October 27th Major News Events

27 Oct, 1940 U.S.A. World's Fair

1940 : World's Fair in New York ended with a final day attendance record of 537,952.

27 Oct, 1960 U.S.A. Martin Luther King Jr

1960 : Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was released from the Georgia State Prison following a direct intervention from Robert F. Kennedy who had question his constitutional right to bail, while pending appeal of a traffic conviction.

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27 Oct, 1962 Cuba U-2 Airplane Shot Down

1962 : Rudolf Anderson, Jr is shot down over Cuba while flying a U-2 reconnaissance plane by a Soviet-supplied S-75 Dvina surface-to-air missile during The Cuban Missile Crisis.

27 Oct, 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis Ends

1962 : After much posturing by both sides and the world living in fear of a Nuclear Holocaust the United States and the Soviet Union agree to a plan to end the two-week-old Cuban Missile Crisis.

27 Oct, 1964 U.S.A. Aircrash

1964 : A twin-engine A3D bomber crashed into a group of buildings at El Centro Naval Air Facility in California, during a Navy Day air show killing nine and leaving many more injured.

27 Oct, 1964 Great Britain Rhodesia

1964 : Britain has told Rhodesia it will be guilty of treason and banished from the Commonwealth if it declares itself independent. Prime Minister Harold Wilson has told Prime Minister Ian Smith that free elections of the entire population who are of voting age be allowed to select the Government before Great Britain would grant independence. Currently only white voters have been allowed to vote allowing white only rule in Rhodesia.

27 Oct, 1968 Vietnam War Protesters

October 27th, 1968 : 6,000 Vietnam Anti-War protesters clash with police outside the United States Embassy at Grosvenor Square, London. These protesters were a small part of a much larger peaceful march against US involvement in Vietnam.

27 Oct, 1970 U.S.A. Controlled Substance Act

1970 : Controlled Substance Act becomes law which class Cannabis, marijuana, heroin and LSD among many others as schedule I drugs. Schedule I drugs are (A) drug or other substance has high potential for abuse (B) The drug or other substance has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.

27 Oct, 1971 Democratic Republic of the Congo

October 27th, 1971 : Democratic Republic of the Congo is renamed Zaire.

27 Oct, 1992 U.S.A. Allen R. Schindler, Jr

1992 : United States Navy radioman Allen R. Schindler, Jr. is murdered by a shipmate and is a victim of a hate crime due to his being gay. He was a radioman on the amphibious assault ship USS Belleau Wood and murdered by shipmate Airman Apprentice Terry M. Helvey who stomped Schindler to death in a toilet in a park in Sasebo, Nagasaki. The murder created national debate about gays in the military that resulted in the United States "Don't ask, don't tell" military policy which means that as long as gay or bisexual men and women in the military hide their sexual orientation, commanders are not allowed to investigate their sexuality.

27 Oct, 1997 Dow Drops 323.42 Points

October 27th, 1997 : News of a 6 percent decline on the Hong Kong index had spread to Wall Street and by 2 P.M. the Dow had dropped 323.42 points. Wall Street closes after invoking the so-called "circuit-breaker rules." which had been passed following the 1987 crash, to provide a cooling off period for when the market appears to be in freefall. When the exchange re-opened the next day sentiments had changed and the market rebounded.

27 Oct, 1999 Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan Murdered

1999 : Gunmen headed by journalist Nairi Hunanyan took over the Armenian parliament building opening fire and killing Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan, Parliament Chairman Karen Demirchyan, and 6 other members. Armenia is a former republic of the Soviet Union.

27 Oct, 2005 France Riots In Paris

October 27th, 2005 : Following the accidental death of two Muslim teenagers, Zyed Benna and Bouna Traoré who tried to hide from police who were chasing them in a power substation where they were electrocuted. Riots break out in poor areas of Paris followed by other riots and unrest in other poor housing projects in a number of cities in various parts of France. The rioting continued for the next ten days and on 10th November President Jacques Chirac declared a state of emergency effective at midnight. Riots did still continue for the next few days but by late November the rioting had ended with the arrest of more than 2,500 rioters and nearly 8,000 vehicles destroyed during the 20 days of rioting.

27 Oct, 2007 Air France Strike

2007 : A strike by Air France cabin crews over pay and conditions halts long haul flights by Air France with tens of thousands of passengers left stranded.

27 Oct, 2008 US Senator Stevens

October 27th, 2008 : US Alaskan Senator Stevens found guilty of lying about gifts worth $250,000 he received from the oil company Veco.

27 Oct, 2008 United States Child Prostitute Rings

2008 : The FBI working with local law enforcement has arrested 642 in 29 cities in the United States in a crackdown on Child prostitute rings, rescuing 47 children ranging in age from 13 to 17.

27 Oct, 2012 Germany Famous Composer Dies

October 27th, 2012 : Hans Werner Henze, a celebrated composer of the late 20th century, died at the age of eighty-six in Dresden. Henze had been known for his work on operas, ballets, and ten symphonies.

27 Oct, 2013 Singer Lou Reed Dies

2013 : Singer and song-writer Lou Reed died at the aged of seventy-one. Reed was known for fronting the band The Velvet Underground. His death was caused by a liver-related illness. Reed had previously had a liver transplant and was known for heavy alcohol and drug use.