1. In 2002, Oregon became the first state in the US to legalize physician-assisted suicide, with the passage of the Death with Dignity Act. The law allows terminally ill patients to end their lives with medication prescribed by a physician.

2. On March 27, 1964, the largest earthquake ever recorded in the Pacific Northwest struck Alaska, causing a tsunami that devastated the Oregon coast. The wave, which reached heights of up to 20 feet, caused millions of dollars in damage and resulted in four deaths.

3. In 1851, the first land claim in what is now Portland, Oregon was filed by a man named Francis W. Pettygrove. Pettygrove famously won a coin toss against fellow settler Asa Lovejoy to name the city, resulting in the name "Portland" rather than "Boston."

4. The Oregon Country Fair, a beloved annual celebration of art, music, and community held near Eugene, Oregon, was first held in 1969 on March 27th. The event draws tens of thousands of people from around the world each year.

5. On March 27, 1930, Oregon Public Broadcasting - then known as the Oregon Educational Broadcasting Association - began broadcasting from a small studio in the basement of a high school in Portland. OPB has since grown into one of the most respected public broadcasting organizations in the country.