On this day in history - May 27

What Happened On This Day – May 27

• 2006 A massive earthquake devastates parts of Java, Indonesia

  With 5 million people living within 50 km of the quake's epicenter, about 6000 died, and 1.5 million were left homeless.

• 1942 Czech resistance fighters kill Reinhard Heydrich

  The high-ranking German Nazi official was one of the main architects of the Holocaust. In retaliation, the Nazis murdered all male inhabitants over 15 years of age in the Czech village of Lidice and deported most of the remaining people to concentration camps.

• 1937 The Golden Gate Bridge is opened

  The suspension bridge connecting San Francisco peninsula with Marin County is one of the most recognized works of United States architecture.

• 1933 Walt Disney's cartoon Three Little Pigs is released

  The animated short film is one of the best-known cartoons of all time. In 1934, it was awarded the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

• 1851 The world's first chess tournament is held in London

  Adolf Anderssen, a maths teacher from Wrocław, won the tournament, which was held parallel to the 1851 Great Exhibition.