A meteorite exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, injuring over 1,000 people with shattered glass
The superbolide meteor entered Earth's atmosphere undetected and exploded with the force of about 30 Hiroshima bombs. Most injuries came from broken w...
February 27 in History
Significant events that happened on this day.
Historical Events
2013
2010
An earthquake in Chile registered 8.8 magnitude, one of the strongest ever recorded
MajorThe massive quake struck offshore near Maule, killing over 500 people and displacing hundreds of thousands. It was so powerful that scientists calcula...
1991
The Gulf War ended as President George H.W. Bush declared Kuwait liberated from Iraqi occupation
MajorOperation Desert Storm concluded after just 42 days of combat, with coalition forces decisively defeating Iraqi forces. The war began in response to I...
1968
CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite declared the Vietnam War unwinnable, shocking the nation
MajorAfter returning from Vietnam following the Tet Offensive, the most trusted man in America delivered an unprecedented editorial calling the war a stale...
1964
The Italian government asked for help to save the Leaning Tower of Pisa from collapsing
Officials announced that the famous tower was leaning too far and in danger of toppling over. The tower had been tilting since construction began in 1...
1940
Carbon-14 was discovered, later becoming the foundation for radiocarbon dating
Martin Kamen and Sam Ruben discovered the radioactive isotope carbon-14 at the University of California. While initially just a scientific curiosity,...
1933
The Reichstag building in Berlin was set on fire, giving Hitler a pretext to seize emergency powers
MajorThe German parliament building burned under mysterious circumstances, with the Nazis blaming communists. Hitler used the incident to convince Presiden...
1922
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote
In Leser v. Garnett, the Court rejected a challenge claiming that the amendment was unconstitutional. The decision came less than two years after the...
1902
John Steinbeck, author of The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men, was born
The future Nobel Prize winner was born in Salinas, California, the setting for many of his most famous novels. His works would become defining literat...
1897
Marian Anderson, the first African American to perform at the Metropolitan Opera, was born
Born in Philadelphia, Anderson would become one of the most celebrated singers of the 20th century. After being denied the right to perform at Constit...
1879
Saccharin, the first artificial sweetener, was discovered by accident in a chemistry lab
Constantine Fahlberg noticed a sweet taste on his hands after working with coal tar derivatives at Johns Hopkins University. He had forgotten to wash...
1844
The Dominican Republic gained independence from Haiti after 22 years of Haitian rule
Led by Juan Pablo Duarte, Dominicans successfully revolted against Haitian occupation that had begun in 1822. February 27 is celebrated as Dominican I...
1827
The first Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans was held with organized parades and costumes
While Mardi Gras had been celebrated informally for decades, this date marked the first official, organized celebration with masked balls and street p...
1812
Poet Lord Byron gave his first speech in the House of Lords defending textile workers
The romantic poet made his parliamentary debut arguing against the death penalty for Luddites who destroyed industrial machinery. Despite being known...