This Day in History
March 27

Copyright © 2006-2024 Ken Polsson
internet e-mail: ken@kpolsson.com
URL: http://kpolsson.com/thisday/
(this URL will automatically re-direct to the file containing a single day's events)

What happened in history on this day: March 27?

On March 27 in ...

  • 922 - Al-Hallaj al-Mughith-al-Hsayn Mansur, Persian mystic, beheaded at age 64.
  • 965 - Arnulf I the Elder/the Great, count of Flanders (918-65), dies.
  • 1211 - Sancho I King of Portugal (1185-1211), dies at age 56.
  • 1306 - Robert the Bruce declares himself King of Scotland.
  • 1378 - Gregory XI [Pierre R the Beaufort], last French Pope (1370-78), dies.
  • 1416 - Birth of Antonio Squarcialupi composer.
  • 1472 - Janus Pannonius Hungarian poet/translator, dies at age 37.
  • 1482 - Maria duchess of Burgundy/countess of Holland, dies at age 25.
  • 1513 - Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León sights Florida.
  • 1599 - Robert Devereux becomes Lieutenant-General of Ireland.
  • 1625 - James I Stuart king of Scotland (1567)/England (1603-25), dies at age 58.
  • 1625 - Charles I, King of England, Scotland and Ireland, ascends to throne.
  • 1665 - Birth of Benjamin Neukirch German poet (Herrn von Hofmannswaldau).
  • 1668 - Clemens Thieme composer, dies at age 36.
  • 1668 - English King Charles II gives Bombay to East India Company.
  • 1679 - Abraham Mignon Dutch still life painter, dies at age 38.
  • 1701 - Anne Hilarion de Cotentin count of Tourville/French Admiral, dies at age 58.
  • 1708 - English pretender to the throne James III flees to Dunkerk.
  • 1709 - Dike at Hardinxveld breaks (Alblasserwaard flooded).
  • 1713 - Spain losses Menorca and Gibraltar.
  • 1721 - France and Spain sign Treaty of Madrid.
  • 1746 - Birth of Carlo Bonaparte Corsican attorney/father of emperor Napoleon.
  • 1758 - Battle at Emmerich: British army floats around France the Rhine.
  • 1760 - Birth of MJ Auguste Vestrius French ballet dancers.
  • 1770 - Giovanni B Tiepolo Italian painter (Banquet of Cleopatra), dies at age 73.
  • 1780 - Birth of August L Crelle; German inventor/mathematician (first Prussian Railway).
  • 1782 - Lord John Cavendish becomes British chancellor of the exchequer.
  • 1785 - Birth of Louis XVII; pretender to the throne during the French Revolution (1793-95).
  • 1790 - The shoelace is invented.
  • 1794 - US Congress authorizes the President "to provide a naval armament" (US Navy).
  • 1797 - Birth of Alfred V Comte de Vigny; French musketeer/writer (Moïse, Chatterton).
  • 1813 - Birth of Nathaniel Currier; lithographer (Currier and Ives).
  • 1814 - Battle at Horseshoe Bend: General Andrew Jackson beats Creek-Indians.
  • 1823 - Birth of Samuel Kosciusko Zook; US Brevet Major General (Union volunteers).
  • 1836 - First Mormon temple is dedicated (Kirtland, Ohio).
  • 1841 - First US steam-powered fire engine tested, in New York City, New York.
  • 1844 - Birth of Adolphus Washington Greely; American Arctic explorer, US Army General, Medal of Honor recipient, Chief Signal Officer (1887-1906).
  • 1845 - Birth of Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen in Germany; discovered X-rays (Nobel Prize 1901).
  • 1847 - Birth of Otto Wallach in Germany; chemist (Nobel Prize 1910).
  • 1848 - John Parker Paynard originates medicated adhesive plaster.
  • 1849 - Joseph Couch patents steam-powered percussion rock drill.
  • 1850 - Wilhelm Bear, German banker/astronomer (Moon Map), dies at age 53.
  • 1851 - Birth of Paul-Marie-Theodore-Vincent d'Indy in Paris, France; composer (Symphonie Cévenole).
  • 1854 - Birth of Edgar Tinel; Flemish composer (Le Chant Grégorien).
  • 1855 - Abraham Gesner patents kerosene.
  • 1859 - Birth of George Giffen; cricket player (one of Australia's greatest all-rounders).
  • 1860 - M L Byrn patents "covered gimlet screw with a 'T' handle" (corkscrew).
