June 8 has witnessed a remarkable range of events that shaped politics, warfare, literature, exploration and technological progress. The date is remembered for the Viking raid on Lindisfarne, an attack often associated with the beginning of the Viking Age, and the publication of George Orwell's influential novel Nineteen Eighty-Four . It also marks significant developments including the introduction of the US Bill of Rights, the establishment of Thailand under its modern name, the merger plans that created today's NFL, Robert F. Kennedy's burial at Arlington National Cemetery and the recognition of the Southern Ocean as the world's fifth ocean.
