August 27
1859
Edwin Drake drilled the first successful U.S. oil well near Titusville, Pa.
1883
A massive volcanic eruption on the island of Krakatoa blew up most of the island and resulted in tsunamis that killed over 36,000 people.
1928
The Kellogg-Briand Pact, outlawing war, was signed.
1945
U.S. troops began landing in Japan after Japan’s surrender in World War II.
1962
The U.S. launched the Mariner II space probe.
2003
Mars made its closest approach to earth in 60,000 years.
Birthdays
Lyndon B. Johnson
1908–1973, Lyndon Baines Johnson was born in Stonewall, Tex., on Aug. 27, 1908.
Charles G. Dawes
statesman (1865)
Theodore Dreiser
writer (1871)
Man Ray
photographer, painter, (1890)
C.S. Forester
novelist (1899)
Frank Leahy
football coach (1908)
Tom Ford
fashion designer, film director (1961)