Today in News History

On July 12, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 981, Xue Juzheng, Chinese scholar-official and historian passed away. In 1789, In response to the dismissal of the French finance minister Jacques Necker, the radical journalist Camille Desmoulins gives a speech which results in the storming of the Bastille two days later. In 1872, Emil Hácha, Czech lawyer and politician, 3rd President of Czechoslovakia (died 1945) was born. In 1878, Peeter Põld, Estonian scientist and politician, 1st Estonian Minister of Education (died 1930) was born. In 1916, Lyudmila Pavlichenko, Ukrainian-Russian soldier and sniper (died 1974) was born. In 1920, Randolph Quirk, Manx linguist and academic (died 2017) was born. In 1924, Michel d'Ornano, French politician (died 1991) was born. In 1945, Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen, German field marshal (born 1895) passed away. In 1975, São Tomé and Príncipe declare independence from Portugal. In 2010, Pius Njawé, Cameroonian journalist (born 1957) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.