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 1882, James Larkin White, American miner, explorer, and park ranger (died 1946) was born. In 1897, Salomon August Andrée leaves Spitsbergen to attempt to reach the North Pole by balloon. In 1937, Pai Hsien-yung, Chinese-Taiwanese author was born. In 1943, Massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army within the Reichskommissariat Ukraine (Volhynia) peak. In 1975, Lil' Kim, American rapper and producer 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 1987, Shigeaki Kato, Japanese singer was born. In 2009, Ji Xianlin, Chinese linguist and paleographer (born 1911) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.