July 1981 - July 12, 1981 (Sunday)

July 12, 1981 (Sunday)

• Three days of torrential rains began in China's Sichuan Province, with up to 18.8 inches (480 mm) raising the level of the Yangtze River and its tributaries as much as 16.5 feet (5.0 m). Initial reports from the Xinhua news agency reported 3,000 deaths and 100,000 injuries. The official numbers were revised two weeks later, but the toll was still high, with 753 dead, 558 missing, 28,140 injured and 1.5 million people left homeless.
• Died: William A. Keeler, President of ARCO Gas and Oil Company, and his wife Anita, were murdered by their 14 year old son, David, at their home in North Dallas.
• Died: Edward H. Little, 100, former soap salesman who built the Colgate-Palmolive Company into one of the worlds largest manufacturers of grooming products.