Today in News History

On July 12, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 813, Byzantine emperor Michael I, under threat by conspiracies, abdicates in favor of his general Leo the Armenian, and becomes a monk (under the name Athanasius). In 1735, Mathematical calculations suggest that it is on this day that dwarf planet Pluto moved inside the orbit of Neptune for the last time before 1979. In 1927, Chris Leonard, English footballer (died 1987) was born. In 1928, Greville Janner, Baron Janner of Braunstone, Welsh-English lawyer and politician (died 2015) was born. In 1929, Billy Mosforth, English footballer and engraver (born 1857) passed away. In 1943, Richard Carleton, Australian journalist (died 2006) was born. In 1962, Project Apollo: At a press conference, NASA announces lunar orbit rendezvous as the means to land astronauts on the Moon, and return them to Earth. In 1994, Gary Kildall, American computer scientist, founded Digital Research (born 1942) passed away. In 1999, Jan Sloot, Dutch computer scientist and electronics technician (born 1945) passed away. In 2015, Satoru Iwata, Japanese game programmer and businessman (born 1959) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.