Today in News History

On July 12, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1849, N. E. Brown, English plant taxonomist and authority on succulents (died 1934) was born. In 1906, Murder of Grace Brown by Chester Gillette in the United States, inspiration for Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy. In 1918, Venetia Burney, English educator, who named Pluto (died 2009) was born. In 1922, The Hollywood Bowl opens. In 1924, Brett Somers, Canadian-American actress and singer (died 2007) was born. In 1931, Thurston Harris, American doo-wop singer (died 1990) was born. In 1962, Project Apollo: At a press conference, NASA announces lunar orbit rendezvous as the means to land astronauts on the Moon, and return them to Earth. In 1974, Pär Lagerkvist, Swedish novelist, playwright, and poet Nobel Prize laureate (born 1891) passed away. In 1978, Los Alfaques disaster: A truck carrying liquid gas crashes and explodes at a coastal campsite in Tarragona, Spain killing 216 tourists. In 1990, Patrick Peterson, American football player was born. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.