Today is Friday, February 27, the 58th day of 2009. There are 307 days left in the year.
1557 _ First Russian Embassy opens in London
1827 _ First Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans, La.
1854 _ Composer Robert Schumann saved from suicide attempt in Rhine
1874 _ Baseball first played in England, at Lord's Cricket Grounds
1933 _ German parliament building, Reichstag, destroyed by fire (set by Nazis, blamed on communists)
1950 _ General Chiang Kai-shek elected President of Nationalist China
1956 _ Elvis Presley's releases ``Heartbreak Hotel"
1972 _ President Nixon and Chinese Premier Chou En-lai issued Shanghai Communique
1990 _ Exxon Corp and Exxon Shipping are indicted on five criminal counts (Valdez)
1991 _ Gulf War ends after Iraqi troops retreat and Kuwait is liberated