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 1920, Zecharia Sitchin, Russian-American author (died 2010) was born. In 1930, Mike Foster, American politician, 53rd Governor of Louisiana (died 2020) was born. In 1936, The Triborough Bridge in New York City is opened to traffic. 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 1966, Delmore Schwartz, American poet and short story writer (born 1913) passed away. In 1971, Leisha Hailey, American singer-songwriter and actress was born. In 1978, Los Alfaques disaster: A truck carrying liquid gas crashes and explodes at a coastal campsite in Tarragona, Spain killing 216 tourists. In 1979, America's first space station, Skylab, is destroyed as it re-enters the Earth's atmosphere over the Indian Ocean. In 2014, John Seigenthaler, American journalist and academic (born 1927) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.