  • 1863 - Birth of Henry Royce; automobile founder (Rolls-Royce) (dies 1933).
  • 1865 - Siege of Spanish Fort, Alabama: captured by Federals.
  • 1866 - Andrew Rankin patents the urinal.
  • 1866 - US President Andrew Johnson vetoes civil rights bill; it later becomes 14th Amendment.
  • 1868 - Birth of Patty Smith Hill; author/songwriter ("Happy Birthday To You").
  • 1871 - First international rugby game-Scotland 1, England 0.
  • 1871 - Birth of Heinrich Mann in Germany; novelist/essayist (Blue Angel).
  • 1871 - Birth of Petrus J M Aalberse; Dutch minister of Labor (1918-25).
  • 1875 - Edgar Quinet, French writer/historian (Ahasvérus), dies at age 72.
  • 1879 - Birth of Edward Steichen; pioneered American photography.
  • 1879 - Longest championship fight takes place (136 rounds).
  • 1881 - In Basingstoke, England, troops clear streets of rioting local brewery workers, following an anti-alcohol campaign by the Salvation Army.
  • 1884 - First long-distance telephone call, Boston to New York, USA.
  • 1886 - Birth of Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe; German/US architect (Bauhaus).
  • 1891 - Birth of Lajos Zilahy; Hungarian/US author (Ararát/Süd a nap).
  • 1892 - Birth of Thorne Smith; author (Topper, Rain in the Doorway, Stray Lamb).
  • 1893 - Birth of Dragoljub "Draza" Mihailovic; Yugoslavian General/Nazi collaborator.
  • 1893 - Birth of Karl Mannheim; Hungarian/German/British sociologist (Ideology and Utopia).
  • 1893 - Birth of William Harrigan in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Affair of Three Nations, Cabaret).
  • 1894 - Verney L Cameron, English explorer (Tanganyika), dies at age 49.
  • 1898 - Sajjid Ahmad Chan, co-founder of Pakistan, dies at age 80.
  • 1899 - Birth of Gloria Swanson in Chicago, Illinois, USA; actress (Killer Bees, Sadie Thomson, Queen Kelly) (dies 1983).
  • 1900 - Pieter J Joubert [Smart Piet], South African General, dies at age 69.
  • 1901 - Birth of Erich Ollenhauer; German politician (SPD).
  • 1901 - Birth of Sato Eisaku; (Liberal) Japanese Prime Minister (1964-72) (Nobel Prize 1974).
  • 1903 - Birth of Walt Kiesling; NFL guard/coach (Hall of Fame).
  • 1905 - Birth of László Kalmár in Edde, Hungary; mathematician/promoted the development of computer science in Hungary.
  • 1907 - Birth of Mary Treen in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA; actress (Emily - Willy).
  • 1908 - Birth of Jacques [Izaäk] den Haan; Dutch writer (Dangerous Book).
  • 1909 - Birth of Golo Mann [Gottfried]; German/US historian (Antisemitism).
  • 1910 - Birth of Rudi Ball in Germany; Jewish ice hockey star (Olympics-bronze-1932).
  • 1912 - Birth of James Callaghan; (Liberal) British Prime Minister (1976-79).
  • 1914 - First successful blood transfusion (in Brussels, Belgium).
  • 1914 - Birth of Budd Schulberg in New York City, New York, USA; novelist (On the Waterfront).
  • 1914 - Birth of Richard Denning in Poughkeepsie, New York, USA; actor (Steve-Karen, Hawaii Five-O).
  • 1914 - Birth of Snooky Lanson in Memphis, Tennessee, USA; singer (Your Hit Parade, Five Star Jubilee).
  • 1917 - Birth of Cyrus R Vance; US Secretary of State (1977-80).
  • 1917 - Birth of Harry West; Unionist party leader (Unionist).
  • 1917 - Leon Trotsky AKA Lev Davidovich Bronstein leaves the US by ship, along with almost 300 revolutionaries and Wall Street money, with purpose to overthrow the provisional government in Russia and stop the war with Germany.
  • 1919 - Birth of Simon van Collem; Dutch journalist/TV host (Amsterdamned).
  • 1920 - Birth of Richard Hayman; bandleader/conductor/pianist (Theme of 3 Penny Opera).
  • 1920 - Hermann Müller becomes German chancellor (SPD).
  • 1920 - Johan G Danser, Dutch poet (Meetings), dies at age 26.
  • 1921 - Birth of Tom Bevill; American politician (Representative-Democrat-Alabama, 1967-).
