Today in History: July 27

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – On this day in Bahamian history – In 1816, the first major battle of the Seminole wars, the battle of Negro Fort took place in Spanish Florida.

A cannonball was fired into the fort by a navy gunboat hitting a powder magazine causing an explosion that killed over 300 of the 330 inhabitants.

After the war the fort was abandoned by Edward Nicholls and it became a refuge and community for Africans who escaped captivity.

Then in 2020, a wedding in Eleuthera sparked outrage in the country when two Americans tied the knot during a weekend lockdown.

Many couples had to have their wedding plans postponed due to the sudden lockdown changes, however, the couple on Harbor Island was permitted to conduct their wedding and exceed the 5-person limit.

And also, that same day, Owen Arthur, prime minister of Barbados, would take his last breath.

Arthur was the longest-serving prime minister of Barbados and left a lasting mark on the economic and social development of that island.

He was 70 years old.

Finally, in 2022, an industrial accident at Bahamas Hot Mix on Grand Bahama killed three people including a Bahamian, Dominican, and an American.

It was reported the men were cleaning a floating tank filled with scrap metal when they were exposed to chemicals.

One man entered the tank but did not come out for some time. Shortly after another man went in who also did not return then finally the last man went in looking for them.

Once emergency services arrived, they were found unresponsive and pronounced dead.