February 27
is the 58th day of the year in the
Gregorian Calendar. There are 307 days remaining, 308 in
leap years.
*
1560 - The
Treaty of Berwick, which would expel the
French from
Scotland, is signed by
England and the Congregation of
Scotland.
*
1594 -
Henry IV is crowned
King of
France.
*
1617 -
Sweden and
Russia sign the
Treaty of Stolbovo, ending the
Ingrian War and shutting
Russia out of the
Baltic Sea.
*
1626 -
Yuan Chonghuan is appointed Governor of Liaodong.
*
1700 - The island of
New Britain is discovered.
*
1703 - The first
Mardi Gras is celebrated in
Mobile, Alabama.
*
1793 - The
Giles resolutions are introduced to the
United States House of Representatives asking the House to condemn
Alexander Hamilton's handling of loans.
*
1801 -
Washington, DC is placed under the jurisdiction of the
U.S. Congress.
*
1812 - Poet
Lord Byron gives his first address as a member of the
House of Lords, in defense of
Luddite violence against
Industrialism in his home county of
Nottinghamshire.
*
1827 - The first Mardi Gras is celebrated in
New Orleans, Louisiana.
*
1844 - The
Dominican Republic gains independence from
Haiti.
*
1860 -
Abraham Lincoln makes a speech at
Cooper Union in the city of
New York that was largely responsible for his election to the
Presidency.
*
1861 -
Rudolf Steiner founder of
Anthroposophy (a spiritual science) is born in Austria.
*
1861 - A crowd in
Warsaw protesting
Russian rule over
Poland is fired upon by
Russian troops, killing five protesters.
*
1864 -
American Civil War: The first
Northern prisoners arrive at the
Confederate prison at
Andersonville, Georgia.
*
1879 - Announcement of the discovery of artificial sweetener
saccharin.
*
1900 -
Second Boer War: In
South Africa,
British military leaders receive an unconditional notice of surrender from
Boer General Piet Cronje at the
Battle of Paardeberg.
* 1900 - The
British Labour Party is founded.
* 1900 - The
FC Bayern München (
Munich) is founded.
*
1921 - The
International Working Union of Socialist Parties is founded in
Vienna.
*
1922 - A challenge to the
Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, allowing women the right to
vote, is rebuffed by the
Supreme Court of the United States.
*
1933 -
Reichstag fire:
Germany's parliament building in
Berlin, the
Reichstag, is set on fire.
*
1939 -
American Civil Rights Movement: Sit-down
strikes are outlawed by the
Supreme Court of the United States.1940 - Martin Kamen and Sam Ruben discovered Carbon-14
*
1942 -
World War II: the
USS Langley, the first
United States aircraft carrier, is sunk by
Japanese warplanes.
*
1943 - The
Smith Mine #3 in
Bearcreek,
Montana,
United States explodes, killing 74 men.
*
1948 - The
Communist Party takes control of government in
Czechoslovakia.
*
1951 - The
Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution, limiting
Presidents to two terms, is ratified.
*
1961 - The first congress of the
Spanish Trade Union Organisation is inaugurated.
*
1963 - The
Dominican Republic receives its first democratically elected
president,
Juan Bosch, since the end of the dictatorship led by
Rafael Trujillo.
*
1964 - The government of
Italy asks for help to keep the
Leaning Tower of Pisa from toppling over.
*
1967 -
Dominica gains independence from the
United Kingdom.
*
1971 - Doctors in the first
Dutch abortion clinic (the
Mildredhuis in
Arnhem) start to perform
abortus provocatus .
*
1973 - The
American Indian Movement occupies
Wounded Knee, South Dakota.
*
1974 -
People magazine is published for the first time.
*
1976 - The formerly
Spanish territory of
Western Sahara, under the auspices of the
Polisario Front declares independence as the
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.
*
1986 - The
United States Senate allows its debates to be
televised on a trial basis.
*
1989 -
Venezuela is rocked by the
Caracazo.
*
1990 -
Exxon Valdez oil spill:
Exxon and its shipping company are indicted on five criminal counts.
*
1991 -
Gulf War:
U.S. President George H. W. Bush announces that "
Kuwait is liberated."
*
1996 -
Satoshi Tajiri creates the hit
media franchise Pokémon.
*
1999 - While trying to circumnavigate the world in a
hot air balloon,
Colin Prescot and
Andy Elson set a new endurance record after being in a hot air balloon for 233 hours and 55 minutes.
* 1999 -
Olusegun Obasanjo becomes
Nigeria's first elected president since mid-
1983.
*
2002 -
Ryanair Flight 296 catches fire in
London Stansted Airport. Subsequent investigations criticize
Ryanair's handling of the evacuation.
