Today is Friday, April 27, the 118th day of 2012. There are 248 days left in the year.
On April 27, 2011, powerful tornadoes raked the South and Midwest. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, more than 120 twisters resulted in 316 deaths across parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia.
On this date:
In 1521, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan was killed in the Philippines.
In 1777, the only land battle in Connecticut during the Revolutionary War, the Battle of Ridgefield, took place, resulting in a limited British victory.
In 1822, the 18th president of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant, was born in Point Pleasant, Ohio.
In 1865, the steamer Sultana exploded on the Mississippi River near Memphis, Tenn., killing more than 1,400 people, mostly freed Union prisoners of war.
In 1941, German forces occupied Athens during World War II.
In 1967, Expo '67 was officially opened in Montreal by Canadian Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson.
In 1972, the Apollo 16 mission to the moon ended safely.
In 1982, the trial of John W. Hinckley Jr., who had shot four people, including President Ronald Reagan, began in Washington. (The trial ended with Hinckley's acquittal by reason of insanity.)
In 1992, the new Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was proclaimed in Belgrade by the republic of Serbia and its lone ally, Montenegro.