Today in History

Today is Sunday, May 27, the 147th day of 2018. There are 218 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On May 27, 1968, the U.S. Supreme Court, in United States v. O'Brien, upheld the conviction of David O'Brien for destroying his draft card outside a Boston courthouse, ruling that the act was not protected by freedom of speech.

On this date:

In 1199, King John of England was crowned in Westminster Abbey nearly two months after the death of his brother, Richard I ("The Lion-Hearted").

In 1818, American reformer Amelia Jenks Bloomer, who popularized the garment that bears her name -- "bloomers" -- was born in Homer, New York.

In 1933, the Chicago World's Fair, celebrating "A Century of Progress," officially opened. Walt Disney's Academy Award-winning animated short "The Three Little Pigs" was first released.

In 1935, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States, unanimously struck down the National Industrial Recovery Act, a key component of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "New Deal" legislative program.

In 1937, the newly completed Golden Gate Bridge connecting San Francisco and Marin County, California, was opened to pedestrian traffic (vehicles began crossing the next day).

In 1941, the British Royal Navy sank the German battleship Bismarck off France with a loss of some 2,000 lives, three days after the Bismarck sank the HMS Hood with the loss of more than 1,400 lives. Amid rising world tensions, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed an "unlimited national emergency" during a radio address from the White House.

In 1942, Doris "Dorie" Miller, a cook aboard the USS West Virginia, became the first African-American to receive the Navy Cross for displaying "extraordinary courage and disregard for his own personal safety" during Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor.

In 1957, the single "That'll Be the Day" by Buddy Holly's group The Crickets was released by Brunswick Records.

In 1962, a dump fire in Centralia, Pennsylvania, ignited a blaze in underground coal deposits that continues to burn to this day.

In 1977, the punk rock single "God Save the Queen," the Sex Pistols' sardonic salute to Queen Elizabeth II, was released by Virgin Records.

In 1985, in Beijing, representatives of Britain and China exchanged instruments of ratification for an accord returning Hong Kong to Chinese control in 1997.

In 1998, Michael Fortier, the government's star witness in the Oklahoma City bombing case, was sentenced to 12 years in prison after apologizing for not warning anyone about the deadly plot. (Fortier was freed in January 2006.)

Ten years ago: Myanmar's military government renewed pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's detention for one year; the move came as officials said that international aid workers had finally begun entering Myanmar's cyclone-devastated delta area after being blocked for more than three weeks by the junta.

Five years ago: The European Union decided to lift an arms embargo on the Syrian opposition while maintaining all other sanctions against President Bashar Assad's regime. U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a proponent of arming Syrian rebels, quietly slipped into Syria for a meeting with anti-government fighters. A coordinated wave of car bombings tore through mostly Shiite areas of Baghdad, killing dozens.

One year ago: British Airways canceled all flights from London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports as a global IT failure upended the travel plans of tens of thousands of people on a busy U.K. holiday weekend. Music legend Gregg Allman, whose bluesy vocals and soulful touch on the Hammond B-3 organ helped propel The Allman Brothers Band to superstardom and spawn Southern rock, died at his home near Savannah, Georgia; he was 69.

Today's Birthdays: Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Herman Wouk is 103. Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger is 95. Former FBI Director William Sessions is 88. Author John Barth is 88. Actress Lee Meriwether is 83. Musician Ramsey Lewis is 83. Actor Louis Gossett Jr. is 82. Rhythm and blues singer Raymond Sanders (The Persuasions) is 79. Actor Bruce Weitz is 75. Former Motion Picture Association of America Chairman Christopher Dodd is 74. Singer Bruce Cockburn is 73. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster is 71. Singer-actress Dee Dee Bridgewater is 68. Actor Richard Schiff is 63. Singer Siouxsie Sioux (The Creatures, Siouxsie and the Banshees) is 61. Rock singer-musician Neil Finn (The Finn Brothers) is 60. Actress Peri Gilpin is 57. Actress Cathy Silvers is 57. Comedian Adam Carolla is 54. Actor Todd Bridges is 53. Rock musician Sean Kinney (Alice In Chains) is 52. Actor Dondre Whitfield is 49. Actor Paul Bettany is 47. Rock singer-musician Brian Desveaux (Nine Days) is 47. Country singer Jace Everett is 46. Actor Jack McBrayer is 45. Rapper Andre 3000 (Outkast) is 43. Rapper Jadakiss is 43. TV chef Jamie Oliver is 43. Alt-country singer-songwriter Shane Nicholson is 42. Actor Ben Feldman is 38. Actor Michael Steger is 38. Actor Darin Brooks is 34. Actor-singer Chris Colfer is 28. Actor Ethan Dampf is 24. Actress Desiree Ross (TV: "Greenleaf") is 19.

Thought for Today: "Sixty years ago I knew everything; now I know nothing; education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance." -- Will Durant, American historian (1885-1981).