Today in News History

On July 12, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1653, Sarah Good, American woman accused of witchcraft (died 1692) was born. In 1760, Peggy Shippen, American wife of Benedict Arnold and American Revolutionary War spy (died 1804) was born. In 1833, Noongar Australian aboriginal warrior Yagan, wanted for the murder of white colonists in Western Australia, is killed. In 1850, Annie Armstrong, American missionary (died 1938) was born. In 1905, Betty Allan, Australian statistician and biometrician (died 1952) was born. In 1906, Murder of Grace Brown by Chester Gillette in the United States, inspiration for Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy. In 1920, Zecharia Sitchin, Russian-American author (died 2010) was born. In 1930, Ezra Vogel, American sociologist (died 2020) was born. In 1943, Richard Carleton, Australian journalist (died 2006) was born. In 1981, Susana Barreiros, Venezuelan judge was born. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.