What Happened on July 12

World Cup Finals

1998 — France Wins World Cup, Beats Brazil 3-0

France defeats Brazil 3-0 to claim its first World Cup title in front of 1.3 billion television viewers.

The Stade de France shook with a roar that could be heard across Paris on Sunday night as France defeated defending champion Brazil 3-0 to claim its first FIFA World Cup title. Zinedine Zidane, the tournament's quiet genius, scored two first-half headers from corners, and Emmanuel Petit added a third goal in second-half injury time. President Jacques Chirac, seated in the tribune, was among the delirious fans celebrating the historic victory.

France becomes the seventh different nation to win the World Cup, joining Uruguay, Italy, Germany, Brazil, England, and Argentina. The triumph was all the sweeter for coming against Brazil, the four-time champions, who were favorites to repeat.

The match, refereed by Said Belqola of Morocco, was watched by an estimated 1.3 billion people on television worldwide. In Paris, hundreds of thousands of supporters poured into the streets, waving tricolors and singing through the night. By Monday morning, the Champs-Élysées was a sea of humanity, with fans assembling to continue the celebration.

For France, the victory caps a remarkable run on home soil, a campaign that began with doubts and ended with the nation's first world title. The players, led by captain Didier Deschamps, were carried by the emotion of the crowd. Zidane, the son of Algerian immigrants, has become a national hero.

• The final was played at the Stade de France in Paris on 12 July 1998 in front of 80,000 supporters.
• Zinedine Zidane scored two first-half headers from corners, and Emmanuel Petit added a third goal in second-half injury time.
• France's win was their first World Cup title, making them the seventh different nation to win the tournament.
• An estimated 1.3 billion people watched the match on television worldwide.
• Hundreds of thousands of French supporters celebrated in Paris throughout the night and assembled along the Champs-Élysées the next day.

Moscow Chronicle

1561 — St. Basil's Consecrated in Red Square

Built from 1555 to 1561 on Ivan the Terrible's orders, the nine-domed cathedral was consecrated in Red Square, with a tenth chapel added in 1588.

Saint Basil's Cathedral, built from 1555 to 1561 on orders from Ivan the Terrible, was consecrated in Moscow's Red Square. Its nine onion domes each crown a separate church, commemorating the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan. The original structure held eight chapels arrayed around a ninth dedicated to the Intercession, a design without precedent. A tenth chapel was added in 1588 to shelter the relics of Vasily, a holy fool venerated by the faithful. The cathedral's colours were completed in 1683, but its presence was already a triumph. Muscovites flock to the square to behold an edifice that rivals the Kremlin in wonder. It stands as a testament to piety and might, a visible sign of favor on the tsar's arms. Yet its beauty, say the chroniclers, is a gift to the city itself, a jewel among the wooden streets. The builders worked without a single master plan, chroniclers note, raising each chapel as the campaign against Kazan advanced. Muscovites say the domes shine brightest at dawn, when the light catches their gilded iron.

• Saint Basil's Cathedral was built from 1555 to 1561 on orders from Ivan the Terrible.
• The cathedral commemorates the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan.
• The cathedral has nine distinctive onion domes, each corresponding to a different church.
• The original building contained eight chapels arranged around a ninth central chapel dedicated to the Intercession.
• A tenth chapel was erected in 1588 over the grave of the venerated local saint Vasily.

Eastern Front Dispatch

1943 — Soviet and German Armies Clash in Huge Tank Battle at Prokhorovka

The largest armour engagement of the war unfolds as the Red Army hurls counter-offensives against the German salient at Kursk.

In the summer of 1943, the fate of the Eastern Front hangs on a bitter struggle around Kursk, where German and Soviet forces have engaged in one of the largest tank battles in military history. On 12 July, the Red Army launched its own counter-offensives against the German spearheads, meeting steel with steel in the fields near Prokhorovka. The clangour of T-34s and Tigers echoes across the steppe, as both sides commit armour in numbers never before seen.

The German offensive, begun weeks ago, has stalled against deep Soviet defences; now the initiative is slipping away. Soviet infantry and tanks, photographed advancing under smoke, press forward against the panzer divisions. The outcome, say observers, will decide whether the Wehrmacht can retain any hope of victory in the east, or whether the Red Army will begin its long march westward.

Casualties are heavy on both sides, but the Soviet counter-attack signals a turning point.

• On 12 July 1943, the Soviets launched their own counter-offensives against German forces at the Kursk Bulge.

Film Desk

1997 — Miyazaki's 'Princess Mononoke' Opens, Sets Japan Box-Office Record

Hayao Miyazaki's animated epic becomes the highest-grossing film in Japan's history.

