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 1895, Igor Tamm, Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1971) was born. In 1908, V. K. R. Varadaraja Rao, Indian economist, politician, professor and educator (died 1991) was born. In 1914, Jyoti Basu, Indian politician, 6th Chief Minister of West Bengal (died 2010) was born. In 1918, Paul B. Fay, American businessman, soldier, and diplomat, 12th United States Secretary of the Navy (died 2009) was born. In 1942, Phil Gramm, American economist and politician was born. In 1945, Micheline Calmy-Rey, Swiss politician, 91st President of the Swiss Confederation was born. In 1949, Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Indian politician, 14th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (died 2009) was born. In 1979, Robert Burns Woodward, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1917) passed away. In 2007, Chandra Shekhar, Indian lawyer and politician, 9th Prime Minister of India (born 1927) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.