  • 1923 - Birth of Louis Simpson; Jamaican/US poet (Good News of Death).
  • 1923 - Birth of Victor Hochhauser; British impresario (Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra).
  • 1924 - Birth of Harold Nicholas; American actor (Tap, Five Heartbeats, Stormy Weather).
  • 1924 - Birth of Sarah L Vaughan in Newark, New Jersey, USA; jazz scat singer ("Broken Hearted Melody") (dies 1990).
  • 1924 - Canada recognizes USSR.
  • 1924 - New French government of Raymond Poincaré begins.
  • 1925 - Birth of Robert P Cohan; artistic director/choreographer (Contemporary Dance Trust).
  • 1926 - Birth of Louis Blom-Cooper; Queen's Council press arbiter.
  • 1927 - Birth of Anthony Lewis; newspaper columnist (New York Times), author (Gideon's Trumpet).
  • 1927 - Birth of Mstislav Leopold Rostropovich in Baku, USSR; cellist/conductor/teacher (Moscow Conservatory).
  • 1928 - Birth of Douglas Applegate; American politician (Representative-Democrat-Ohio, 1977-).
  • 1928 - US Ladies Figure Skating Championship won by Maribel Vinson.
  • 1928 - US Men's Figure Skating Championship won by Roger Turner.
  • 1930 - First US radio broadcast from a ship at sea.
  • 1930 - Birth of Bob den Uyl; Dutch journalist/writer (Bird Watching).
  • 1930 - Birth of David Janssen [Meyer] in Naponee, Nebraska, USA; actor (Fugitive, Harry O).
  • 1930 - Birth of Richard Hayman in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; orchestra leader (Vaughn Monroe Show).
  • 1931 - British writer Arnold Bennett dies of typhoid in London shortly after returning from a visit to Paris, where he drank local water to prove it was safe.
  • 1931 - Birth of R P Bauman; CEO (British Aerospace).
  • 1931 - Charlie Chaplin receives France's distinguished Legion of Honor.
  • 1931 - John McGraw says night baseball will not catch on.
  • 1932 - Birth of Junior Parker; blues musician ("Driving Wheel", "Outside Man").
  • 1932 - Birth of Wes Covington; baseball player (Philadelphia Phillies).
  • 1933 - Birth of DRG Andrews; CEO (Land Rover-Leyland).
  • 1933 - Birth of Frank Taylor; Chief Constable (Durham).
  • 1933 - Birth of J Geoffrey Parker; high master (Manchester Grammar School).
  • 1933 - Farm Credit Administration (US) authorized.
  • 1933 - Japan leaves League of Nations.
  • 1933 - Lionel Palairet, cricket player (49 runs in two Tests for England 1902), dies.
  • 1933 - Polythene discovered by Reginald Gibson and Eric William Fawcett.
  • 1934 - Birth of Arthur Mitchell; choreographer (Dance Theater of Harlem).
  • 1934 - Birth of David Hancock; secretary (British Department of Education and Science).
  • 1935 - Birth of Julian Glover in London, England; actor (QED, Heat and Dust, Mandela).
  • 1936 - Birth of Jerry Lacy in Sioux City, Iowa, USA; actor (Play it Again Sam, Reverend Trask - Dark Shadows).
  • 1937 - Birth of Johnny "Clyde" Copeland; American blues guitarist/singer ("Lion's Den").
  • 1938 - Birth of A J Bellingham; president (Royal College of Pathologists).
  • 1938 - Birth of P Daubeny; CEO (Electricity Association).
  • 1939 - First NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: University of Oregon beats Ohio State 46-33.
  • 1939 - Birth of Jay C Kim; American politician (Representative-Republican-California).
  • 1939 - Birth of Judy Carne; comedienne (Laugh-In, Love on a Rooftop).
  • 1939 - Birth of Ruth Ashton; general secretary (Royal College of Midwives).
  • 1939 - Constance Lindsay Skinner, author (Rivers of America), dies at age 57.
  • 1940 - Birth of Austin Pendleton in Warren, Ohio, USA; actor (Short Circuit, Simon, Hello Again).
  • 1940 - Birth of Cale Yarborough; auto racer (Won Daytona 500 four times-1968, 1977, 1983, 1984).
  • 1940 - Birth of June Wilkinson in Eastbourne, England; actress (Absolutely Glamorous, Pajama Tops).
  • 1940 - German Heinrich Himmler orders building of Auschwitz concentration camp, at Katowice.
  • 1941 - Birth of Charles Pashayan Junior; American politician (Representative-Republican-California, 1979-).
