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 1889, The first issue of The Wall Street Journal is published. In 1894, Pyotr Kapitsa, Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1984) was born. In 1895, Igor Tamm, Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1971) 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 1979, Robert Burns Woodward, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1917) passed away. In 1987, Lionel Chevrier, Canadian lawyer and politician, 27th Canadian Minister of Justice (born 1903) passed away. In 1994, Space Shuttle Columbia is launched on an international science mission. In 1994, Kim Jong Il begins to assume supreme leadership of North Korea upon the death of his father, Kim Il Sung. In 2011, Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched in the final mission of the U.S. Space Shuttle program. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.