Today in News History

On July 12, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1599, Chōsokabe Motochika, Japanese daimyō (born 1539) passed away. 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 1916, Mortimer Caplin, American tax attorney, educator, and IRS Commissioner (died 2019) was born. In 1924, César Lattes, Brazilian physicist and academic (died 2005) was born. In 1970, Justin Chambers, American actor was born. In 1971, The nationalization of all large copper mines in Chile is completed. 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 1996, Alessia Cara, Canadian singer-songwriter was born. 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.