This Day In History, March 27th

1785: King Louis XVII Is Born

Louis XVII of France is born in the Palace of Versailles in Paris to King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. Young Louis had an older brother, but when he died just before the outbreak of the French Revolution, Louis became the heir to the French throne.

And when King Louis XVI was executed during the revolution in 1793 (as was Marie Antoinette), eight-year-old Louis became the new king — at least to those who supported and recognized the monarchy. In the end, he was imprisoned upon his ascension to the throne and died in captivity at the age of just 10.

1899: Guglielmo Marconi Sends The First International Radio Transmission

Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi successfully sends the first international radio transmission across the English Channel, from northern France to Kent, England. The message was broadcast to The Times newspaper and said:

“Communication between England and the Continent was set up yesterday morning by the Marconi system of wireless telegraphy… Signor Marconi is here conducting the trials and is very satisfied with the results.”

1964: The Good Friday Earthquake Devastates Alaska

Wikimedia CommonsJust some of the damage that left parts of downtown Anchorage in ruins.

Alaska is struck by the most powerful earthquake in the history of North America. Known as the Good Friday Earthquake, this devastating cataclysm began at 5:36 that evening, and though it lasted just four minutes and 38 seconds, this 9.3-magnitude megathrust quake did unfathomable damage.

More than 500 years’ worth of pent-up geological stress exploded all at once along a 600-mile fault, pushing the ground as much as 60 feet laterally and raising some areas as much as 30 feet high. Entire sections of downtown Anchorage were so destroyed that they later needed to be razed, while outlying coastal areas were also plagued by the tsunamis, leaving some towns simply wiped off the map within an instant. In the end, roughly 140 people were killed and nearly a billion dollars’ worth of damage was done.

1977: The Tenerife Airport Disaster

Wikimedia CommonsThe wreckage of KLM Flight 4805, one of the airplanes involved in the collision.

Two Boeing 747 jets collide on the runway of Tenerife, Spain’s Los Rodeos Airport, killing 583 passengers and crew members. On the day of the crash, the runway was congested due to a bombing at another nearby airport while thick fog in the area made for low visibility.

The captain of KLM Flight 4805 was attempting to take off when he collided with Pan Am Flight 1736, which was taxiing on the runway. All 248 people aboard KLM 4805 died while 335 people on Pan Am 1736 died, and 61 passengers and crew members in the front section of the Pan Am flight survived. The Tenerife disaster was the deadliest in aviation history.

1984: Bobby Joe Long Murders His First Victim

Public DomainBobby Joe Long, the “Classified Ad Rapist.”

Bobby Joe Long, also known as the “Classified Ad Rapist,” murders his first known victim, Artiss “Ann” Wick. The 20-year-old woman was reportedly hitchhiking from Indiana to Florida when Long picked her up in the Tampa Bay Area, raped her, and strangled her to death. Her body was found in a rural area eight months later, around the same time Long was arrested for the kidnapping of Lisa McVey. He eventually pleaded guilty to eight homicides and was later sentenced to death.

1995: Maurizio Gucci Is Murdered

Laurent MAOUS/Gamma-Rapho/Getty ImagesRoberto Gucci, Giorgio Gucci, and Maurizio Gucci attend a store opening in Paris, France, on September 22, 1983.

Italian businessman Maurizio Gucci, who was once the head of the Gucci fashion house, is fatally shot by a hitman while leaving his office in Milan, Italy. His ex-wife, Patrizia Reggiani, had hired the killer because of jealousy and resentment toward Gucci, according to prosecutors. Her trial was highly publicized and the “Black Widow” was ultimately found guilty and sentenced to 29 years in prison for the crime — though she ultimately served just 18 of them.