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 1302, Pierre Flotte, French politician and lawyer passed away. In 1912, Sergiu Celibidache, Romanian conductor and composer (died 1996) was born. In 1921, A truce in the Irish War of Independence comes into effect. In 1943, Massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army within the Reichskommissariat Ukraine (Volhynia) peak. In 1957, Johann Lamont, Scottish educator and politician was born. In 1960, France legislates for the independence of Dahomey (later Benin), Upper Volta (later Burkina Faso) and Niger. In 1965, Ernesto Hoost, Dutch kick-boxer and sportscaster was born. In 1977, Martin Luther King Jr., assassinated in 1968, is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1978, Los Alfaques disaster: A truck carrying liquid gas crashes and explodes at a coastal campsite in Tarragona, Spain killing 216 tourists. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.