melville Fuller, American lawyer and jurist, Chief Justice of the United States (born 1833) passed away. 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 1937, Eric Walters, Australian journalist (died 2010) was born. In 1943, Adam Hart-Davis, English historian, author, and photographer was born. In 1960, Due to the post-Independence Day admission of Hawaii as the 50th U.S. state on August 21, 1959, the 50-star flag of the United States debuts in Philadelphia, almost ten and a half months later (see Flag Acts (United States)). Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.