Today in News History

On July 12, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1754, Thomas Bowdler, English physician and philanthropist (died 1825) was born. In 1897, Bull Connor, American police officer (died 1973) was born. In 1906, Murder of Grace Brown by Chester Gillette in the United States, inspiration for Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy. In 1923, Richard Pipes, Polish-American historian and academic (died 2018) was born. In 1930, Mike Foster, American politician, 53rd Governor of Louisiana (died 2020) was born. In 1955, Balaji Sadasivan, Singaporean neurosurgeon and politician, Singaporean Minister of Health (died 2010) was born. In 1957, Patsy O'Hara, Irish Republican hunger striker (died 1981) was born. In 1960, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is first published, in the United States. In 1970, Justin Chambers, American actor 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. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.