Today in News History

On July 12, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1191, Third Crusade: Saladin's garrison surrenders to Philip Augustus, ending the two-year siege of Acre. In 1675, Evaristo Felice Dall'Abaco, Italian violinist and composer (died 1742) was born. 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 1916, Lyudmila Pavlichenko, Ukrainian-Russian soldier and sniper (died 1974) was born. In 1917, Satyendra Narayan Sinha, Indian statesman (died 2006) was born. In 1928, Alastair Burnet, English journalist (died 2012) was born. In 1943, Paul Silas, American basketball player and coach (died 2022) was born. In 1948, Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion orders the expulsion of Palestinians from the towns of Lod and Ramla. In 1948, Elias Khoury, Lebanese intellectual, playwright and novelist (died 2024) was born. In 2007, U.S. Army Apache helicopters engage in airstrikes against armed insurgents in Baghdad, Iraq, where civilians are killed; footage from the cockpit is later leaked to the Internet. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.