Today in News History

On July 8, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1864, Ikedaya Incident: The Choshu Han shishi's planned Shinsengumi sabotage on Kyoto, Japan at Ikedaya. In 1906, Philip Johnson, American architect, designed the IDS Center and PPG Place (died 2005) was born. In 1909, Ike Petersen, American football player (died 1995) was born. In 1917, J. F. Powers, American novelist and short story writer (died 1999) was born. In 1921, John Money, New Zealand psychologist and sexologist, known for his research on gender identity, and responsible for controversial involuntary sex reassignment of David Reimer (died 2006) was born. In 1960, Francis Gary Powers is charged with espionage resulting from his flight over the Soviet Union. In 1972, Israeli Mossad assassinate Palestinian writer Ghassan Kanafani. In 1981, Bill Hallahan, American baseball player (born 1902) passed away. 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.