Today in history.
April 27th.
1521 ~ Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan was killed in the Philippines. With the trade routes of the Eastern Mediterranean controlled by the fleets of Venice, Genoa, and other Arab merchants, the powers of Spain and Portugal sought a pathway to the Orient to the west. Seeking fortune and fame, Magellan sought to sail around or through the New World to reach the Orient. He secured the patronage of King Charles I of Spain in 1518 and set out the next year with five ships. Like Columbus, he had several problem along his voyage, including two attempted mutinies, the loss of all but one ship, and near starvation. The explorer sailed from Spain to the Canary Islands, Portuguese Brazil (just south of Rio de Janiero), southern Patagonia (Argentina) where he navigated the Strait of All Saints (later renamed after Magellan) where he lost two of his ships, Guam, and finally to the Philippines. There the explorer got involved in a tribal dispute and was killed in an ensuing battle by poisoned arrow. After the battle, only half of the original crew remained; that was not enough to crew all three of the remaining ships. They burned one and continued on to the Spice Islands under the command of Sebastian del Cano. To assure that at least one ship would return to Spain, they split up with one ship returning eastward, and the other continuing westward. The eastbound ship was captured by the Portuguese, but the other was successful and became the first to circumnavigate the globe.
1865 ~ The steamer Sultana exploded on the Mississippi River near Memphis, Tenn., killing between 1,800 and 2,400 passengers, including more than 1,400 Union prisoners of war. This is the worst maritime disaster in American history, well surpassing the RMS Titanic. The story was largely overlooked as it took place so close to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
1940 ~ Himmler orders establishment of Auschwitz Concentration Camp. Originally used to house Polish political prisoners, the prison was taken over by the Third Reich and became the largest death camp in 1942. Previous to the spring of 1942, there were only slightly over 1,000 Jews in the prison. However, once the "Final Solution" was enacted over 1.1 million Jews, including 200 thousand children, were shipped to the Polish prison, where they were killed immediately, or shortly after their arrival, in gas chambers. Auschwitz had over 40 sub-camps including Birkenau, Monowitz, and Blechhammer.
Also, a LOT of sites have events listed on the WRONG DATE! Yes, including Wikipedia. For example, the Tea Act was not passed today, it was passed in May. Oh well, just more research for me to do.
1521 ~ Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan was killed in the Philippines. With the trade routes of the Eastern Mediterranean controlled by the fleets of Venice, Genoa, and other Arab merchants, the powers of Spain and Portugal sought a pathway to the Orient to the west. Seeking fortune and fame, Magellan sought to sail around or through the New World to reach the Orient. He secured the patronage of King Charles I of Spain in 1518 and set out the next year with five ships. Like Columbus, he had several problem along his voyage, including two attempted mutinies, the loss of all but one ship, and near starvation. The explorer sailed from Spain to the Canary Islands, Portuguese Brazil (just south of Rio de Janiero), southern Patagonia (Argentina) where he navigated the Strait of All Saints (later renamed after Magellan) where he lost two of his ships, Guam, and finally to the Philippines. There the explorer got involved in a tribal dispute and was killed in an ensuing battle by poisoned arrow. After the battle, only half of the original crew remained; that was not enough to crew all three of the remaining ships. They burned one and continued on to the Spice Islands under the command of Sebastian del Cano. To assure that at least one ship would return to Spain, they split up with one ship returning eastward, and the other continuing westward. The eastbound ship was captured by the Portuguese, but the other was successful and became the first to circumnavigate the globe.
1865 ~ The steamer Sultana exploded on the Mississippi River near Memphis, Tenn., killing between 1,800 and 2,400 passengers, including more than 1,400 Union prisoners of war. This is the worst maritime disaster in American history, well surpassing the RMS Titanic. The story was largely overlooked as it took place so close to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
1940 ~ Himmler orders establishment of Auschwitz Concentration Camp. Originally used to house Polish political prisoners, the prison was taken over by the Third Reich and became the largest death camp in 1942. Previous to the spring of 1942, there were only slightly over 1,000 Jews in the prison. However, once the "Final Solution" was enacted over 1.1 million Jews, including 200 thousand children, were shipped to the Polish prison, where they were killed immediately, or shortly after their arrival, in gas chambers. Auschwitz had over 40 sub-camps including Birkenau, Monowitz, and Blechhammer.
Also, a LOT of sites have events listed on the WRONG DATE! Yes, including Wikipedia. For example, the Tea Act was not passed today, it was passed in May. Oh well, just more research for me to do.