Today in News History

On July 8, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1820, Octavia Taylor, daughter of Zachary Taylor (born 1816) passed away. In 1898, The death of crime boss Soapy Smith, killed in the Shootout on Juneau Wharf, releases Skagway, Alaska from his iron grip. In 1908, V. K. R. Varadaraja Rao, Indian economist, politician, professor and educator (died 1991) was born. In 1918, Julia Pirie, British spy working for MI5 (died 2008) was born. In 1920, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, Danish businessman (died 1995) 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 1925, Arthur Imperatore Sr., Italian-American businessman (died 2020) was born. In 1926, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, Swiss-American psychiatrist and author (died 2004) was born. In 1938, Diane Clare, English actress (died 2013) was born. In 1947, Jenny Diski, English author and screenwriter (died 2016) was born. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.