TODAY IN HISTORY
On Feb. 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 lasted until the following May.)
Also on this date
In 1933, Germany’s parliament building, the Reichstag, was gutted by fire; Chancellor Adolf Hitler, blaming the Communists, used the fire to justify suspending civil liberties.
In 1939, the Supreme Court, in National Labor Relations Board v. Fansteel Metallurgical Corp., effectively outlawed sit-down strikes.
In 1942, during World War II, the Battle of the Java Sea began; Japanese naval forces scored a decisive victory over the Allies.
In 1951, the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, limiting a president to two terms of office, was ratified.
In 1991, Operation Desert Storm came to a conclusion as President George H.W. Bush declared that “Kuwait is liberated, Iraq’s army is defeated,” and announced that the allies would suspend combat operations at midnight, Eastern time.
In 1998, with the approval of Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s House of Lords agreed to end 1,000 years of male preference by giving a monarch’s first-born daughter the same claim to the throne as any first-born son.
In 2006, former Newark Eagles co-owner Effa Manley became the first woman elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
In 2020, U.S. stocks posted their worst one-day drop since 2011, amid growing anxiety about the coronavirus. President Donald Trump declared that a widespread U.S. outbreak of the virus was not inevitable, even as top health authorities at his side warned that more infections were coming.
Ten years ago: President Barack Obama unveiled a statue of civil rights icon Rosa Parks at the U.S. Capitol.
Five years ago: It was revealed that security clearance of White House senior adviser and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner had been downgraded, significantly reducing his access to classified information. (Kushner’s status was restored in May after the completion of his background check.)
One year ago: President Vladimir Putin dramatically escalated EastWest tensions by ordering Russian nuclear forces put on high alert, while Ukraine’s embattled leader agreed to talks with Moscow as Putin’s troops and tanks drove deeper into the country.