Today in News History

On July 12, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 154, Bardaisan, Syrian astrologer, scholar, and philosopher (died 222) was born. In 1789, Jacques Necker is dismissed as France's Finance Minister sparking the Storming of the Bastille. In 1882, The British Mediterranean Fleet begins the Bombardment of Alexandria in Egypt as part of the Anglo-Egyptian War. In 1897, Salomon August Andrée leaves Spitsbergen to attempt to reach the North Pole by balloon. In 1909, Simon Newcomb, Canadian-American astronomer and mathematician (born 1835) passed away. In 1950, Pervez Hoodbhoy, Pakistani physicist and academic was born. In 1953, Suresh Prabhu, Indian accountant and politician, Indian Minister of Railways was born. In 1979, America's first space station, Skylab, is destroyed as it re-enters the Earth's atmosphere over the Indian Ocean. In 2004, Laurance Rockefeller, American financier and philanthropist (born 1910) passed away. In 2013, Emik Avakian, Iranian-American inventor (born 1923) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.