Today In History

27th May 1883:  Clouds pouring from the volcano on Krakatoa (aka Krakatau or Rakata) in south western Indonesia during the early stages of the eruption which eventually destroyed most of the island.  Royal Society Report on Krakatoa Eruption - pub. 1888 Lithograph  - Parker & Coward  (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
27th May 1883: Clouds pouring from the volcano on Krakatoa (aka Krakatau or Rakata) in south western Indonesia during the early stages of the eruption which eventually destroyed most of the island. Royal Society Report on Krakatoa Eruption – pub. 1888 Lithograph – Parker & Coward (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Associated Press

On Aug. 27, 1908, Lyndon Baines Johnson, the 36th president of the United States, was born near Stonewall, Texas.

On this date in:
1770- German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel was born in Stuttgart.
1859- Edwin L. Drake drilled the first successful U.S. oil well near Titusville, Pa.
1883- The island volcano Krakatoa erupted and the resulting tidal waves claimed some 36,000 lives on the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra.
1928- The Kellogg-Briand Pact was signed in Paris, outlawing war and providing for the peaceful settlement of disputes.
1945- American troops began landing in Japan following the surrender of the Japanese government in World War II.
1962- The United States launched the Mariner 2 space probe, which flew past Venus the following December.
1967- The Beatles’ manager, Brian Epstein, was found dead from an overdose of sleeping pills.
1975- Haile Selassie, the last emperor of Ethiopia’s 3,000-year-old monarchy, died in Addis Ababa almost a year after being overthrown.
1979- British war hero Lord Louis Mountbatten was killed off the coast of Ireland in a boat explosion; the Irish Republican Army claimed responsibility.
2007- Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick pleaded guilty in Richmond, Va., to a federal dogfighting charge.
2008- Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois was nominated for president by the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Today’s Birthdays:
Former U.S. Sen. Bob Kerrey, D-Neb., turns 72 years old today.
Daryl Dragon, Musician (The Captain and Tennille), 73
Tuesday Weld, Actress, 72
Paul Reubens, Actor (“Pee-Wee’s Playhouse”), 63
Alex Lifeson, Rock musician (Rush), 62
Yolanda Adams, Gospel singer, 54
Chandra Wilson, Actress (“Grey’s Anatomy”), 46
Tony Kanal, Rock musician (No Doubt), 45
Jim Thome, Baseball player, 45
Alexa Vega, Actress (“Spy Kids” films), 27
Actress Sarah Chalke (“Scrubs”) turns 39 years old today.

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