By The Associated Press

Today in History

Today is Saturday, Feb. 27, the 58th day of 2021. There are 307 days left in the year.

Todayís Highlight in History:

On Feb. 27, 1933, Germanyís parliament building, the Reichstag (RYKSí-tahg), was gutted by fire; Chancellor Adolf Hitler, blaming the Communists, used the fire to justify suspending civil liberties.

On this date:

In 1922, the Supreme Court, in Leser v. Garnett, unanimously upheld the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which guaranteed the right of women to vote.

In 1939, the Supreme Court, in National Labor Relations Board v. Fansteel Metallurgical Corp., effectively outlawed sit-down strikes.

In 1942, the Battle of the Java Sea began during World War II; Imperial 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 1968, at the conclusion of a CBS News special report on the Vietnam War, Walter Cronkite delivered a commentary in which he said the conflict appeared ìmired in stalemate.î

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. (The occupation lasted until the following May.)

In 1982, Wayne Williams was found guilty of murdering two of the 28 young Blacks whose bodies were found in the Atlanta area over a 22-month period. (Williams, who was also blamed for 22 other deaths, has maintained his innocence.)

In 1991, Operation Desert Storm came to a conclusion as President George H.W. Bush declared that ìKuwait is liberated, Iraqís army is defeated,î and announced that the allies would suspend combat operations at midnight, Eastern time.

In 1998, with the approval of Queen Elizabeth II, Britainís House of Lords agreed to end 1,000 years of male preference by giving a monarchís first-born daughter the same claim to the throne as any first-born son.

In 2003, childrenís television host Fred Rogers died in Pittsburgh at age 74.

In 2010, in Chile, an 8.8 magnitude earthquake and tsunami killed 524 people, caused $30 billion in damage and left more than 200,000 homeless.

In 2015, actor Leonard Nimoy, 83, world famous to ìStar Trekî fans as the pointy-eared, purely logical science officer Mr. Spock, died in Los Angeles. Boris Nemtsov, a charismatic Russian opposition leader and sharp critic of President Vladimir Putin, was gunned down near the Kremlin.

Ten years ago: ìThe Kingís Speechî won four Academy Awards, including best picture; Colin Firth won best actor for his portrayal of Britainís King George VI. Frank Buckles, the last surviving American veteran of World War I whoíd also survived being a civilian prisoner of war in the Philippines in World War II, died in Charles Town, West Virginia, at age 110. Duke Snider, 84, the Baseball Hall of Famer who helped the Dodgers bring their only World Series crown to Brooklyn, died in Escondido, California.

Five years ago: Hillary Clinton overwhelmed Bernie Sanders in the South Carolina primary. A cease-fire brokered by the United States and Russia went into effect across Syria. A violent altercation between Ku Klux Klan members and counter-protesters in Anaheim, California, left three people stabbed. ìFifty Shades of Greyî nabbed five prizes at the Golden Raspberry Awards: worst screenplay, actor, actress, screen combo, and film of the year in a tie with ìFantastic Four.î

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