Today in History: February 27, the German Reichstag fire

On Feb. 27, 1933, Germany’s parliament building, the Reichstag, was gutted by fire; Chancellor Adolf Hitler, blaming communists, used the fire to justify suspending civil liberties.

Also on this date:

In 1942, the Battle of the Java Sea began during World War II; Imperial Japanese naval forces scored a decisive victory over the Allies.

In 1951, the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, limiting a president to two terms in office, was ratified.

In 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai issued the Shanghai Communique, a historic joint statement that called for normalizing relations between their countries, at the conclusion of Nixon’s historic visit to China.

In 1973, members of the American Indian Movement occupied the hamlet of Wounded Knee in South Dakota, the site of the 1890 massacre of Sioux men, women and children; the occupation would last for over two months.

In 1991, Operation Desert Storm came to a conclusion as President George H.W. Bush declared in a White House address that “Kuwait is liberated, Iraq’s army is defeated,” and announced that the allies would suspend combat operations at midnight, Eastern time.

In 1997, Ireland became one of the last countries in the world to legalize divorce. Divorce remains illegal in just two countries: the Philippines and Vatican City.

In 2010, in Chile, an 8.8 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami killed 525 people and caused up to $30 billion in damage and a major power blackout.

In 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin dramatically escalated East-West tensions by ordering nuclear forces put on high alert while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to talks with Moscow as Russia's troops and tanks drove deeper into the country.

Today’s birthdays: Actor Joanne Woodward is 96. Football Hall of Famer Raymond Barry is 93. Consumer advocate Ralph Nader is 92. Broadcast journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault is 84. Rock musician Neal Schon (Journey) is 72. Actor Timothy Spall is 69. Democratic U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire is 68. Basketball Hall of Famer James Worthy is 65. Actor Noah Emmerich is 61. Jockey Kent Desormeaux is 56. Singer Chilli (TLC) is 55. Football Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez is 50. Author Chelsea Clinton is 46. Singer Josh Groban is 45. Actor Kate Mara is 43. Pop singer Ten is 30.