Today in News History

On July 12, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1931, Thurston Harris, American doo-wop singer (died 1990) was born. In 1937, Pai Hsien-yung, Chinese-Taiwanese author was born. In 1950, J. R. Morgan, Welsh author and academic was born. In 1953, Ivan Toms, South African physician and activist (died 2008) was born. In 1953, Mindy Sterling, American actress was born. In 1956, Amitav Ghosh, Indian-American author and academic was born. 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 1972, Cormac Battle, English-Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, 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 1980, Kevin Powers, American soldier and author was born. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.