Today in News History

On July 12, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1801, British ships inflict heavy damage on Spanish and French ships in the Second Battle of Algeciras. In 1916, Lyudmila Pavlichenko, Ukrainian-Russian soldier and sniper (died 1974) was born. In 1943, World War II: Battle of Kursk: German and Soviet forces engage in the Battle of Prokhorovka, one of the largest armored engagements of all time. In 1961, Indian city Pune floods due to failure of the Khadakwasla and Panshet dams, killing at least two thousand people. In 1995, Chinese seismologists successfully predict the 1995 Myanmar-China earthquake, reducing the number of casualties to 11. In 1998, Arkady Ostashev, Soviet/Russian scientist and engineer (born 1925) passed away. 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 2012, A tank truck explosion kills more than 100 people in Okobie, Nigeria. In 2013, Six people are killed and 200 injured in a French passenger train derailment in Brétigny-sur-Orge. In 2014, Valeriya Novodvorskaya, Russian journalist and politician (born 1950) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.