Today in News History

On July 12, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1796, The United States takes possession of Detroit from Great Britain under terms of the Jay Treaty. In 1906, Murder of Grace Brown by Chester Gillette in the United States, inspiration for Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy. In 1921, Former president of the United States William Howard Taft is sworn in as 10th chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, becoming the only person ever to hold both offices. In 1922, The Hollywood Bowl opens. In 1960, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is first published, in the United States. In 1970, Eric Owens, American opera singer 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 2007, Lady Bird Johnson, American beautification activist; 43rd First Lady of the United States (born 1912) passed away. In 2014, Randall Stout, American architect, designed the Taubman Museum of Art (born 1958) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.