47 BC: Cleopatra reinstated as queen of Egypt
The legendary Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator, aided by her Roman lover Julius Caesar, was reinstated as ruler of Egypt (with her brother Ptolemy XIV) on this day in 47 BC following a civil war with her Ptolemy brother XIII.
1914: The first successful non-direct blood transfusion is carried out. Belgian doctor Albert Hustin conducted the first non-direct transfusion, using sodium citrate as an anticoagulant. Initially, blood transfusions needed to be made directly from the donor to the receiver before coagulation occurred. However, in the 1910s, it was discovered that adding anticoagulant to blood and refrigerating it allowed for longer storage times, which led to the establishment of blood banks.
1959: The U.S. Navy Department reported that the nuclear submarine “Skate” had completed its 2nd trip under the North Pole.
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1933: Some 55,000 people stage a protest against Hitler in New York.
1966: The stolen football world cup was found in south London by a dog called Pickles, whilst it was out for a walk with its owner.
1973: “The Godfather” won the Academy Award for Best Picture of 1972, but its star, Marlon Brando, refused to accept his Oscar for Best Actor, and in what would become one of the Oscars’ most famous moments sent in his place actor and activist Sacheen Littlefeather, who spoke out about the depiction of Native Americans in Hollywood. (In 2022, months before her death, the Academy would apologize for the “abuse” Littlefeather received at the time.
1977: Two Boeing 747 planes collided in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. Five hundred and eighty-three people lost their lives. One craft had no survivors, while the other had 61 survivors.
1980: The oil rig Alexander L. Kjelland collapses in high winds in the North Sea
Only 89 of 212 crew survived the Norwegian platform’s capsizing, which was caused by a fatigue crack in one of the legs.
1994: Silvio Berlusconi rises to power in Italy. In his 20 years in Italian politics, Berlusconi arguably made more headlines for his numerous affairs and scandals than for his policies. In 2013, he was sentenced to 4 years imprisonment for tax fraud.
1993: Two Nigerian Businessmen, Alhaji Bashir Tofa and Chief Moshood Abiola became National Republican Convention (NRC) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential flag bearers respectively.
1997: Dexter King, the son of civil rights Martin Luther King Jr., meets the man convicted of assassinating his father, James Earl Ray, in prison. When asked by Dexter King if Ray had killed his father, Ray maintained his innocence. King tells Ray, “I believe you, and my family believes you.” The King family asks for a new trial, but Ray dies in prison the following year.
1998: Viagra is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Pfizer’s pill was the first drug against male impotence to be approved in the United States. In 2012, the company made 2 billion U.S. Dollars from Viagra alone.
2006: Former Liberian President, Charles Taylor disappears from his Calabar mansion. Taylor’s disappearance came days after Nigeria’s former President Olusegun Obasanjo said that Liberia was “free to take” Taylor, who is wanted on 17 indictments of war crimes by a UN-backed Special Court in Sierra Leone.
Births on This Day, March 27
Babafemi Ojudu, 63 years
Babafemi Ojudu was born 27 March 1961. A Nigerian journalist who was elected Senator for the Ekiti Central constituency of Ekiti State, Nigeria, in the April 2011 national elections. He is a Special Adviser to the President of Nigeria.
Mariah Carey, 55years
Mariah Carey is an American singer, born in Huntington, New York in 1969. She is a songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the “Songbird Supreme” by The Guinness Book of World Records, she is regarded as one of the greatest singers.
David Marshall Coulthard, 53 years
David Marshall Coulthard MBE is a British retired racing driver from Scotland, later turned presenter, commentator, and journalist. Nicknamed “DC”, he competed in 15 seasons of Formula One between 1994 and 2008, taking 13 Grand Prix victories and 62 podium finishes.
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