On This Day: Ireland Legalizes Divorce

Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025 — the 58th day of the year. There are 307 days left in 2025.

Today in history:

In 1997, Ireland became one of the last countries to legalize divorce. Divorce remains illegal in just two places: the Philippines and Vatican City.

Also on this date:

- 1933: Germany’s Reichstag, the parliament building, was gutted by fire; Chancellor Adolf Hitler blamed communists and used the blaze to justify suspending civil liberties.

- 1942: The Battle of the Java Sea began during World War II, ending in a decisive Imperial Japanese naval victory over Allied forces.

- 1951: The 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, limiting presidents to two terms, was ratified.

- 1972: President Richard Nixon and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai issued the Shanghai Communiqué, a key step toward normalizing U.S.-China relations after Nixon’s visit.

- 1973: Members of the American Indian Movement occupied Wounded Knee, South Dakota, the site of the 1890 massacre of Sioux people, in a standoff that lasted more than two months.

- 1991: Operation Desert Storm ended as President George H.W. Bush declared “Kuwait is liberated, Iraq’s army is defeated,” announcing allied combat operations would be suspended at midnight Eastern time.

- 1998: Britain’s House of Lords, with Queen Elizabeth II’s approval, agreed to end a millennium of male preference by recognizing a monarch’s first-born child as heir regardless of sex.

- 2010: An 8.8-magnitude earthquake and tsunami struck Chile, killing about 525 people and causing up to $30 billion in damage.

- 2022: Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered nuclear forces put on high alert as Russian troops advanced into Ukraine; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to talks.

Today’s birthdays:

Joanne Woodward, 95; Raymond Berry, 92; Ralph Nader, 91; Charlayne Hunter-Gault, 83; Neal Schon (Journey), 71; Timothy Spall, 68; U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, 67; James Worthy, 64; Noah Emmerich, 60; Kent Desormeaux, 55; Chilli (TLC), 54; Tony Gonzalez, 49; Chelsea Clinton, 45; Josh Groban, 44; Kate Mara, 42.