Today in News History

On July 12, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1174, Baldwin IV, 13, becomes King of Jerusalem, with Raymond III, Count of Tripoli as regent and William of Tyre as chancellor. In 1897, Salomon August Andrée leaves Spitsbergen to attempt to reach the North Pole by balloon. In 1930, Mike Foster, American politician, 53rd Governor of Louisiana (died 2020) 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 1965, Tony Cottee, English footballer, manager, and sportscaster was born. In 1966, Ricky Warwick, Northern Irish musician was born. In 1974, Hermann Hreiðarsson, Icelandic footballer and manager was born. In 1977, Martin Luther King Jr., assassinated in 1968, is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1978, Los Alfaques disaster: A truck carrying liquid gas crashes and explodes at a coastal campsite in Tarragona, Spain killing 216 tourists. 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.