Today in News History

On July 12, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 472, Anthemius, Roman emperor (born 420) passed away. In 1616, Samuel de Champlain returns to Quebec. In 1801, French astronomer Jean-Louis Pons makes his first comet discovery. In the next 27 years he discovers another 36 comets, more than any other person in history. In 1914, The US Navy launches the USS Nevada (BB-36) as its first standard-type battleship. In 1927, Theodore Maiman, American-Canadian physicist and engineer (died 2007) was born. In 1931, Tab Hunter, American actor and singer (died 2018) was born. In 1994, Gary Kildall, American computer scientist, founded Digital Research (born 1942) passed away. In 1999, Jan Sloot, Dutch computer scientist and electronics technician (born 1945) passed away. In 2013, Emik Avakian, Iranian-American inventor (born 1923) passed away. In 2015, Satoru Iwata, Japanese game programmer and businessman (born 1959) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.