Hayao Miyazaki's animated epic Princess Mononoke opened in Japan today, immediately becoming the highest-grossing film in the country's history, a record it will hold for months. The ¥2.35 billion production ranks as Japan's most expensive animated film to date.

• Princess Mononoke was released in Japan on July 12, 1997.
• The film had a budget of ¥2.35 billion, making it the most expensive animated film in Japan at the time.
• It was the first animated film to win the Japan Academy Film Prize for Picture of the Year.
• The film was the first of Studio Ghibli's films to be released internationally, distributed by Miramax Films.
• Neil Gaiman wrote the English translation, making significant alterations for the American audience.

Middle East

2006 — Hezbollah Raid Kills 3 Israeli Soldiers, Seizes 2

Rockets and anti-tank fire across the border spark a five-week war.

Three Israeli soldiers were killed and two seized when Hezbollah militants crossed the border today, firing rockets at border towns as a diversion for an anti-tank missile attack on two armored Humvees. The assault, which also wounded two soldiers, opened a 34-day conflict.

• On 12 July 2006, Hezbollah militants fired rockets at Israeli border towns as a diversion for an anti-tank missile attack on two armoured Humvees.
• The attack killed three Israeli soldiers, injured two, and seized two Israeli soldiers.
• The conflict lasted 34 days, from 12 July to 14 August 2006.
• Hezbollah launched thousands of Katyusha rocket attacks against Israeli civilian towns and cities in northern Israel.
• The war is believed to have killed 1,191–1,300 Lebanese citizens including combatants and 165 Israelis including soldiers.

War Desk

1948 — Rabin Signs Order Expelling Arabs From Lydda and Ramle

Tens of thousands forced out in war's largest expulsion.

Officer Yitzhak Rabin of the Israel Defense Forces signed an order today expelling Palestinians from Lydda and Ramle, declaring: "The inhabitants of Lydda must be expelled quickly without attention to age." Ramle's residents were bussed out, but Lydda's people walked miles in summer heat to Arab lines.

• The expulsion order signed by Yitzhak Rabin stated: 'The inhabitants of Lydda must be expelled quickly without attention to age.'
• Ramle's residents were bussed out, while the people of Lydda were forced to walk miles during a summer heat wave to the Arab front lines.
• An estimated 50,000 to 70,000 Palestinians were expelled from Lydda and Ramle in July 1948.
• A number of refugees died from exhaustion and dehydration during the exodus, with estimates ranging from a handful to 500.
• The expulsion was the biggest of the war and occurred after fighting resumed following a truce period.

Music Hall

1962 — Rollin' Stones Debut at Marquee Club

Six-piece band plays first London show at small West End venue.

In a small, cheap venue in London's West End, a new band called the Rollin' Stones took the stage tonight at the Marquee Club. The club, opened in 1958, hosted the group's first live performance. The lineup was Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, Keith Richards, Ian Stewart, Dick Taylor, and an unconfirmed drummer. They played a set of rhythm and blues to a modest crowd. The Marquee, known for jazz and blues, now adds this young sextet to its roster. The band's sound drew from American blues, a staple of the club's bookings. The crowd, a mix of jazz regulars and curious passersby, drifted in and out during the set. Few could have guessed the night’s place in the club’s growing story.

• The band played their first show billed as 'the Rollin' Stones' on 12 July 1962, at the Marquee Club in London.
• At the time, the band consisted of Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, Keith Richards, Ian Stewart, Dick Taylor, and an unconfirmed drummer.
• The Marquee Club was a small and relatively cheap venue in London's West End, opened in 1958.
• The Marquee Club was the location of the first live performance by the Rolling Stones on 12 July 1962.

City Desk

1979 — Disco Demolition Night Ends in Riot, Forfeit at Comiskey

Explosion tears hole in field, 20,000 crash gates, second game forfeited.

The promotional stunt turned a baseball doubleheader into a riot, as more than 50,000 fans, plus 20,000 who crashed the gates, stormed the field at Comiskey Park. The explosion tore a hole in center field, and thousands of fans stole equipment. The second game was forfeited, the fourth in American League history this decade.

• Radio personality Steve Dahl and White Sox promotions manager Mike Veeck organized Disco Demolition Night on July 12, 1979.
• Fans paid 98¢ for tickets in exchange for bringing disco records, which were destroyed between games of a doubleheader.
• More than 50,000 fans attended, and an additional 20,000 crashed the gates, overwhelming stadium security.
• The explosion tore a huge hole in center field, and thousands of intoxicated fans stormed the field, stealing equipment.
• The second game was postponed and later ruled a forfeit, the fourth in American League history in the 1970s.