Today is Thursday, Feb. 27, the 58th day of 2025. There are 307 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On Feb. 27, 1997, Ireland became one of the last countries to legalize divorce. Divorce remains illegal in just two countries: the Philippines and Vatican City.
Also on this date:
In 1933, Germany’s parliament building, the Reichstag, was gutted by fire; Chancellor Adolf Hitler blamed communists and used the blaze to justify suspending civil liberties.
In 1942, the Battle of the Java Sea began during World War II, with Imperial Japanese naval forces winning a decisive victory over the Allies.
In 1951, the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, limiting a president to two terms, was ratified.
In 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai issued the Shanghai Communiqué, calling for normalized relations after Nixon’s historic visit to China.
In 1973, members of the American Indian Movement occupied Wounded Knee, South Dakota — the site of the 1890 massacre of Sioux men, women and children — in a standoff that lasted more than two months.
In 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.
In 1998, with Queen Elizabeth II’s approval, Britain’s House of Lords agreed to end 1,000 years of male preference by giving a monarch’s first-born child the right to the throne regardless of sex.
In 2010, an 8.8 magnitude earthquake and tsunami struck Chile, killing 525 people and causing up to $30 billion in damage.
In 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin escalated East-West tensions by ordering nuclear forces put on high alert while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to talks as Russian troops advanced into Ukraine.
Today’s birthdays: Actor Joanne Woodward is 95. Football Hall of Famer Raymond Barry is 92. Consumer advocate Ralph Nader is 91. Broadcast journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault is 83. Rock musician Neal Schon (Journey) is 71. Actor Timothy Spall is 68. U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., is 67. Basketball Hall of Famer James Worthy is 64. Actor Noah Emmerich is 60. Jockey Kent Desormeaux is 55. Singer Chilli (TLC) is 54. Football Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez is 49. Author Chelsea Clinton is 45. Singer Josh Groban is 44. Actor Kate Mara is 42.
