1. In 1865, Union troops under the command of General William T. Sherman burned the city of Columbia, South Carolina to the ground during the Civil War. The devastating fire left much of the city destroyed, including many homes and businesses. It is still considered one of the worst urban disasters in American history.

2. On March 27, 1936, the Lake Murray dam was completed in South Carolina, creating the state's largest man-made lake. The dam was built by the New Deal-era Public Works Administration and provided much-needed jobs and electricity to the region.

3. In 1977, the University of South Carolina men's basketball team won its first NCAA tournament game in school history, defeating the Wichita State Shockers by a score of 89-75. The Gamecocks would go on to reach the tournament's Elite Eight that year, marking a significant turning point for the program.

4. On March 27, 1988, the remains of Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart were reinterred at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia, ending a nearly century-long dispute over where he should be buried. Stuart, who died during the Civil War, was originally buried in an unmarked grave in South Carolina before being moved several times over the years.

5. South Carolina became the first state to secede from the United States in 1860, a decision that ultimately led to the Civil War. On March 27 of that year, the state's governor, Francis W. Pickens, signed an ordinance of secession that declared South Carolina to be an independent sovereign state outside of the Union.