Important Events From This day in History – 27 March

Today in History

• 1998 Viagra is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

  Pfizer’s pill was the first drug approved in the United States to treat male impotence. In 2012, the company earned $2 billion in revenue from Viagra alone.

• 1994 Silvio Berlusconi rises to power in Italy

  Berlusconi’s numerous affairs and scandals garnered more attention than his policies during his 20 years in Italian politics. He was sentenced to four years in prison for tax evasion in 2013.

• 1980 The oil rig Alexander L. Kjelland collapses in high winds in the North Sea

  Only 89 of the 212 crew members survived the capsizing of the Norwegian platform, which was caused by a fatigue crack in one of the legs.

• 1977 The worst air crash in history occurs in Tenerife, Spain

  583 people died when 2 Boeing 747 aircraft collided on the runway.

• 1871 England and Scotland compete in the first international rugby match

  Rugby, like association football, is a British invention. Today, it is primarily popular in large parts of the British Commonwealth.