Today in News History

On July 13, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1573, Eighty Years' War: The Siege of Haarlem ends after seven months. In 1690, Nine Years' War: French naval forces led by Anne Hilarion de Tourville fresh from their victory at Beachy Head sail West and launch a raid on the small English town of Teignmouth leaving it devastated. In 1864, John Jacob Astor IV, American colonel and businessman (died 1912) was born. In 1919, Hau Pei-tsun, 13th Premier of the Republic of China (died 2020) was born. In 1925, Suzanne Zimmerman, American competition swimmer and Olympic medalist (died 2021) was born. In 1926, T. Loren Christianson, American politician (died 2019) was born. In 1941, World War II: Montenegrins begin the Trinaestojulski ustanak (Thirteenth of July Uprising), a popular revolt against the Axis powers. In 1977, Somalia declares war on Ethiopia, starting the Ogaden War. In 1995, Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on STS-70 to deploy the TDRS-7 satellite. In 2008, Battle of Wanat begins when Taliban and al-Qaeda guerrillas attack US Army and Afghan National Army troops in Afghanistan. The U.S. deaths were, at that time, the most in a single battle since the beginning of operations in 2001. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.