Seeds of Fire: A People’s Chronology
Recalling events that happened on this day in history.
Memories of struggle, resistance and persistence.
Compiled by Ulli Diemer
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June 8, 1809
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Death of Thomas Paine (1737-1809), author, pamphleteer, radical, inventor, intellectual, revolutionary, author of Common Sense, The Rights of Man, The Age of Reason, and other works.
Quote: Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.
Quote: The World is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion.
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June 8, 1849
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Publication of Nineteen Eighty-four, George Orwell’s dystopian novel. Orwell depicts a future society marked by omnipresent surveillance and state control of all aspects of life in the name of security. Official lying and constant propaganda are used to keep the population in line. History is constantly rewritten to suit the political needs of the moment; inconvenient facts disappear down the "memory hole". The novel introduces phrases and concepts that go on to become part of everyday language, such as Big Brother, doublethink, thoughtcrime, and Newspeak.
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June 8, 1967
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USS Liberty, a Navy surveillance vessel operating in international waters, is attacked by Israeli fighter jets and torpedo boats. The attack kills 34 American crew members and wounds 170. The U.S. government downplays the attack in order to protect Israel.
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