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 1830, Frederick W. Seward, American lawyer and politician, 6th United States Assistant Secretary of State (died 1915) was born. In 1864, Ikedaya Incident: The Choshu Han shishi's planned Shinsengumi sabotage on Kyoto, Japan at Ikedaya. In 1937, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan sign the Treaty of Saadabad. In 1947, Reports are broadcast that a UFO crash-landed in Roswell, New Mexico in what became known as the Roswell UFO incident. In 1970, Richard Nixon delivers a special congressional message enunciating Native American self-determination as official US Indian policy, leading to the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975. In 1972, Israeli Mossad assassinate Palestinian writer Ghassan Kanafani. In 1982, A failed assassination attempt against Iraqi president Saddam Hussein results in the Dujail Massacre over the next several months. 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.