* 2002 -
2002 Gujarat violence: a train catches fire a few minutes after it leaves the
Godhra railway station, killing an estimated 58
Hindu pilgrims returning from
Ayodhya and triggering riots that lead to the death of 1000 people, mostly
Muslims.
*
2003 -
Rowan Williams is enthroned as the 104th
Archbishop of Canterbury in the
Anglican church.
*
2004 - A bombing of a
Superferry by
Abu Sayyaf in the
Philippines kills 116, its worst terrorist attack.
* 2004 - Former
BPMC general secretary
Ordrick Samuel launches a new party in
Barbuda,
Barbudans for a Better Barbuda.
*
2005 - Pre-pay price capping on the
Transport for London Oyster card is introduced.
*
272 -
Constantine I, Roman emperor (d.
337)
*
1691 -
Edward Cave, English editor and publisher (d.
1754)
*
1711 -
Constantine Mavrocordatos, Prince of Wallachia and Prince of Moldavia (d.
1769)
*
1807 -
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet (d.
1882)
*
1861 -
Rudolf Steiner, Austrian philosopher (d.
1925)
*
1886 -
Hugo Black, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (d.
1971)
*
1888 -
Lotte Lehmann, German singer (d.
1976)
* 1888 -
Roberto Assagioli, Italian psychiatrist (d.
1974)
*
1888 -
Earl Caddock, Professional wrestler
*
1890 -
Freddie Keppard, American jazz musician (d.
1933)
*
1891 -
David Sarnoff, Russian-born broadcasting pioneer (d.
1971)
*
1892 -
William Demarest, American actor (d.
1983)
*
1897 -
Marian Anderson, American contralto (d.
1993)
*
1899 -
Charles Best, American medical scientist (d.
1978)
*
1902 -
Gene Sarazen, American golfer (d.
1999)
*
1902 -
John Steinbeck, American writer,
Nobel Prize laureate (d.
1968)
*
1903 -
Grethe Weiser, German actress (d.
1970)
*
1904 -
James T. Farrell, American writer (d.
1979)
* 1904 -
Yulii Borisovich Khariton, Russian physicist (d.
1996)
* 1904 -
André Leducq, French cyclist (d.
1980)
* 1904 -
Chick Fullis, baseball player (d.
1946)
*
1905 -
Franchot Tone, American actor (d.
1968)
*
1907 -
Mildred Bailey, American singer (d.
1951)
*
1910 -
Joan Bennett, American actress (d.
1990)
* 1910 -
Peter De Vries, American writer (d.
1993)
* 1910 -
Kelly Johnson, American aircraft engineer (d.
1990)
*
1912 -
Lawrence Durrell, British writer (d.
1990)
*
1913 -
Irwin Shaw, American writer (d.
1984)
*
1917 -
John Connally, Governor of Texas (d.
1993)
*
1922 -
Hans Rookmaaker, Dutch professor and art historian (d.
1977)
*
1923 -
Dexter Gordon, American jazz saxophonist (d.
1990)
*
1925 -
Samuel Dash, American Congressional counsel (d.
2004)
*
1926 -
David H. Hubel, Canadian neuroscientist, recipient of the
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine*
1927 -
Lynn Cartwright, American actress (d.
2004)
* 1927 -
Guy Mitchell, American singer (d.
1999)
*
1929 -
Djalma Santos, Brazilian football player
*
1930 -
Paul von Ragué Schleyer, American chemist
*
1930 -
Peter Stone, American writer (d.
2003)
* 1930 -
Joanne Woodward, American actress
*
1932 -
Elizabeth Taylor, British-American actress
*
1933 -
Raymond Berry, American football player
*
1934 -
Vincent Fourcade, French American interior designer and socialite (d.
1992)
* 1934 -
N. Scott Momaday, American writer
* 1934 -
Ralph Nader, American consumer activist
* 1934 -
Van Williams, American actor
*
1935 -
Mirella Freni, Italian soprano
*
1937 -
Barbara Babcock, American actress
*
1940 -
Howard Hesseman, American actor
*
1941 -
Paddy Ashdown, British politician
*
1942 -
Robert H. Grubbs, American chemist,
Nobel Prize laureate
* 1942 -
Charlayne Hunter-Gault, American journalist
*
1943 -
Mary Frann, American actress (d.
1998)
* 1943 -
Morten Lauridsen, American composer
*
1945 -
Carl Anderson, American singer and actor (d.
