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Today in History: March 27

1350 While besieging Gibraltar, Alfonso XI of Castile dies of the black death.

1836 The Mexican army massacres Texan rebels at Goliad.

1912 The first cherry blossom trees, a gift from Japan, are planted in Washington, D.C.

1933 Some 55,000 people stage a protest against Hitler in New York.

1944 One thousand Jews leave Drancy, France for the Auschwitz concentration camp.

1945 General Dwight Eisenhower declares that the German defenses on the Western Front have been broken.

1952 Elements of the U.S. Eighth Army reach the 38th parallel in Korea, the original dividing line between the two Koreas.

1958 The United States announces a plan to explore space near the moon.

1976 Washington, D.C. opens its subway system.

1977 In aviation's worst disaster yet, 582 die when a KLM Pan Am 747 crashes.

1980 Mount St Helens becomes active after 123 years

2019 Facebook bans white nationalism and white supremacy following criticism that Christchurch terrorist able to live-stream his attack

2020 UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces he has contracted COVID-19 but will continue to lead the country "thanks to the wizardry of modern technology" while in self-isolation

Born on March 27

1785 Louis XVII, pretender to the throne during the French Revolution.

1863 Sir Henry Royce, cofounder of the Rolls-Royce automotive company.

1924 Sarah Vaughan, jazz singer.

Joke of the Day

A boy in Brooklyn is outside of a candy shop shoveling candy in his mouth. A man approaches the boy and says, "Don't eat candy, kid. It's not good for you."

The boy replied, "My grandfather lived until he was 97."

"Really," said the man. "Did he eat a lot of candy, too?"

The boy replied, "No, but he minded his own fricking business."