Today in News History

On July 12, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1906, Murder of Grace Brown by Chester Gillette in the United States, inspiration for Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy. In 1909, Irene Hervey, American actress (died 1998) was born. In 1916, Mortimer Caplin, American tax attorney, educator, and IRS Commissioner (died 2019) was born. In 1922, Fritz Riess, German-Swiss racing driver (died 1991) was born. In 1928, Greville Janner, Baron Janner of Braunstone, Welsh-English lawyer and politician (died 2015) was born. In 1942, Darrell Eastlake, Australian sportscaster (died 2018) was born. In 1973, Varig Flight 820 crashes near Paris on approach to Orly Airport, killing 123 of the 134 on board. In response, the FAA bans smoking in airplane lavatories. In 1983, A TAME airline Boeing 737-200 crashes near Cuenca, Ecuador, killing all 119 passengers and crew on board. In 1991, Nigeria Airways Flight 2120 crashes in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, killing all 261 passengers and crew on board. In 2008, Michael E. DeBakey, American surgeon and educator (born 1908) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.