Today in history:
On February 27, 1973, members of the American Indian Movement occupied the hamlet of Wounded Knee in South Dakota, the site of the 1890 massacre of Sioux men, women, and children; the occupation would last more than two months.
Also on this date:
In 1933, the German parliament building, the Reichstag, was destroyed by fire; Chancellor Adolf Hitler, blaming the communists, used the fire to justify the suspension of civil liberties.
In 1942, the Battle of the Java Sea began during World War II; The Imperial Japanese Naval Forces won a decisive victory over the Allies.In 1951, the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, which limits a president to two terms, was ratified.
In 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai issued the Shanghai Communique, a historic joint statement calling for normalization of relations between their countries, at the end of Nixon’s historic visit to China.
In 1991, Operation Desert Storm came to an end when President George HW Bush declared in a speech at the White House that “Kuwait has been liberated, the military of Iraq has been defeated” and announced that the Allies would suspend combat operations at midnight, Eastern Time.
In 1997, Ireland became one of the last countries in the world to legalize divorce. Divorce remains illegal in only two countries: the Philippines and Vatican City.
In 2010, a magnitude 8.8 earthquake and subsequent tsunami killed 525 people in Chile, causing up to $30 billion in damage and a major power outage.
In 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin dramatically escalated tensions between East and West by ordering nuclear weapons to be put on high alert, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky agreed to talks with Moscow as Russian troops and tanks moved deeper into the country.
Today’s Birthdays:
- Actor Joanne Woodward is 96.
- Famer Raymond Barry’s Football Hall is 93.
- Consumer advocate Ralph Nader is 92.
- Broadcast journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault is 84.
- Rock musician Neal Schon (Journey) is 72.
- Actor Timothy Spall is 69.
- Democratic U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire is 68.
- Basketball Hall of Famer James Worthy is 65.
- Actor Noah Emmerich is 61.
- Jockey Kent Desormeaux is 56.
- Singer Chilli (TLC) is 55.
- Football Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez is 50.
- Author Chelsea Clinton is 46.
- Singer Josh Groban is 45.
- Actor Kate Mara is 43.
- Pop singer Ten is 30.
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