Today In History, Aug. 27: Barack Obama
Today is Thursday, August 27.
Today's Highlight in History:
2008: Democratic National Convention
In 2008, Barack Obama was nominated for president by the Democratic National Convention in Denver.
1908: Lyndon Baines Johnson
In 1908, Lyndon Baines Johnson, the 36th president of the United States, was born near Stonewall, Texas.
1928: Kellogg-Briand Pact
In 1928, the Kellogg-Briand Pact was signed in Paris, outlawing war and providing for the peaceful settlement of disputes.
1939: Heinkel He 178
In 1939, the first turbojet-powered aircraft, the Heinkel He 178, went on its first full-fledged test flight over Germany.
1949: Paul Robeson
In 1949, a violent white mob prevented an outdoor concert headlined by Paul Robeson from taking place near Peekskill, New York. (The concert was held eight days later.)
1962: Mariner 2
In 1962, the United States launched the Mariner 2 space probe, which flew past Venus in December 1962.
1965: Le Corbusier
In 1965, influential Swiss-born architect Le Corbusier, 77, died in Cap Martin, France.
1975: Haile Selassie
On August 27, 1975, Haile Selassie, the last emperor of Ethiopia's 3,000-year-old monarchy, died in Addis Ababa at age 83 almost a year after being overthrown.
1979: Louis Mountbatten
In 1979, British war hero Lord Louis Mountbatten and three other people, including his 14-year-old grandson Nicholas, were killed off the coast of Ireland in a boat explosion claimed by the Irish Republican Army.
1989: Marcopolo 1
In 1989, the first U.S. commercial satellite rocket was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida - a Delta booster carrying a British communications satellite, the Marcopolo 1.
2005: Hurricane Katrina
Ten years ago: Coastal residents jammed freeways and gas stations as they rushed to get out of the way of Hurricane Katrina, which was headed toward New Orleans.
2010: Aijalon Gomes
Five years ago: Aijalon Gomes, an American held seven months in North Korea for trespassing, stepped off a plane in his hometown of Boston accompanied by former President Jimmy Carter, who had flown to Pyongyang to negotiate his freedom.
2010: Cuba
Five years ago: Cuba issued a pair of surprising free market decrees, allowing foreign investors to lease government land for at least 99 years and loosening state controls on commerce to let citizens grow and sell their own fruits and vegetables.
2014: Gaza
One year ago: Both Israel's prime minister and Hamas declared victory in the Gaza war, though their competing claims left questions over future terms of their uneasy peace still lingering.
2014: Josh Shaw
One year ago: The University of Southern California suspended cornerback Josh Shaw for 10 games after he confessed to lying to school officials about how he'd sprained his ankles, retracting his story about jumping off a balcony to save his drowning nephew. (Shaw reportedly jumped from the balcony of an apartment following an argument with his girlfriend; he was reinstated after authorities determined no criminal charges would be filed against him.)
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