Today in history: Feb. 27
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.
1807: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
In 1807, poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born in Portland, Maine.
1933: Reichstag
In 1933, Germany’s parliament building, the Reichstag (RYKS’-tahg), was gutted by fire; Chancellor Adolf Hitler, blaming the Communists, used the fire to justify suspending civil liberties.
1973: Wounded Knee
In 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.Â
1991: George H.W. Bush
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.
1998: Queen Elizabeth II
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.
2017: Wilbur Ross
The Senate confirmed billionaire investor Wilbur Ross as commerce secretary by a vote of 72-27.
2020: Stocks
In 2020, U.S. stocks posted their worst one-day drop since 2011, as worldwide markets plummeted amid growing anxiety about the coronavirus; the Dow tumbled nearly 1,200 points.
2021: Johnson & Johnson
The U.S. got a third vaccine to prevent COVID-19, as the Food and Drug Administration cleared a Johnson & Johnson shot that worked with just one dose instead of two.
Today's other top stories include Michigan's presidential primaries, newly released video from the shooting at Joel Osteen's megachurch, and a photographer has accused Taylor Swift's dad of punching him in the face.
The toppled moon lander Odysseus was still beaming back pictures as its nears the final hours of its life.
Israel and Hamas on Tuesday played down chances of an imminent breakthrough in talks for a cease-fire in Gaza, after U.S. President Joe Biden said Israel agreed to pause its offensive during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan if a deal is reached to release some hostages.
Congressional leaders emerged from an "intense" Oval Office meeting with President Joe Biden on Tuesday speaking optimistically about the prospects for avoiding a partial government shutdown, but with new uncertainty about aid for Ukraine and Israel.