Today in History: August 27, Krakatoa erupts

Today in History

Today is Saturday, Aug. 27, the 239th day of 2022. There are 126 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On Aug. 27, 1883, the island volcano Krakatoa erupted with a series of cataclysmic explosions; the resulting tidal waves in Indonesia’s Sunda Strait claimed some 36,000 lives in Java and Sumatra.

On this date:

In 1776, the Battle of Long Island began during the Revolutionary War as British troops attacked American forces who ended up being forced to retreat two days later.

In 1894, Congress passed the Wilson-Gorman Tariff Act, which contained a provision for a graduated income tax that was later struck down by the Supreme Court.

In 1939, the first turbojet-powered aircraft, the Heinkel He 178, went on its first full-fledged test flight over Germany.

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.)

In 1967, Brian Epstein, manager of the Beatles, was found dead in his London flat from an accidental overdose of sleeping pills; he was 32.

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.

In 1998, two suspects in the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Kenya were brought to the United States to face charges. (Mohamed Rashed Daoud al-‘Owhali (moh-HAH’-mehd rah-SHEED’ dah-ood ahl-oh-WAHL’-ee) and Mohammed Saddiq Odeh (sah-DEEK’ oh-DAY’) were convicted in 2001 of conspiring to carry out the bombing; both were sentenced to life in prison.)

In 2001, Israeli helicopters fired a pair of rockets through office windows and killed senior PLO leader Mustafa Zibri.

In 2004, President George W. Bush signed executive orders designed to strengthen the CIA director’s power over the nation’s intelligence agencies and create a national counterterrorism center.

In 2005, 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.

In 2008, Barack Obama was nominated for president by the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

In 2020, speaking on the White House South Lawn, President Donald Trump accepted his party’s renomination, blasting Joe Biden as a hapless career politician who would endanger Americans’ safety and painting a grim portrait of violence in American cities run by Democrats; Trump spoke for more than a hour to a tightly-packed and largely maskless crowd. Hurricane Laura roared ashore as a Category 4 storm near Cameron, Louisiana, bringing 150 mile-an-hour winds, torrential rains and a storm surge as high as 15 feet; the storm, one of the strongest ever to strike the U.S., would leave more than 20 people dead in Louisiana and Texas.

Ten years ago: Republicans opened their national convention in Tampa, Florida, a day late, then immediately recessed as Tropical Storm Isaac surged toward New Orleans and the northern Gulf Coast.

Five years ago: Hurricane Harvey sent devastating floods into Houston, with rising water chasing thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground; streets became rivers navigable only by boat. A rally in Berkeley, California, was disrupted when scores of anarchists wearing black clothing and masks stormed the demonstration and attacked several supporters of President Donald Trump.

One year ago: The United States pressed on with the mammoth evacuation from Afghanistan amid tighter security measures and fears of more bloodshed, a day after a suicide attack at the Kabul airport that killed scores of Afghans and 13 U.S. service members. Sirhan Sirhan, the assassin of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, was granted parole by a California Parole Board panel; the decision, which would divide the Kennedy family, was later overturned by California Gov. Gavin Newsom. The New York Yankees extended their best winning streak in nearly 60 years to 13 games, beating the Oakland Athletics 8-2. (The streak would end the following night.)

Today’s Birthdays: Author Lady Antonia Fraser is 90. Actor Tommy Sands is 85. Actor Tuesday Weld is 79. Actor G.W. Bailey is 78. Actor Marianne Sagebrecht is 77. Country musician Jeff Cook is 73. Actor Paul Reubens is 70. Rock musician Alex Lifeson (Rush) is 69. Actor Peter Stormare is 69. Actor Diana Scarwid is 67. Rock musician Glen Matlock (The Sex Pistols) is 66. Golfer Bernhard Langer is 65. Country singer Jeffrey Steele is 61. Gospel singer Yolanda Adams is 61. Movie director Tom Ford (Film: “Nocturnal Animals”) is 61. Writer-producer Dean Devlin is 60. Rock musician Mike Johnson is 57. Rap musician Bobo (Cypress Hill) is 55. U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines is 53. Country singer Colt Ford is 53. Actor Chandra Wilson is 53. Rock musician Tony Kanal (No Doubt) is 52. Rapper Mase is 47. Actor Sarah Chalke is 46. Actor RonReaco Lee is 46. Actor-singer Demetria McKinney is 44. Actor Aaron Paul is 43. Rock musician Jon Siebels (Eve 6) is 43. Actor Shaun Weiss is 43. Contemporary Christian musician Megan Garrett (Casting Crowns) is 42. Actor Kyle Lowder is 42. Actor Patrick J. Adams is 41. Actor Karla Mosley is 41. Actor Amanda Fuller is 38. Singer Mario is 36. Actor Alexa PenaVega is 34. Actor Ellar Coltrane is 28. U.S. Olympic and WNBA basketball star Breanna Stewart is 28. Actor Savannah Paige Rae is 19.