This Day in History: Nelson Mandela fired his estranged wife Winnie, as deputy minister

The following are some of the major events to have occurred on March 27:

1920 – Oxford v. Cambrdige boat race.

1941 – Prince Paul, regent of Yugoslavia, was deposed in a coup after reaching a pact with Adolf Hitler. His nephew, Peter II, ruled for a few weeks until Axis troops invaded.

1968 – Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet hero after he became the first man in space in 1961, was killed in a plane crash near Moscow.

1994 – The Eurofighter, a four-nation project to develop a high-tech fighter jet for Europe’s defence, made a successful maiden flight.

1995 – South African President Nelson Mandela personally fired his estranged wife Winnie, an outspoken critic of his national unity government, from her position as deputy minister.

1995 – Maurizio Gucci, former chairman of the Gucci luxury leather goods and fashion dynasty, was shot dead outside his office in Milan.

1996 – An Israeli court jailed Yigal Amir for life for assassinating Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in November 1995.

2002 – Dudley Moore, British-born comedian, who became one of Hollywood’s most unlikely sex symbols thanks to his starring role in the film “10,” died. He was 66.

2003 – Scientists in Hong Kong said they had identified the virus behind a mystery pneumonia as a new strain from the family of coronaviruses, which are the second leading cause of colds in humans.

2003 – NTT Docomo’s wristwatch-style cell phone is displayed in Tokyo.

2008 – Lisbeth Trickett sets new swimming world record for women’s 100m freestyle.

(Reuters)