  • 1941 - Birth of Liese Prokop in Austria; pentathlete (Olympics-silver-1968).
  • 1941 - Britain leases defense bases in Trinidad to US for 99 years.
  • 1941 - Adolf Hitler issues Directive No. 25, ordering the military annihilation of Yugoslavia in retaliation for its coup. Operation Barbarossa, the planned attack on the Soviet Union, is postponed from May 15 for at least a month. Yugoslavia and Greece are to be attacked on April 6.
  • 1942 - Birth of Michael York in Fulmer, Buckinghamshire, England; actor (Cabaret, Logan's Run, The Three Musketeers).
  • 1942 - Birth of Raymond J McGrath; American politician (Representative-Republican-New York, 1981-).
  • 1942 - Japan forces Java to use "Tokyo time" 1.5 hour forward.
  • 1942 - Joe Louis knocks out Abe Simon in six to retain heavyweight boxing title (New York City, New York).
  • 1943 - Assassination attempt on Van de Peat at Amsterdam's census bureau.
  • 1943 - Birth of M Robert Carr; American politician (Representative-Democrat-Michigan, 1975-81, 83-).
  • 1943 - Grigori Yakovlevich Bakhchivangi, test pilot (BI-1), killed in crash.
  • 1943 - US begins assault on Fondouk-pass, Tunisia.
  • 1944 - 1,000 Jews leave Drancy, France for Auschwitz Concentration Camp.
  • 1944 - 2,000 Jews are murdered in Kaunas, Lithuania.
  • 1944 - 40 Jewish policemen in Riga, Latvia ghetto are shot by the Gestapo.
  • 1944 - Children's Aktion: Germans collect all the Jewish children of Lovno.
  • 1945 - 7th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Oklahoma State beats NYU 49-44.
  • 1945 - British premier Winston Churchill sails to eastern banks of Rhine.
  • 1945 - DePaul beats Bowling Green for NIT title.
  • 1945 - General Dwight Eisenhower declares German defenses on Western Front broken.
  • 1945 - Iwo Jima is occupied, after 22,000 Japanese and 6,000 US killed.
  • 1945 - Jørgen Nielsen, Danish writer (romance), dies at age 42.
  • 1945 - (1637 hours) The 1115th and last German V-2 rocket to reach England lands thirteen miles south-east of Stepney, in Orpington, killing one and injuring about 70. Germany launched a total of 1403 rockets at England, of which 1054 exploded on the ground, killing 2754, seriously injuring 6523.
  • 1945 - Argentina declares war on Germany.
  • 1945 - US 20th Army corps captures Wiesbaden.
  • 1946 - Birth of Carl Weintraub; actor (Harry - Executive Suite).
  • 1947 - Birth of Daphne Todd; president (Royal Society of Portrait Painters).
  • 1947 - Birth of Tom Sullivan in Boston, Massachusetts, USA; blind actor (If You Could See What I Hear).
  • 1947 - Charles Smith, cricket player (batted for South Africa in 1902-03), dies.
  • 1949 - Birth of Patrick Deuchar; CEO (Albert Hall).
  • 1950 - Birth of Tony Banks in East Heathly, Sussex, England; rock keyboardist (Genesis - "Invisible Touch", "Misunderstanding").
  • 1950 - Netherlands recognizes People's Republic of China.
  • 1951 - 13th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Kentucky beats Kansas 68-58.
  • 1951 - Birth of Bobby Lalonde; NHL player (Boston Bruins).
  • 1952 - Birth of Chick Vennera in Herkimer, New York, USA; actor (High Risk, Milagro Beanfield War).
  • 1952 - Birth of Maria Schneider in Paris, France; actress (Last Tango in Paris, Crime of Honor).
  • 1952 - Birth of Rocky Maffit; rocker (Champaign).
  • 1952 - Failed assassination attempt of German Chancellor Adenauer.
  • 1953 - 21 die in a train crash in Conneaut, Ohio, USA.
  • 1953 - Birth of Annemarie Moser-Pröll in Austria; downhill skier (Olympics-gold-1980).
  • 1953 - Birth of Pamela Roylance in Seattle, Washington, USA; actress (Sarah - Little House on the Prairie).
  • 1953 - In Denmark, the Act of Succession gives right of succession to Danish throne to women.
  • 1955 - CBS airs the last Father Knows Best 30-minute comedy TV show.
  • 1955 - 9th Tony Awards: Desperate Hours and Pajama Game win.
