March 27

This day in history:

• 2004 – HMS Scylla, a decommissioned Leander-class frigate, is sunk as an artificial reef off Cornwall, the first of its kind in Europe.
• 1794 – The United States Government establishes a permanent navy and authorizes the building of six frigates.
• 1980 – The Norwegian oil platform Alexander L. Kielland collapses in the North Sea, killing 123 of its crew of 212.
• 1990 – The United States begins broadcasting anti-Castro propaganda to Cuba on TV Martí.

Births:

• 1710 – Joseph Abaco, Belgian cellist and composer (d. 1805)
• 1937 – Alan Hawkshaw, English keyboard player and songwriter (d. 2021)
• 1979 – Tom Palmer, English rugby union player

Deaths:

• 1999 – Michael Aris, Cuban-English author and academic (b. 1946)
• 1978 – Nat Bailey, Canadian businessman, founded the White Spot (b. 1902)
• 1967 – Jaroslav Heyrovský, Czech chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1890)

Holidays:

• Day of the Union of Bessarabia with Romania (Romania)
• Armed Forces Day (Myanmar)
• World Theatre Day (International)

Random Article of the day:

Ranabir Samaddar

Ranabir Samaddar is an Indian political scientist. He holds the Distinguished Chair in Migration and Forced Migration Studies at the Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group. He was a PRIO Global Fellow from 2014–2017.