On this day: June 27

1902 Cambridge Hoax: the first documented staged scientific fraud exposed

On June 27, 1912, the Cambridge hoax involving fabricated archaeological evidence—staged in 1902 by museum staff and students—was publicly exposed, revealing one of the earliest documented cases of deliberate scientific fakery in Britain.

The earliest recorded mass poisoning linked to contaminated alcohol (June 27, 1927)

On June 27, 1927, authorities documented one of the first widely reported incidents of mass poisoning tied to contaminated alcoholic beverages, when multiple people fell ill after consuming locally produced spirits; contemporary reports tied the illnesses to improper distillation and adulteration.

2003 European heat wave triggers widespread infrastructure failures

A prolonged heat wave across Europe in late June 2003 led to cascading infrastructure failures — from rail buckling and road surface damage to power grid strains and water shortages — compounding public-health impacts during one of the continent’s deadliest summer heat events.

World's First Nuclear Power Plant Begins Commercial Operation in Obninsk, 1954

On June 27, 1954, the Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant in the Soviet Union began supplying electricity to the grid, marking the first time a nuclear reactor generated power for a civilian grid on a connected, sustained basis.