Calendar for July 27th, 2012

2001: Tisha B'Av

Died 1276: James I of Aragon

1789: Congress established the Department of Foreign Affairs (later renamed Department of State)

Born 1824: Alexandre Dumas, fils (dramatist, son of Alexandre Dumas)

1866: The Atlantic Cable was completed, establishing communication by telegraph between England and the U.S.

Born 1916: Elizabeth Hardwick (author)

1921: Researchers led by biochemist Frederick Banting announced the discovery of the hormone insulin

Born 1922: Norman Lear (television producer)

Born 1931: Jerry Van Dyke (actor)

1940: Bugs Bunny made his cartoon debut

1943: Colonel Joseph Duckworth piloted the first plane that purposely flew into the center of a hurricane

Born 1948: Peggy Fleming (ice skater)

1953: The United States, China, North Korea, and South Korea signed an armistice agreement, ending the Korean War

Born 1975: Alex Rodriguez (baseball player)

Born 1977: Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (actor)

1980: An earthquake in Sharpsburg, Kentucky, measured 5.2 on the Richter scale

1988: Big traffic jam in Boston

Died 1993: Reggie Lewis (basketball player)

1995: The Korean War Veterans Memorial was dedicated, Washington, D.C.

1996: In Atlanta, Georgia, a pipe bomb exploded at Centennial Olympic Park during the 1996 Summer Olympics

Died 2003: Bob Hope (comedian & actor)

Died 2010: Morrie R. Yohai (creator of Cheez Doodles)