  • 1955 - Steve McQueen makes his network TV debut on Goodyear Playhouse.
  • 1956 - Birth of Brian Kelly; Canadian Football League wide receiver (Edmonton Eskimos).
  • 1956 - Birth of Thomas Wassberg in Sweden, 15km/50km cross country skier (Olympics-gold-1980).
  • 1956 - Frans Beelaerts van Blokland, minister of Foreign affairs, dies at age 84.
  • 1956 - French commandos land in Algeria.
  • 1956 - US seizes American communist newspaper Daily Worker.
  • 1957 - 29th Academy Awards: Around World in 80 Days, Yul Brynner, and Ingrid Bergman win.
  • 1957 - Birth of Billy MacKenzie; rock vocalist (The Associates - "Affectionate Punch").
  • 1957 - Birth of Duncan Goodhew in England; 100 metre breast stroke swimmer (Olympics-Gold-1980).
  • 1957 - Birth of Nicholas Hawkins; British Member of Parliament.
  • 1958 - Birth of Bart Connor; gymnast/sportscaster (Olympics-gold-1984).
  • 1958 - Birth of Michael O'Leary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; actor (Guiding Light, Fatal Games).
  • 1958 - Birth of Shaun Cassidy; rocker/actor (Hardy Boys, Texas Guns).
  • 1958 - Birth of Susan Molinari; American politician (Representative-Republican-New York).
  • 1958 - CBS Labs announces new stereophonic records.
  • 1958 - Nikita Khrushchev becomes Soviet premier and first Secretary of Communist Party.
  • 1959 - Grant Withers, actor (Oklahoma Annie), dies of suicide with sleeping pills at age 54.
  • 1960 - Birth of Jennifer Grey, Joel Grey's daughter; actress (Dirty Dancing).
  • 1960 - Birth of Steve Jarvin; Australian soling yachter (Olympics-1996).
  • 1960 - Wiffi Smith wins LPGA Royal Crown Golf Open.
  • 1961 - Belgian government of Eyskens resigns.
  • 1961 - Failed assassination attempt on King Saif al-Islam Achmad of Yemen.
  • 1961 - Death of Jack Kane of cancer at age 36; bandleader/arranger, musical director (On Stage, The Jackie Rae Show, Summertime '57, Music Makers '58, Music Makers '59, Music '60 Presents the Jack Kane Hour, Steve and Eydie, Andy Williams Show).
  • 1962 - Archbishop Rummel ends race segregation in New Orlean Catholic school.
  • 1962 - Jacques Plante ties record winning 6th NHL Vezina trophy.
  • 1963 - Birth of Ed Pinckney; NBA forward (Philadelphia 76ers).
  • 1963 - Birth of Quentin Tarantino; director/screenwriter (Pulp Fiction).
  • 1963 - Birth of Randall Cunningham; NFL quarterback (Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings).
  • 1963 - Birth of Todd Graves in Laurel, Mississippi, USA; skeet (Olympics-1992, 1996).
  • 1963 - Birth of Xuxa [Maria da Graca Meneghel] in Brazil; actress (Xuxa Park).
  • 1964 - Birth of Clark Datchler; vocalist (Johnny Hates Jazz - "Shattered Dreams").
  • 1964 - Earthquake strikes Anchorage, Alaska, USA, 9.2 on Richter scale, 131 die from earthquake and resulting tsunami; this is the most violent earthquake in US history.
  • 1964 - Great Train Robbers sentenced to a total of 307 years behind bars.
  • 1964 - United Nations' troops arrive on Cyprus.
  • 1966 - Anti-Vietnam war demonstrations in US, Europe and Australia.
  • 1966 - Birth of Kate Donahoo in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; American judoka (Olympics-1992).
  • 1966 - Marilynn Smith wins LPGA Louise Suggs Delray Beach Golf Invitational.
  • 1966 - The Jules Rimet trophy (World Cup), stolen March 20, is found by a dog in South Norwood, England.
  • 1966 - Mien Labberton, Dutch poet, dies at age 82.
  • 1967 - Birth of Jaime Navarro in Bayamon Puerto Rico; pitcher (Chicago Cubs).
  • 1967 - Birth of Talisa Soto [Miriam] in Brooklyn, New York, USA; actress (License to Kill).
  • 1967 - Birth of Tom Hammonds; NBA forward (Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets).
  • 1967 - Gerardus H de Vet the Bold, bishop of Breda (1962-67), dies at age 49.
  • 1968 - Birth of Irina Belova; Russian pentathlete (world record 1992).
