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March 27
5 moments across history
FDA Approves Viagra
Originally synthesized to treat angina, sildenafil citrate was repurposed after researchers discovered its effects on penile erections during early 1990s trials. Approved as Viagra by Pfizer, the drug offered a non-invasive alternative to injections and surgery, shattered stigmas around male sexual dysfunction, and established a template for direct-to-consumer marketing of "lifestyle" medications following the FDA's 1997 relaxation of advertising rules.
FDA Approves Viagra
Tenerife Airport Disaster
Tenerife Airport Disaster
Tenerife Airport Disaster — detail
Both flights were diverted to Tenerife after a terrorist bombing closed Gran Canaria Airport, creating unprecedented congestion at the ill-equipped facility. Dense fog reducing visibility to mere meters, combined with ambiguous radio communications between the Dutch-speaking KLM crew, American Pan Am pilots, and Spanish air traffic controller, created fatal confusion about takeoff clearance.
The 1964 Great Alaska (Good Friday) Earthquake
The 1964 Great Alaska (Good Friday) Earthquake
The 1964 Great Alaska (Good Friday) Earthquake — detail
Occurring five years after Alaska's statehood during the height of the Cold War, the event provided crucial validation for plate tectonics theory while demonstrating how sparse population density prevented catastrophic casualties despite $2.3 billion in damage. The destruction accelerated seismic building code reforms and establishment of the West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center.
Nikita Khrushchev Becomes Soviet Premier
Nikita Khrushchev Becomes Soviet Premier
Nikita Khrushchev Becomes Soviet Premier — detail
The appointment ended the post-Stalin collective leadership model, concentrating dual authority in Khrushchev as both Party First Secretary and Premier following the failed Anti-Party Group coup attempt of 1957. This power structure enabled his domestic reforms and Cold War diplomacy but alienated senior officials fearful of a return to one-man rule, sowing the seeds for his removal in 1964.
Japan Withdraws from the League of Nations
Japan Withdraws from the League of Nations
Japan Withdraws from the League of Nations — detail
The decision followed the February 1933 adoption of the Lytton Commission report, which concluded that Japan violated Chinese sovereignty by invading Manchuria in 1931. Refusing to accept the findings or the League's refusal to recognize Manchukuo, Tokyo's delegation delivered formal notice of secession, becoming the first major power to abandon the League. The move signaled Japan's rejection of collective security in favor of military expansion, effectively granting the Imperial Army unchecked authority to fortify Manchuria and foreshadowing the 1937 full-scale invasion of China.