March 27th Major News Events

1945 U.S.A. Ella Fitzgerald

1945 : Jazz great Ella Fitzgerald and the Delta Rhythm Boys record the smash hit "It's Only a Paper Moon." Since then, it has become a popular standard for both jazz artists and pop music artists.

1955 U.S.A. Niagara Falls

1955 : A demolition crew using helicopters blasted ice in Niagara Falls. This was considered a fruitless attempt to break up the ice that has caused destruction along the shores of this body of the Niagara River.

1958 Soviet Union Nikita Khrushchev

1958 : Nikita Khrushchev becomes the Premier of the Soviet Union today.

1962 U.S.A. Segregation

1962 : Archbishop Joseph Francis Rummel of Louisiana, called for all Roman Catholic schools in the city of New Orleans to end their segregation policies.

1963 England 1st Beeching Report

1963 : The chairman of the British Transport Commission, Dr Richard Beeching, says nearly 1/4 of British Rail stations and track need to be closed to make the British Rail Network Viable, this equates to over 2,000 stations and 250 train services which could be withdrawn immediately on economic grounds. The outcome of his first report and a second report in 1965 led to the loss of 2,128 stations closed and many branch lines leading to the loss of 67,700 jobs.

1966 U.S.A. Indira Gandhi

1966 : Following her election as Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi arrives in the U.S. for a meeting with President Johnson.

1967 Indonesia Communist Party

1967 : At least one print publication revealed Indonesia’s decision towards Communist rule in this country. One decision made by the Indonesian parliament on the day before was to not allow former members of the Indonesian Communist Party to run for government office.

1968 Soviet Union Yuri Gagarin

1968 : Yuri Gagarin, the famous Russian cosmonaut who flew the world's first manned space mission, died during a training flight.

1972 Northern Ireland Factory Workers Strike

1972 : Thousands of office and factory workers left their jobs. This action was done in retaliation of British government takeover.

1977 Canary Islands Jumbo Jets Collide

1977 : Two 747 jumbo jets a KLM Boeing 747, attempting to take off, crashed into a Pan Am 747 on the runway at an airport in the Canary Islands, killing 582 passengers and crew members.

1980 U.K. Alexander Kielland Platform

1980 : The Alexander Kielland platform 230 miles off shore from Dundee in Scotland is hit by a giant wave which causes one of the legs supporting it to give way, the platform then capsized throwing those trying to get off into the cold North Sea. RAF and Norwegian helicopters along with any shipping close to the accident have been asked to help with the rescue. The current stormy weather conditions are making rescue difficult and the bitter cold sea combined with the stormy conditions left 123 dead.

1987 U.S.A. Radon Gas

1987 : Radon gas caused a serious health threat in Montgomery County. This case was found in several homes, and it was suspected to be the cause of up to 50 deaths every year.

1990 U.K. Robert Runchie

1990 : The Most Reverend Robert Runchie’s plans to retired were made public in a newspaper. As of the following January, he had plans to step down from his position as Archbishop of Canterbury. He had served in this position for ten years.

1994 U.K. European Fighter Aircraft "Eurofighter"

1994 : The European Fighter Aircraft "Eurofighter" has makes its inaugural test flight. The joint venture plans for the Eurofighter were first conceived in 1983 and is a joint venture between British Aerospace Defence, Dasa in Germany, Alenia in Italy. Casa in Spain. The aircraft which achieves Mach 2 with an expected speed of 1,370mph entered production in 2003 as the Eurofighter Typhoon with 137 so far sold and in use in Royal Air Force, Luftwaffe, Aeronautica Militare, Italiana, Ejército del Aire. Additional orders from Austria and Saudi Arabia have followed.

2002 U.S.A. War Vets Return

2002 : Veterans who were at war had just returned. A news publication dated this date in 2002 briefly described the details of this homecoming that took place the day before. Tears of relief and/or happiness, a marriage proposal, and shouts of joy were part of the uplifting actions that had taken place. A large number of the military crew that just returned after six-month service aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt had served the country after the 9/11/2001 terrorist attack.

2006 U.S.A. Zacarias Moussaoui

2006 : Al-Qaeda conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui a French citizen of Moroccan descent claimed in his trial that he was supposed to hijack a fifth airplane on Sept. 11, 2001, and fly it into the White House but it is unclear if he was telling the truth or seeking publicity. He was convicted of conspiring to kill Americans as part of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and is serving a life sentence at the Federal ADX Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado.

2008 Internet Fitna is published online

2008 : Dutch politician Geert Wilders released his anti-Islam film Fitna on LiveLeak. The film along with several articles that he wrote prompted Wilders to be charged with inciting hate.

2010 United States Credit Card Hacker Sentenced to 20 Years

2010 : A self-taught computer hacker that stole data from millions of credit-card holders and cost businesses hundreds of millions of dollars was sentenced Friday to twenty years and one day in prison. This is the stiffest sentence ever handed down in a hacking case. The sentencing in Boston has wrapped up the cases against Albert Gonzalez, a 28-year-old college dropout and onetime Secret Service informant, in what the prosecutors called one of the largest and most costly computer crimes in U.S. history.

2012 German Airports Cancel Flights Due to Strikes

2012 : A strike among ground staff at German airports disrupted travel for many as hundreds of flights were cancelled in the country. The strike was over a dispute about pay, with workers demanding a pay rise. The strike also included public transport workers, hospitals, local government, and nursery schools.

2013 Singer Files for Bankruptcy

2013 : Singer Dionne Warwick filed for bankruptcy in the United States. The singer had build up debts of nearly ten million dollars in taxes.

2014 US Nuclear Commanders Fired

2014 : Nine mid-level nuclear commanders were fired from the US Air Force after they were implicated in a test cheating scandal. Several others who were reportedly involved in the scandal were being disciplined. A senior official, Colonel Robert Stanley was allowed to resign. The officers were involved in cheating on required monthly tests for nuclear missile officers.