  • 1968 - Suharto succeeds Sukarno as President of Indonesia.
  • 1968 - Yuri Gagarin, first man to orbit Earth, dies in plane crash at age 34.
  • 1969 - Birth of Tom Beer; NFL running back (Detroit Lions).
  • 1969 - Black Academy of Arts and Letters forms in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
  • 1969 - Launch of Mariner 7.
  • 1970 - Birth of Anthony Prior; NFL cornerback/safety (New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings).
  • 1970 - Birth of Corey Page; actor (Richard Wilkins - Loving, City).
  • 1970 - Birth of Ed Philion; NFL nose tackle (Buffalo Bills).
  • 1970 - Birth of Mariah Carey in New York City, New York, USA; singer ("Vision of Love", "Love Takes Time", "Hero").
  • 1970 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk.
  • 1971 - 33rd NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: UCLA beats Villanova 68-62; this is UCLA's 5th consecutive NCAA basketball title.
  • 1972 - Adolph Rupp retires after 42 years of coaching University of Kentucky.
  • 1972 - Birth of Kirby Dar Dar; wide receiver (Miami Dolphins).
  • 1972 - Maurits C Escher, Dutch lithograph carver (Praedestinatie), dies at age 73.
  • 1972 - Venera 8 launched to Venus.
  • 1973 - 45th Academy Awards: The Godfather, Marlon Brando and Liza Minnelli win. Marlon Brando turns down Oscar for best actor in support of Indians.
  • 1973 - Birth of Serge Tremblay in La Malbaie, Québec, Canada; weightlifter (Olympics-1996).
  • 1973 - Dennis Amiss out for 99 versus Pakistan, third 99 in Test Cricket.
  • 1974 - Birth of Rosanna Gimenez; Miss Paraguay-Universe (1997).
  • 1975 - Arthur Bliss, English composer/conductor (Checkmate), dies at age 83.
  • 1975 - Birth of B J Gallis; Canadian Football League linebacker (British Columbia Lions).
  • 1975 - Birth of Gregory DuBois; hockey defenseman (Team France 1998).
  • 1975 - Gertrude Niesen, actress (Start Cheering), dies at age 63.
  • 1975 - Construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System begins.
  • 1976 - Birth of Danny Fortson; NBA forward (Denver Nuggets).
  • 1976 - Birth of Roberta Alma Anastase; Miss Romania-Universe (1996).
  • 1976 - Delta States beat Immaculata, 69-64, for AIWA basketball title.
  • 1976 - The first 4.6 miles of the Washington D.C. Metro subway system opens.
  • 1977 - 583 people die in Los Rodeos, Tenerife, Spain, after two Boeing 747s collide - one Pan Am, one KLM.
  • 1977 - Birth of Tom van der Leegte; Dutch soccer player (PSV).
  • 1977 - Diana Hyland, actress (Peyton Place, Eight is Enough), dies at age 41.
  • 1977 - Eve Meyer [Turner], actress (Immoral Mr Teas), dies in a plane crash at age 46.
  • 1977 - Sandra Palmer wins LPGA Kathryn Crosby/Honda Civic Golf Classic.
  • 1978 - 40th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Kentucky beats Duke 94-88.
  • 1978 - Bob Fosse's Dancin' opens at Broadhurst Theater in New York City for 1,774 performances.
  • 1978 - Wilfred Pickles, actor (Billy Liar, Gay Dog), dies at age 73.
  • 1979 - Ronald Adam, actor (Phantom Shot), dies at age 82.
  • 1979 - US Supreme Court rules 8-1 that police can't randomly stop cars.
  • 1980 - Elevator in Vaal Reef, South Africa gold mine crashs 1900 metres down (23 die).
  • 1980 - Mount Saint Helens in Washington state becomes active after 123 years.
  • 1980 - The Norwegian offshore oil-drilling platform Alexander L Kielland collapses in rough weather in the North Sea, killing 123 of its crew of 212.
  • 1981 - Birth of Terry McFlynn; Irish football player.
  • 1982 - Randy Holt sets Washington Capitals' record of 34 penalty minutes.
  • 1982 - Imran takes 14-116 for cricket match versus Sri Lanka at Lahore.
  • 1983 - Larry Holmes beats Lucien Rodriguez in 12 rounds for heavyweight boxing title.
  • 1983 - Death of Elsie Eaves, American civil engineer, George Norlin Silver Medal from the University of Colorado (born 1898).
  • 1983 - Birth of Shawntinice Polk; American basketball player (dies 2005).
