This Day Trivia - february 27th

Events

2009 Iraq War President Obama announces, "Let me say this as plainly as I can: By August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end."

2002 Vice President Cheney The New York Times reveals that the previous year Cheney met with Robert J. Allison Jr., the Chairman of Anadarko Petroleum. Cheney's wife Lynne had been a director and significant stockholder of Union Pacific Resources, an energy company that had merged with Anadarko in 2000, and that she received Anadarko stock worth $250,000 to $500,000 from the merger.

1991 Desert Storm Pres. Bush declares Kuwait liberated, Iraq defeated, and the suspension of offensive military operations in the Persian Gulf War.

1987 Pres. Reagan The Tower Commission Reports determines the President is confused an uninformed.

1982 Johnny Carson is arrested for driving while intoxicated, in Beverly Hills.

1982 First $1,000,000 winner of the PBA Earl Anthony after winning a $38,000 prize for the Toledo Trust-PBA National Championship.

1949 First non-stop around-the-world flight Capt. James Gallagher and crew begin their flight which was completed March 2.

1819 The Cherokee Indians cede their land north of Tennessee to the U.S.

1782 American Revolution The British House of Commons resolves against "the further prosecution of offensive war on the continent of North America."

Births

1980 Chelsea Clinton American presidential daughter.

1940 Howard Hesseman American actor. TV: WKRP in Cincinnati (Johnny Fever) and Head of the Class (Mr. Moore).

1937 Barbara Babcock actress. TV: Hill Street Blues (Grace Gardner).

1934 Ralph Nader American consumer activist who didn't like Corvairs.

1932 Elizabeth Taylor English Oscar-winning actress. Film: Lassie Come Home (1943), A Place in the Sun (1951), Butterfield 8 (1960, Oscar), and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966, Oscar).

1930 Joanne Woodward American Oscar and Emmy-winning actress. Film: The Three Faces of Eve (1957, Oscar), and Rachel, Rachel (1968).

1917 John Connally Jr d. 1993 American politician, governor of Texas (1963-68), Pres. Nixon's treasury secretary (1971-72). He was shot while riding with Pres. Kennedy during his assassination (1963).

1910 Joan Bennett d. 1990 American actress. TV: Dark Shadows (Elizabeth/Flora Collins).

1902 John Ernst Steinbeck d. 1968 American Nobel-winning novelist. Writings: The Grapes of Wrath.

1899 Charles Herbert Best d. 1978 Canadian scientist. While working as an undergraduate student, he assisted F.G. Banting in the discovery of insulin (1921). He also introduced the use of heparin to reduce blood clotting during heart surgery.

1891 David Sarnoff d. 1971 Russian-born American radio and TV pioneer, president of RCA (1930-70), and founder of NBC (1926). He started out as a telegraph operator.

1807 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow d. 1882 American poet. Writings: The Courtship of Miles Standish (1858).

280 Constantine I d. 337 Roman Emperor (312-337). In 312 he became the first Roman Emperor to convert to Christianity, after seeing a cross in the heaven bearing the expression "In this sign conquer."

Deaths

2003 Fred M. Rogers b. 1928 American children's entertainer. TV: Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. One of his sweaters is on display at the Smithsonian.

1993 Lillian Gish b. 1896 American actress. Film: Birth of a Nation (1915).

1987 Bill Holman b. 1903 American cartoonist, creator of Smokey Stover (1935).

1958 Harry Cohn b. 1891 American movie executive, founded (1924) Columbia Pictures.

1906 Samuel Pierpont Langley b. 1834 American aviation pioneer, built the first successful heavier-than-air flying machine (1896) and for whom Langley Air Force Base in Virginia is named.

1844 Nicholas Biddle b. 1786 American financier. As president (1822-36) of the Second Bank of U.S., he made it the first effective central bank.