Today in News History

On July 12, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In -100 BC, Julius Caesar, Roman politician and general (died 44 BC) was born. In 1562, Fray Diego de Landa, acting Bishop of Yucatán, burns the sacred idols and books of the Maya. 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 1801, British ships inflict heavy damage on Spanish and French ships in the Second Battle of Algeciras. In 1917, Satyendra Narayan Sinha, Indian statesman (died 2006) was born. In 1928, Alastair Burnet, English journalist (died 2012) was born. In 1948, Elias Khoury, Lebanese intellectual, playwright and novelist (died 2024) was born. In 2006, The 2006 Lebanon War begins. 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. In 2013, Alan Whicker, Egyptian-English journalist (born 1921) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.