  • 1983 - James Hayter, actor (Pickwick Papers, Trio, Great Game), dies at age 75.
  • 1984 - Birth of Emily Ann Lloyd; actress (Sarah Kramer - Something So Right).
  • 1984 - Birth of J P Steur; actor (Grace Under Fire).
  • 1984 - Near the north coast of New Guinea, Papua New Guinea, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake occurs.
  • 1985 - Billy Dee Williams receives a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame.
  • 1986 - Birth of Valerie "So Cal Val" Wyndham; American professional wrestling valet.
  • 1986 - Birth of Melissa Stern aka "Baby M" aka Sara Whitehead, surrogate baby, awarded to her dad William Stern.
  • 1986 - Cass Canfield, US publisher, dies at age 88.
  • 1986 - A car bomb explodes at Russell Street Police headquarters in Melbourne, Australia, killing a police officer.
  • 1987 - Lloyd Goodrich, American Arts Museum director, dies at age 90.
  • 1987 - President Habré's troops reconquer Faya Largeau, Chad.
  • 1987 - The ABC TV network airs the last episode of the Disney TV show Harry.
  • 1988 - Birth of Kerri Ann Darling; actress (Alli Fowler - Another World).
  • 1988 - Ok-Hee Ku wins Standard Register Turquoise Classic Golf Tournament.
  • 1988 - World Ice Dance Championship in Budapest won by Bestemianova and Bukin (USSR).
  • 1988 - World Ice Pairs Figure Skating Championship in Budapest won by E Valova and O Vasiliev (USSR).
  • 1988 - World Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Budapest won by Katarina Witt (German Democratic Republic).
  • 1988 - World Men's Figure Skating Championship in Budapest won by Brian Boitano (USA).
  • 1989 - NBC-TV debuts the soap opera Generations.
  • 1989 - Delhi beats Bengal by innings and 210 to win Cricket's Ranji Trophy.
  • 1989 - May Allison, actress (Youth for Salem Men of Steel), dies.
  • 1989 - The first free elections for the Soviet parliament go against the Communist Party; Boris Yeltsin wins.
  • 1989 - Sports Illustrated magazine exposes baseball player Pete Rose's gambling activities. The article alleges 'Charlie Hustle' bet from the Riverfront dugout using hand gestures with an associate.
  • 1990 - Bus accidentally touches high voltage wire in Karagpur, India; 21 die.
  • 1990 - New South Wales beats Queensland by 345 runs to win Sheffield Shield Final.
  • 1990 - The United States begins broadcasting TV Martí to Cuba.
  • 1991 - Aldo Ray, western actor (Battle Cry), dies of cancer at age 64.
  • 1991 - Leueen McGrath, actress (Edward My Son, Saint's Vacation), dies at age 77.
  • 1991 - NCAA bans University of Minnesota football team from postseason play in 1992.
  • 1991 - Ralph Bates, British actor (Persecution, Graveyard), dies at age 50.
  • 1991 - Scotty Bowman and Neil Armstrong elected to NHL Hall of Fame.
  • 1992 - Anita Colby, US model/actress/author (Pepsi Coke), dies at age 77.
  • 1992 - Easley Blackwood, expert bridge player, dies at age 89.
  • 1992 - James E Webb, head of NASA (1961-68), dies at age 84.
  • 1992 - Martin Engelman, Dutch cartoonist/painter/graphic artist, dies.
  • 1993 - Carlos Gimenez, director (Theater Festival of Caracas), dies at age 47.
  • 1993 - Death of Kate Reid at age 62 of brain cancer; actress (Queen Victoria - Disraeli (1963), The Whiteoaks of Jalna, Gavilan, Morningstar, Eveningstar, Lil - Dallas).
  • 1993 - Wilhelmus M J Russell, Dutch Member of Parliament (KVP, CDA), dies at age 74.
  • 1993 - Jiang Zemin becomes President of the People's Republic of China.
  • 1994 - 23rd Nabisco Dinah Shore Golf Championship won by Donna Andrews.
  • 1994 - The biggest tornado outbreak in 1994 occurs in the southeastern United States. One tornado hits a United Methodist Church in Piedmont, Alabama, killing 22.
  • 1994 - Dennis Hartas, flier, dies at age 69.
  • 1994 - World Ice Dance Championship in Chiba Japan won by Gritschuk and Platov (Russia).
  • 1994 - World Ice Pairs Figure Skating Championship in Chiba won by Shishkova/Vadim Naumov (Russia).
