March 27

Saturday 27, 2004:

HMS Scylla, a decommissioned Leander frigate, is sunk as an artificial reef off Cornwall, the first of its kind in Europe.

Thursday 27, 2003:

An explosion in the Nitrochimie dynamite factory in Billy-Berclau, France kills 4 people.

Wednesday 27, 2002:

Passover Massacre: A suicide bomber kills 28 people in Netanya, Israel.

Sunday 27, 1994:

One of the biggest tornado outbreaks in recent memory hits the Southeastern United States. One tornado slams into a church in Piedmont, Alabama during Palm Sunday services killing 20 and injuring 90.

Saturday 27, 1993:

Mahamane Ousmane becomes President of Niger.

Tuesday 27, 1990:

Propaganda: The United States begins broadcasting TV Martí to Cuba.

Monday 27, 1989:

Generations, the first American soap opera to have an entire black family in its original core cast, commences telecasts on NBC.

Sunday 27, 1988:

Moudud Ahmed becomes Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

Thursday 27, 1986:

Car bomb explodes at Russell Street Police HQ in Melbourne, killing 1 police officer, Angela Taylor and injuring 21 people.

Thursday 27, 1980:

The Norwegian oil platform Alexander Kielland collapses in the North Sea, killing 123 of its crew of 212.

Sunday 27, 1977:

Tenerife disaster: Two jumbo jets collide on a foggy runway on Tenerife in the Canary Islands, killing 583.

Saturday 27, 1976:

The first 4.6 miles of the Washington, DC subway system is opened.

Thursday 27, 1969:

Mariner 7 is launched.

Friday 27, 1964:

The Good Friday Earthquake, the most powerful earthquake in U.S. history at a magnitude of 9.2 strikes South Central Alaska, killing 125 people and inflicting massive damage to the city of Anchorage.

Wednesday 27, 1963:

Dr Beeching issues a report calling for huge cuts to the United Kingdom's rail network. See Beeching axe.

Thursday 27, 1958:

Nikita Khrushchev becomes Premier of the Soviet Union.

Thursday 27, 1952:

Sun Records begins operations.

Tuesday 27, 1945:

World War II: Operation Starvation, the aerial mining of Japan's ports and waterways begins.

Friday 27, 1942:

World War II: United Kingdom forces raid the U-boat base at St. Nazaire, France.

Sunday 27, 1938:

Britain supports Peter II of Yugoslavia in a coup in Yugoslavia.

Tuesday 27, 1923:

FART construction completed.

Wednesday 27, 1918:

Moldova and Bessarabia join Romania.

Monday 27, 1871:

First international rugby football match, England v. Scotland, played in Edinburgh at Raeburn Place.

Thursday 27, 1851:

First reported case of Europeans seeing Yosemite Valley.

Friday 27, 1846:

Mexican-American War: Siege of Fort Texas.

Sunday 27, 1836:

Antonio López de Santa Anna orders the Mexican army to kill about 400 Texans at Goliad, Texas.

Sunday 27, 1814:

War of 1812: In central Alabama, United States forces under General Andrew Jackson defeat the Creek at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend.

Thursday 27, 1794:

Denmark and Sweden form a neutrality compact.

Wednesday 27, 1782:

Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Thursday 27, 1625:

Charles I becomes King of England and Scotland.

Thursday 27, 1513:

Explorer Juan Ponce de León sights North America (specifically Florida) for the first time, mistaking it for another island.

Saturday 27, 1306:

Robert I of Scotland and Elizabeth de Burgh are crowned king and Queen of the Scots.

More on March, 27

• People Born on March, 27
• They left us on March, 27