Today is Tuesday, August 27, the 240th day of the yr 2024. There are 126 days left within the yr.

Today in history:

On August 27, 1883, the island volcano Krakatoa erupted with a series of devastating explosions. The explosions (which may very well be heard 3,000 miles away) and the resulting tsunamis in Indonesia's Sunda Strait claimed about 36,000 lives on Java and Sumatra.

Also on this date:

In 1894, Congress passed the Wilson-Gorman Tariff Act, which included a provision for a progressive income tax that was later overturned by the Supreme Court.

In 1979, British war hero Lord Louis Mountbatten and three other people, including his 14-year-old grandson Nicholas, were killed off the coast of Ireland in a ship explosion for which the Irish Republican Army claimed responsibility.

In 1982, Rickey Henderson of the Oakland A's stole his 119th base of the season, breaking Lou Brock's record for many stolen bases in a season. (Henderson finished the season with 130 stolen bases, a record that is still unmatched to this present day.)

In 1990, blues musician Stevie Ray Vaughn and 4 others were killed in a helicopter crash near East Troy, Wisconsin.

In 2001, Israeli helicopters fired two missiles through office windows, killing senior PLO leader Mustafa Zibri.

In 2005, coastal residents clogged highways and gas stations as they tried to flee Hurricane Katrina, which was heading toward New Orleans.

In 2008, Barack Obama was nominated for president on the Democratic Party Convention in Denver, making him the primary black presidential candidate of a serious political party.

In 2011, Hurricane Irene hit the United States. The storm claimed 49 lives and caused over $14 billion in damage.

Today's birthdays:

• The writer William Least Heat-Moon is 85.
• Actor Tuesday Weld is 81.
• Former U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey, Democrat from Nebraska, is 81.
• Actor GW Bailey is 80.
• Rock musician Alex Lifeson (Rush) is 71.
• Actor Peter Stormare is 71.
• Rock musician Glen Matlock (The Sex Pistols) is 68.
• Golfer Bernhard Langer is 67.
• Gospel singer Yolanda Adams is 63.
• Fashion designer and filmmaker Tom Ford is 63.
• The director of the US secret service, Avril Haines, is 55.
• Actor Chandra Wilson is 55.
• Jim Thome, a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, is 54.
• Rapper Mase is 49.
• Actress Sarah Chalke is 48.
• Actor Aaron Paul is 45.
• Actor Patrick J. Adams (TV: “Suits”) is 43.
• Singer Mario is 38.
• Actress Alexa PenaVega is 36.
• Singer-songwriter Kim Petras is 32.
• US Olympic and WNBA basketball star Breanna Stewart is 30.
• Rapper/singer-songwriter Rod Wave is 26.