  • 1994 - World Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Chiba won by Yuka Sato (Japan).
  • 1994 - World Men's Figure Skating Championship in Chiba won by Elvis Stojko (Canada).
  • 1994 - In Manching, Germany, the twin-engine Eurofighter first flies.
  • 1995 - 67th Academy Awards: Forest Gump, Tom Hanks and Jessica Lange win.
  • 1995 - Bernard Cornfeld, Romanian/US financier (Fund of Funds), dies at age 67.
  • 1996 - Because of BSE (mad cow disease) the European Commission stops the import of British beef.
  • 1997 - Martin Luther King's son meets with James Earl Ray.
  • 1997 - Birth of Princess Aisha of Jordan.
  • 1997 - Birth of Princess Sara of Jordan.
  • 1998 - The US Food and Drug Administration approves Viagra for use as a treatment for male sexual impotence, the first pill to be approved for this condition in the United States.
  • 1999 - Kosovo War: A U.S. F-117 Nighthawk is shot down by Serbian forces.
  • 2002 - Death of Milton "Mr. Television" Berle of colon cancer at age 92; American comedian and actor (Texaco Star Theater, Emmy Award 1948, Television Hall of Fame 1984).
  • 2002 - Death of Dudley Moore, British pianist, comedian, and actor (Arthur) (born 1935).
  • 2002 - Death of Billy Wilder, Austrian-born film screenwriter and director (born 1906).
  • 2002 - A suicide bomber kills 28 people in Netanya, Israel.
  • 2004 - HMS Scylla, a decommissioned Leander frigate, is sunk as an artificial reef off Cornwall, the first of its kind in Europe.
  • 2005 - Birth of Countess Luana of Orange-Nassau, Jonkvrouwe van Amsberg.
  • 2007 - Prime Minister of Latvia Aigars Kalvitis and Prime Minister of Russia Mikhail Fradkov finally signs a border treaty between Latvia and Russia.
  • 2008 - Terminal 5 opens at Heathrow airport in London, England.
  • 2008 - Death of Jean-Marie Balestre, French sports executive (born 1921).
  • 2009 - A dam bursts near Jakarta, Indonesia, killing at least 58 people, engulfing hundreds of homes.
  • 2009 - The International Olympic Committee decides to eliminate international torch relays ahead of future Olympic Games, due to protests held during previous Olympic torch relays.
  • 2009 - A bomb explodes at a mosque near Jamrud in north-west Pakistan, killing at least 50 people.
  • 2009 - Death of Jack Dreyfus, American investment innovator, the "Lion on Wall Street" at age 95 in New York.
  • 2010 - Death of Vasily Smyslov, Soviet-Russian chess grandmaster (born 1921).
  • 2013 - Canada becomes the first country to withdraw from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.
  • 2014 - The United Nations General Assembly passes Resolution 68/262, recognizing Crimea within Ukraine's international borders and rejecting the validity of the 2014 Crimean referendum.
  • 2016 - Suicide bombing in Lahore, Pakistan, killing 74, injuring over 300.
  • 2016 - Syrian government forces recapture Palmyra from Daesh.
  • 2020 - The NASA orbiting telescope Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer discovers comet NEOWISE over the northern hemisphere.
  • 2020 - North Macedonia becomes the 30th country to join NATO.
  • 2020 - Death of Hamed Karoui, 7th Prime Minister of Tunisia (born 1927).
  • 2022 - At the Academy Awards ceremony, host Chris Rock makes a joke about Will Smith's wife, and Smith walks up to Rock and strikes his face hard.
  • 2022 - Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science awards ceremony.
    • Best Supporting Actress: Ariane DeBose for West Side Story,
    • Best Supporting Actor: Troy Kotsur for Coda,
    • Best Actress: Jessica Chastain,
    • Best Picture: CODA,
    • Best Original Song: "No Time to Die" by Billie Eilish and Finneas,
    • Best Short Film (Live Action): The Long Goodbye, by Riz Ahmed,
    • Best Original Screenplay: Kenneth Branagh,
    • Best Documentary Feature: Questlove,
    • Best Adapted Screenplay: Sian heder.

  • 2022 - Princess Cruises' Discovery Princess cruise ship begins its inaugural cruise, departing the World Cruise Center, Port of Los Angeles, California, sailing a 7-night voyage to the Mexican Riviera.
  • 2022 - Death of Martin Pope at age 103; physical chemist (OLED displays).
  • 2023 - Near Nashville, Tennessee, Audrey Elizabeth Hale kills six people in Covenant School.

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