Today in News History

On July 12, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 154, Bardaisan, Syrian astrologer, scholar, and philosopher (died 222) was born. In 1174, Baldwin IV, 13, becomes King of Jerusalem, with Raymond III, Count of Tripoli as regent and William of Tyre as chancellor. In 1789, Jacques Necker is dismissed as France's Finance Minister sparking the Storming of the Bastille. In 1940, World War II: Vichy France regime is formally established. Philippe Pétain becomes Chief of the French State. In 1943, Robert Malval, Haitian businessman and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Haiti was born. In 1960, France legislates for the independence of Dahomey (later Benin), Upper Volta (later Burkina Faso) and Niger. In 1978, Los Alfaques disaster: A truck carrying liquid gas crashes and explodes at a coastal campsite in Tarragona, Spain killing 216 tourists. In 2006, Mumbai train bombings: 209 people are killed in a series of bomb attacks in Mumbai, India. In 2010, The Islamist militia group Al-Shabaab carries out multiple suicide bombings in Kampala, Uganda, killing 74 people and injuring 85 others. In 2011, Ninety-eight containers of explosives self-detonate killing 13 people in Zygi, Cyprus. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.