Here’s a brief look back in time for this day, March 27.
In 1513, it is believed that Spanish conquistador Ponce de Leon and his crew first saw the land that’d become Florida on this day. de Leon was already a seasoned explorer by this point. A few years earlier in 1508, he had discovered present-day Puerto Rico. He’d make landfall and declare La Florida for the Spanish monarchy a few days later. Fun fact: he’s also believed to have been alongside Christopher Columbus during his first expedition to the Americas. His role was simply noted as a “gentleman volunteer”.
In 1939, the University of Oregon becomes the first winner of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. This was also the first time “March Madness” was used, which was coined by an official with the Illinois High School Association named Henry Porter. The Webfoots defeated The Ohio State University’s Buckeyes by a score of 46-33 at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL.
In 1964, the most powerful earthquake recorded so far in North America occurs. Its epicenter was recorded a few miles off the coast of Alaska, but its magnitude was felt along the west coasts of Canada and the continental United States. Tsunamis as high as 200 feet were recorded in Alaska, with several others happening off the coasts of New Zealand, Japan, Peru, Mexico, and Antarctica. In total, 139 people were killed, with the Alaskan tsunami being the result of around 120 of them. It’s currently the second most powerful earthquake in the world to have been recorded; it’s just behind the 1960 Valdivia earthquake in Chile, which had a maximum magnitude of 9.6.