Today in News History

On July 12, several notable moments in the history of News stand out. In 1191, Third Crusade: Saladin's garrison surrenders to Philip Augustus, ending the two-year siege of Acre. In 1789, In response to the dismissal of the French finance minister Jacques Necker, the radical journalist Camille Desmoulins gives a speech which results in the storming of the Bastille two days later. In 1922, Mark Hatfield, American soldier and politician, 29th Governor of Oregon (died 2011) was born. In 1928, Alastair Burnet, English journalist (died 2012) was born. In 1943, Paul Silas, American basketball player and coach (died 2022) was born. In 1948, Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion orders the expulsion of Palestinians from the towns of Lod and Ramla. In 1955, Timothy Garton Ash, English historian and author was born. In 1995, Chinese seismologists successfully predict the 1995 Myanmar-China earthquake, reducing the number of casualties to 11. In 2007, U.S. Army Apache helicopters engage in airstrikes against armed insurgents in Baghdad, Iraq, where civilians are killed; footage from the cockpit is later leaked to the Internet. In 2014, Jamil Ahmad, Pakistani author (born 1931) passed away. Together, these milestones provide historical context for today's news news and ongoing narratives.