Today in News History

On July 13, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1573, Eighty Years' War: The Siege of Haarlem ends after seven months. In 1922, Helmy Afify Abd El-Bar, Egyptian military commander (died 2011) was born. In 1927, Mimar Kemaleddin Bey, Turkish architect and academic, designed the Tayyare Apartments (born 1870) passed away. In 1934, Aleksei Yeliseyev, Russian engineer and astronaut was born. In 1941, Ehud Manor, Israeli songwriter and translator (died 2005) was born. In 1977, Somalia declares war on Ethiopia, starting the Ogaden War. In 1990, Lenin Peak disaster: a 6.4-magnitude earthquake in Afghanistan triggers an avalanche on Lenin Peak, killing 43 climbers in the deadliest mountaineering disaster in history. In 2003, French DGSE personnel abort an operation to rescue Íngrid Betancourt from FARC rebels in Colombia, causing a political scandal when details are leaked to the press. In 2008, Battle of Wanat begins when Taliban and al-Qaeda guerrillas attack US Army and Afghan National Army troops in Afghanistan. The U.S. deaths were, at that time, the most in a single battle since the beginning of operations in 2001. In 2011, Mumbai is rocked by three bomb blasts during the evening rush hour, killing 26 and injuring 130. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.