What was the "brilliant new star in Aquila" on June 8, 1918, just after the solar eclipse? This great answer about the US Naval Observatory's $3,500 expedition to Baker City Oregon to observe the June 8, 1918 total solar eclipse links to the January 1919 Popular Astronomy article about the expedition. The article notes on page 6 the following coincidental observation:


  An interesting occurrence was the appearance of the brilliant new star in Aquila. This was seen by Mr. Peters and Mr. Conrad on the night of June 8 and the discovery was communicated by telegram to various observatories in the country. It had however been discovered earlier on the same night by other astronomers in the east.


What is the story behind this bright new star in Aquila? What was it? Who discovered it first?
It was Nova Aquilae 1918.  Wikipedia has some detail. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V603_Aquilae
Apparently it was discovered by Zygmunt Laskowski, an amateur astronomer.