Today in News History

On July 12, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1903, Rudolf Abel, English-Russian colonel (died 1971) was born. In 1905, Muhammad Abduh, Egyptian jurist and scholar (born 1849) passed away. In 1906, Murder of Grace Brown by Chester Gillette in the United States, inspiration for Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy. In 1909, Simon Newcomb, Canadian-American astronomer and mathematician (born 1835) passed away. In 1916, Alexander Prokhorov, Australian-Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2002) was born. In 1934, Engelbert Zaschka of Germany flies his large human-powered aircraft, the Zaschka Human-Power Aircraft, about 20 meters at Berlin Tempelhof Airport without assisted take-off. In 1979, America's first space station, Skylab, is destroyed as it re-enters the Earth's atmosphere over the Indian Ocean. In 1983, A TAME airline Boeing 737-200 crashes near Cuenca, Ecuador, killing all 119 passengers and crew on board. In 1991, Nigeria Airways Flight 2120 crashes in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, killing all 261 passengers and crew on board. In 1993, Rebecca Bross, American gymnast was born. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.