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 1899, E. B. White, American essayist and journalist (died 1985) was born. In 1912, William F. Walsh, American captain and politician, 48th Mayor of Syracuse (died 2011) was born. In 1942, Darrell Eastlake, Australian sportscaster (died 2018) was born. In 1960, Congo Crisis: The State of Katanga breaks away from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In 1971, John W. Campbell, American journalist and author (born 1910) passed away. In 1979, America's first space station, Skylab, is destroyed as it re-enters the Earth's atmosphere over the Indian Ocean. In 1994, Gary Kildall, American computer scientist, founded Digital Research (born 1942) passed away. In 2004, Laurance Rockefeller, American financier and philanthropist (born 1910) passed away. In 2015, Satoru Iwata, Japanese game programmer and businessman (born 1959) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.