2004)
*
1947 -
Gidon Kremer, Latvian violinist
*
1951 -
Steve Harley, British rock musician (Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel)
*
1954 -
Neal Schon, American musician (
Journey)
*
1956 -
Marjorie Russo, American poet
*
1957 -
Viktor Markin, Russian athlete
* 1957 -
Adrian Smith, English musician (
Iron Maiden)
*
1962 -
Adam Baldwin, American actor
* 1962 -
Grant Show, American actor
*
1965 -
Noah Emmerich, American actor
* 1965 -
Frank Peter Zimmermann, German violinist
*
1966 -
Donal Logue, Canadian actor
*
1969 -
Brad Vander Ark, American musician
*
1970 -
Michael A. Burstein, American writer
*
1971 -
Derren Brown, British psychological illusionist
* 1971 -
Rozonda Thomas, American singer (
TLC)
*
1977 -
Lance Hoyt, Canadian professional wrestler
*
1978 -
James Beattie, English footballer
*
1980 -
Bobby Valentino, American singer
*
1980 -
Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former U.S. President
Bill Clinton*
1981 -
Josh Groban, American singer
*
1984 -
Juliana Imai, Brazilian model
*
1985 -
Fefe Dobson, Canadian singer
* 1985 -
Abe Asami. Japanese singer and actress.
*
1988 -
JD Natasha, American musician
*
1659 -
Henry Dunster, first President of Harvard College (b.
1609)
*
1699 -
Charles Paulet, 1st Duke of Bolton, English politician (b. c.
1625)
*
1706 -
John Evelyn, English diarist (b.
1620)
*
1720 -
Samuel Parris, English-born Puritan minister (b.
1653)
*
1735 -
John Arbuthnot, English physician and writer (b.
1667)
*
1844 -
Nicholas Biddle, President of the Second Bank of the United States (b.
1786)
*
1887 -
Alexander Borodin, Russian composer (b.
1833)
*
1892 -
Louis Vuitton, French luggage maker (b.
1821)
*
1902 -
Breaker Morant, Anglo-Australian soldier executed in Boer War under controversial circumstances (b.
1864)
*
1921 -
Schofield Haigh, English cricketer (b.
1871)
*
1936 -
Ivan Pavlov, Russian physiologist, recipient of the
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b.
1849)
* 1936 -
Joshua W. Alexander, U.S. Secretary of Commerce under
Woodrow Wilson (b.
1852)
*
1941 -
William D. Byron, U.S. Congressman (b.
1895)
*
1964 -
Orry-Kelly, Australian costume designer (b.
1897)
*
1968 -
Frankie Lymon, American singer (b.
1942)
*
1972 -
Pat Brady, American actor and singer (b.
1914)
*
1977 -
John Dickson Carr, American author (b.
1905)
*
1978 -
Vadim Salmanov, Russian composer (b.
1912)
*
1980 -
George Tobias, American actor (b.
1901)
*
1985 -
Henry Cabot Lodge, American politician (b.
1902)
*
1986 -
Jacques Plante, Canadian hockey player (b.
1929)
*
1987 -
Joan Greenwood, English actress and director (b.
1921)
*
1989 -
Paul Oswald Ahnert, German astronomer (b.
1897)
* 1989 -
Konrad Lorenz, Austrian zoologist, recipient of the
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b.
1903)
*
1992 -
S. I. Hayakawa, Canadian-American linguist and politician (b.
1906)
*
1993 -
Lillian Gish, American actress (b.
1893)
*
1998 -
George H. Hitchings, American scientist, recipient of the
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b.
1905)
* 1998 -
J. T. Walsh, American actor (b.
1943)
*
2002 -
Spike Milligan, British comedian (b.
1918)
*
2003 -
John Lanchbery, English composer (b.
1923)
* 2003 -
Fred Rogers, American children's television actor (b.
1928)
*
2004 -
Paul Sweezy, American economist and editor (b.
1910)
*
2006 -
Otis Chandler, Former Publisher of the
L.A. Times (b.
1927)
* 2006 -
Robert Lee Scott, Jr., U.S. General, Flying Tiger, author (b.
1908)
* 2006 -
Linda Smith, British comedian (b.
1958)
*
Roman Empire -
Equirria, horse races in honour of the pagan war god
Mars were held.
*
Bahá'í Faith -
Day 2 of
Ayyám-i-Há (
Intercalary Days) - days in the
Bahá'í calendar devoted to service and gift giving.
*
Dominican Republic -
National Day.
*
International Polar Bear Day.
* First day of
Maslenitsa in
Russia (
2006)
Liturgical feasts
*
Saint Gabriel of the Mother of Sorrows*
Saint Leander*
Saint Antigone*
Saint Honorine*
BBC: On This Day*
The New York Times: On This Day*
On This Day in CanadaJanuary 27 -
February 26 -
February 28 -
March 27 --
listing of all days
