Today in News History

On July 4, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. 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 1910, The Johnson-Jeffries riots occur after African-American boxer Jack Johnson knocks out white boxer Jim Jeffries in the 15th round. Between 11 and 26 people are killed and hundreds more injured. 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 1928, Shan Ratnam, Sri Lankan physician and academic (died 2001) was born. In 1931, Stephen Boyd, Northern Ireland-born American actor (died 1977) was born. In 1941, Nazi crimes against the Polish nation: Nazi troops massacre Polish scientists and writers in the captured Ukrainian city of Lviv. In 1961, On its maiden voyage, the Soviet nuclear-powered submarine K-19 suffers a complete loss of coolant to its reactor. The crew are able to effect repairs, but 22 of them die of radiation poisoning over the following two years. In 2001, Vladivostok Air Flight 352 crashes on approach to Irkutsk Airport killing all 145 people on board. In 2002, A Boeing 707 crashes near Bangui M'Poko International Airport in Bangui, Central African Republic, killing 28. In 2008, A bomb explodes at a concert in Minsk's Independence Square, injuring 50 people. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.