December 27th, 1850:  The Hawaiian Fire Department is established 

Today thru December 30th: Maui Film Festival’s First Light Screenings

 HISTORICAL EVENTS ON THIS DAY – December 27th

• 1825: The first public railroad using steam locomotion is completed in England 
• 1831: Darwin begins his voyage to the Pacific aboard the HMS Beagle
• 1845: Ether is first used as an anaesthetic in childbirth in the U.S.
• 1900: Prohibitionist Carry Nation carries out her first public smashing of a bar
• 1932: Radio City Music Hall first opens in New York City 
• 1934: The first youth hostel opens in the U.S.
• 1947: The first “Howdy Doody Show” is telecast as “Puppet Playhouse” on NBC 
• 1968: Apollo 8 returns to Earth after successfully orbiting the Moon 
• 1979: Soviet troops invade Afghanistan 

 BORN ON THIS DAY – December 27th 

• 1571: Johann Kepler, astronomer 
• 1773: George Cayley, found science of aerodynamics
• 1822: Louis Pasteur,  bacteriologist
• 1879: Sydney Greenstreet,  actor 
• 1901: Marlene Dietrich, singer/actress
• 1906: Oscar Levant, actor 
• 1931: Scotty Moore, guitarist (for Elvis)
• 1941: Leslie Maguire, rock musician 
• 1941: Michael Pinder, rock musician 
• 1944: Mick Jones, rock musician 
• 1944: Tracy Nelson,  singer/actress
• 1948: Gerard Depardieu, actor 
• 1952: Karla Bonoff, rock singer
• 1956: Karen Hughes, press secretary
• 1962: Jeff Bryant, country musician
• 1972: Thomas Wilson Brown, actor
• 1973: Olu, R&B singer
• 1974: Masi Oka, actor (Heroes)
• 1975: Heather O’Rourke, actress