On this day

July 12, 1948

Revisit the news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.

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Headlines from July 12, 1948

Notable Births

Ben Burtt

1948Ben Burtt, American director, screenwriter, and sound designer[†]

Benjamin Burtt Jr. is an American sound designer, film director, film editor, screenwriter, and voice actor. As a sound designer, his credits include the Star Wars and Indiana Jones film series, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), WALL-E (2008), and Star Trek (2009).

1948Walter Egan, American singer-songwriter and guitarist[†]

Walter Egan is an American rock musician, best known for his 1978 gold status hit single "Magnet and Steel" from his second album release, Not Shy, produced by Egan, Lindsey Buckingham and Richard Dashut. The song reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 18 on the Easy Listening chart. In Canada it reached No. 9. Overseas, it peaked at No. 32 on the Australian Singles Chart, Kent Music Report.

Elias Khoury

1948Elias Khoury, Lebanese intellectual, playwright and novelist (died 2024)[†]

Elias Khoury was a Lebanese novelist and advocate of the Palestinian cause. His novels and literary criticism have been translated into several languages. In 2000, he won the Prize of Palestine for his book Gate of the Sun, and he won the Al Owais Award for fiction writing in 2007. Khoury also wrote three plays and two screenplays.

Richard Simmons

1948Richard Simmons, American fitness trainer and actor (died 2024)[†]

Milton Teagle "Richard" Simmons was an American fitness instructor and television personality. He was a promoter of weight-loss programs, most prominently through his television show, The Richard Simmons Show and later the Sweatin' to the Oldies line of aerobics videos.

Historical Events

David Ben-Gurion

1948Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion orders the expulsion of Palestinians from the towns of Lod and Ramla.[†]

David Ben-Gurion was the primary national founder and first prime minister of the State of Israel. As head of the Jewish Agency from 1935, and later president of the Jewish Agency Executive, he was the de facto leader of the Jewish community in Palestine, and largely led the movement for an independent Jewish state in Mandatory Palestine.