Today in History: Aug. 27

Today in History: Aug. 27

Today is Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, marking the 239th day of the year with 126 days remaining. On this day in history, Hurricane Irene struck the United States in 2011, causing 49 deaths and over $14 billion in damages. In 1883, the Krakatoa volcano erupted in Indonesia, resulting in catastrophic explosions and tsunamis that claimed 36,000 lives. Congress passed the Wilson-Gorman Tariff Act in 1894, including a provision for a graduated income tax later invalidated by the Supreme Court. The iconic film "Mary Poppins" premiered in Los Angeles in 1964. Tragically, in 1979, British war hero Lord Louis Mountbatten and three others were killed in a boat explosion off the coast of Ireland by the Irish Republican Army. Rickey Henderson set a new single-season stolen base record in 1982 with 130 bases. Blues musician Stevie Ray Vaughn died in a helicopter crash in 1990 near East Troy, Wisconsin. In 2001, senior PLO leader Mustafa Zibri was killed by Israeli helicopter rockets. Coastal residents evacuated ahead of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and in 2008, Barack Obama became the first Black presidential nominee from a major political party at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.