What happened this day in history: December 27

1871 - The world’s first cat show took place, at Crystal Palace.

1904 - The Abbey opened in Dublin - the first state-subsidised theatre in the world.

1904 - J M Barrie’s Peter Pan premiered at the Duke of York Theatre in London.

1945 - The International Monetary Fund was set up in Washington.

1965 - Britain’s first off-shore drilling platform, Sea Gem, capsized off the north-east coast of England, killing 13 men.

1975 - The Sex Discrimination and Equal Pay Acts were introduced.

1977 - Thousands of people flocked to cinemas across the UK to watch the long-awaited blockbuster, Star Wars.

1978 - After 40 years of dictatorship, Spain adopted a new constitution and became a democracy.

1997 - Leading Protestant paramilitary, Billy Wright, was shot dead at the maximum security Maze prison in Northern Ireland.

2007 - Former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in a shooting incident.