May 27th
Today in 1790,the laziest man in history died. England’s Jeremiah Carlton was 19-years-old, and the heir to a large fortune, when he first took to his bed – he stayed there for the next 70 years. A team of servants bathed and fed him in bed until his death – at 89-years of age.
Today in 1896,a tornado hit St Louis, killing 255 and leaving thousands homeless.
Today in 1907,the Bubonic Plague broke out in San Francisco.
Today in 1935,Supreme Court declared FDR's National Recovery Act
Today in 1937,the Golden Gate Bridge was officially opened, connecting San Francisco and Marin County.
Today in1942,Doris “Dorie” Miller, a cook aboard the USS West Virginia,became the first African-American to receive the Navy Crossfor displaying “extraordinary courage and disregard for his own personal safety” during Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor.
Today in 1949,Marilyn Monroe, an unknown actress at the time,posed nude for some calendar photos. Within a few months she landed two movie roles. The pictures appeared in the first issue of “Playboy.”
Today in 1972,the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT I)was signed by the U.S. and USSR. The short-term agreement put a freeze on the testing and deployment of intercontinental and submarine-launched ballistic missiles for a 5-year period.
Today in 1995,Christopher Reeve was paralyzed after being thrown from his horse during a jumping event in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Today in 1997,the Supreme Court ruled that the sexual harassment suit filed by Paul Jones could continuewhile President Clinton was in office.
Today in 1997,Arie Luyendyk won the Indianapolis 500 for the second time.
Today in 1998,Michael Fortier was sentenced to 12 years in prison for not warning anyone about the plot to bomb an Oklahoma City federal building. He was released in 2006 and his whereabouts have remained shrouded in secrecy.
Today in 1999,in The Hague, Netherlands,a war crimes tribunal indicted Slobodan Milosevic and four others for atrocities in Kosovo. It was the first time that a sitting head of state had been charged with such a crime.
Today in 1999,the space shuttle Discovery blasted off on a mission to carry supplies to the new international space station.
Today in 2017,the legendary Gregg Allman, whose bluesy vocals and soulful touch on the Hammond B-3 organ helped propel The Allman Brothers Band spawned the Southern rock genre,died at his home near Savannah, Georgia. He was 69.
Today in 2019,a global study of 711 sites found the world's rivers widely contaminated with antibiotics.