Epic Idiot's what happened
On This Day

July 27

1996
Centennial Olympic Park Bombing: Right-wing extremist Eric Robert Rudolph commits the first of his four bombings. Two people were killed and 111 were injured. He later set off bombs at two abortion clinics and a lesbian night club.

1987
The Titanic: First artifacts from the four-story "unsinkable" ship are recovered by French explorers. She sank in 1912 after striking an iceberg in the North Atlantic during her maiden voyage.

1986
First non-European to win the Tour de France bicycle race: American cyclist Greg LeMond wins what is considered the most important event in bike racing.

1976
The Beatles: John Lennon is issued his green card, allowing him to live in the U.S., where he had been living illegally since a 1972 deportation order.

1953
Korean War: The three-year war officially ends with the signing of an armistice between the U.S. and Korea. Both sides claimed victory.

1919
Chicago Race Riot: Four days of rioting begins in which 23 blacks and 15 whites are killed, with more than 500 people injured.

1866
Atlantic telegraph cable: Laying of the 1,686-mile cable from Ireland to Newfoundland is completed.

1804
12th Amendment ratified, defined the electing of the President and Vice-President by electoral vote.

1949
Maureen McGovern, American singer. She sang the themes to The Poseidon Adventure (1973, #1, Oscar) and The Towering Inferno (1975, Oscar).

1948
Peggy Fleming, American figure skater, 3-time world champion (1966-68), 5-time U.S. champion (1964-68), and Olympic gold medal winner (1968).

1948
Betty Thomas, American Emmy-winning actress. TV: Hill Street Blues (Sgt. Lucy Bates).

1944
Bobbie Gentry (Roberta Streeter), American Grammy-winning singer. Music: Ode to Billie Joe (1967, #1) and I'll Never Fall In Love Again (1970).

1938
Gary Gygax, American gamer, co-inventor of the game Dungeons & Dragons.

1931
Jerry Van Dyke, American actor, Dick's brother. TV: Coach (Luther).

1922
Norman Milton Lear, American producer, writer. TV: All in the Family and the soap opera spoof Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.

1922     d. 1986
Adolfo Celi, Italian actor. Film: Thunderball (1965, one-eyed SPECTRE agent Emilio Largo).

1916     d. 1986
Keenan Wynn (Francis Wynn), American actor. TV: Dallas (Digger Barnes). He appeared in over 200 films.

1852     d. 1938
George Foster Peabody, American banker, director of the Federal Reserve Bank at New York (1914-21). The Peabody broadcasting awards were created in his honor (1940).

1824     d. 1895
Alexandre Dumas (Dumas fils), French author, playwright. Writings: Camille (1852) and The Natural Son (1858).

1946     b. 1874
Gertrude Stein, American author, poet, famous for her phrase "A rose is a rose is a rose."

1844     b. 1766
John Dalton, English chemist, physicist, perfected the atomic theory (1804).

1828     b. 1755
Gilbert Stuart, American artist, painted the portrait of Washington (1796) that appears on the $1 bill.

1741     b. circa 1675
Antonio Vivaldi, Italian Baroque violin virtuoso and composer, called "The Red Priest."

1061     b. ????
Nicholas II, religious leader, 155th Pope (1059-61).

432     b. ????
Saint Celestine I, religious leader, 43rd Pope (422-432).

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