Today in History, August 27th
On August 27, 1883, Krakatoa's eruption climaxed, unleashing tsunamis that killed about 36,000. Plus Drake's oil well and a 40-minute war.
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August 27 is best known for 1883, when the Indonesian volcano Krakatoa blew apart in explosions heard thousands of miles away, setting off tsunamis that killed about 36,000 people. The date also saw Edwin Drake strike oil in Pennsylvania in 1859 and the Anglo-Zanzibar War of 1896, which lasted about 40 minutes.
The big story: Krakatoa erupts (1883)
Krakatoa was an uninhabited volcanic island in the Sunda Strait, between Java and Sumatra. By August 26 it was in full fury, and a blast that day wrecked much of the island. Then on the morning of August 27 came the climax, a string of explosions so loud they were heard thousands of miles away. They are often called the loudest sounds in recorded history. Most of the island collapsed into the sea. The collapse pushed out tsunamis that swept the coasts of Java and Sumatra, and they did most of the killing. Of roughly 36,000 people who died, at least 31,000 were lost to the waves. Ash was thrown about 50 miles into the sky, and fine dust drifted around the globe. People far from Indonesia saw vivid sunsets, and the haze in the upper air lowered temperatures worldwide for a time.
More events on August 27
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1776 | British troops under William Howe defeated George Washington’s army at the Battle of Long Island, also called the Battle of Brooklyn. Washington pulled his men back to Manhattan by boat two nights later. |
| 1859 | Edwin Drake struck oil at 69 feet in Titusville, Pennsylvania, the first productive oil well in the U.S. |
| 1896 | Royal Navy ships shelled the palace in Zanzibar after a sultan Britain opposed took power. The Anglo-Zanzibar War was over in about 40 minutes. |
| 1916 | Romania declared war on Austria-Hungary, joined the Allies in World War I and sent troops into Transylvania. |
| 1928 | The Kellogg-Briand Pact was signed in Paris. Its signers renounced war as a tool of national policy, though the pact had no means of enforcement. |
| 1964 | Disney’s Mary Poppins premiered in Los Angeles. It was Julie Andrews’s film debut, and she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for it. |
| 1979 | An IRA bomb destroyed Lord Louis Mountbatten’s fishing boat in Donegal Bay, Ireland, killing him and members of his party. The IRA also killed 18 British paratroopers in County Down, Northern Ireland, that day. |
| 2007 | NFL quarterback Michael Vick pleaded guilty in federal court in Richmond, Virginia, to a felony charge tied to a dogfighting ring. |
Born on August 27
- 1890: Man Ray, photographer and painter of the Dada and Surrealist movements, born in Philadelphia.
- 1908: Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th U.S. president, born in Gillespie County, Texas.
- 1941: Cesária Évora, Cape Verdean singer, born in Mindelo.
Sources
- Krakatau explodes, History.com
- Krakatoa, Encyclopaedia Britannica
- This Day in History: August 27, History.com
- On This Day: August 27, Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Edwin Laurentine Drake, Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Anglo-Zanzibar War, Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Kellogg-Briand Pact, Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Man Ray, Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Lyndon B. Johnson, Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Cesária Évora, Encyclopaedia Britannica
I’m intrigued at how few of the notes of the passing of Haile Selassie make any mention of the religion founded upon his hope, Rastafarianism. It’s like unrecognized ripples in a pond.