This Day in History: March 27

World Theatre Day

World Theatre Day is celebrated every year on March 27. It was initiated in 1961 by the International Theatre Institute. Its main objective is to promote theatre in various forms all over the world. As part of these celebrations, critics and theatre lovers come together to review the plays, performances, and processes happening in all countries. In 1962, Jean Cocteau (France) delivered the first World Theatre Day message.

Birth of Wilhelm Röntgen

Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen was a prominent physicist from Germany. He was born in 1845. He discovered X-rays, which are used in the medical field for diagnosis (radiography) and treatment (radiotherapy). Röntgen’s X-rays are useful not only in the medical field but also in the security field. He discovered X-rays, which are electromagnetic waves with different wavelength ranges. He received the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901 for this research. In honour of his work, the element with atomic number 111 in the periodic table was named Roentgenium.

Also Read: This Day in History: March 26

Death of Yuri Gagarin

Yuri Gagarin, whose full name is Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin, went down in history as the first human to go into space. He was a Soviet cosmonaut. He went into space on April 12, 1961. He not only created a record as the first human to go into space but also became the first person to orbit the Earth. He died in a crash while flying a training plane from Chkalovsky Air Base in 1968.

Also Read: This Day in History: March 25

Other Historical Events on March 27

• 1841: The first steam fire engine was successfully tested in New York.
• 1871: The first international rugby match was played between Scotland and England, with Scotland winning.
• 1977: The world’s deadliest plane crash occurred when two jumbo jets collided on the airstrip in Tenerife, killing 583 people.
• 2003: Russia tested the formidable Topol RS-12M ballistic missile.