March 27
is the
86th day of the year in the
Gregorian Calendar (87th in
leap years). There are 279 days remaining.
*
1513 - (not
1512 as often cited) -
Explorer Juan Ponce de León sights
North America (specifically
Florida) for the first time, mistaking it for another
island.
*
1625 -
Charles I becomes
King of
England,
Scotland and
Ireland as well as claiming the title
King of France.
*
1782 -
Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham becomes
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
*
1794 - The
government of the United States establishes a permanent
United States Navy and authorizes the building of six
frigates.
* 1794 -
Denmark and
Sweden form a
neutrality compact.
*
1814 -
War of 1812: In central
Alabama,
United States forces under
General Andrew Jackson defeat the
Creek at the
Battle of Horseshoe Bend.
*
1836 -
Texas Revolution:
Goliad massacre -
Antonio López de Santa Anna orders the
Mexican army to kill about 400
Texans at
Goliad, Texas.
*
1846 -
Mexican-American War:
Siege of Fort Texas.
*
1851 - First reported case of
Europeans seeing
Yosemite Valley.
*
1854 -
Crimean War:
United Kingdom declares war on
Russia.
*
1868 - The
Lake Ontario Shore Railroad Company is organized in
Oswego, New York.
*
1871 - First international
rugby football match,
England v.
Scotland, played in
Edinburgh at
Raeburn Place.
*
1890 - A tornado strikes
Louisville, Kentucky, killing 76 and injuring 200.
*
1906 - Founding of the
Alpine Club of Canada in
Winnipeg, Manitoba.
*
1918 -
Moldova and
Bessarabia annexed to
Romania.
*
1923 -
FART construction completed.
*
1938 -
Battle of Tai er zhuang.
*
1942 -
World War II:
United Kingdom forces raid the
U-boat base at
St. Nazaire,
France.
*
1945 -
World War II:
Operation Starvation, the aerial mining of
Japan's ports and waterways begins.
*
1958 -
Nikita Khrushchev becomes
Premier of the Soviet Union.
*
1963 -
Dr Beeching issues a report calling for huge cuts to the
United Kingdom's rail network. See
Beeching axe.
*
1964 - The
Good Friday Earthquake, the most powerful earthquake in
U.S. history at a
magnitude of 9.2 strikes
South Central Alaska, killing 125 people and inflicting massive damage to the city of
Anchorage.
*
1969 -
Mariner 7 is launched.
*
1976 - The first 4.6 miles of the
Washington, DC subway system is opened.
*
1977 -
Tenerife disaster: Two
jumbo jets collide on a foggy runway on
Tenerife in the
Canary Islands, killing 583.
*
1980 - The
Norwegian oil platform
Alexander Kielland collapses in the
North Sea, killing 123 of its crew of 212.
* 1980 -
Silver Thursday market crash.
*
1986 -
Car bomb explodes at
Russell Street Police HQ in
Melbourne, killing 1 police officer,
Angela Taylor, and injuring 21 people.
*
1988 -
Moudud Ahmed becomes
Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
*
1990 -
Propaganda: The
United States begins broadcasting
TV Martí to
Cuba.
*
1993 -
Jiang Zemin is appointed
President of the
People's Republic of China.
* 1993 -
Albert Zafy becomes
President of
Madagascar.
* 1993 -
Mahamane Ousmane becomes
President of
Niger.
*
1994 - One of the biggest tornado outbreaks in recent memory hits the
Southeastern United States. One tornado slams into a church in
Piedmont, Alabama during
Palm Sunday services killing 20 and injuring 90.
*
2002 -
Passover Massacre: A
suicide bomber kills 29 people in
Netanya,
Israel.
*
2004 -
HMS Scylla, a decommissioned
Leander frigate, is sunk as an artificial reef off
Cornwall, the first of its kind in
Europe.
*
2006 - The
UN Commission on Human Rights holds its final meeting.
*
972 - King
Robert I of France (d.
1031)
*
1416 -
Antonio Squarcialupi, Italian composer (d.
1480)
*
1627 -
Stephen Fox, English politician (d.
1716)
*
1696 -
Antoine Court, French Huguenot minister (d.
1760)
*
1702 -
Johann Ernst Eberlin, German composer (d.
1762)
*
1712 -
Claude Bourgelat, French veterinary surgeon (d.
1779)
*
1714 -
Francesco Antonio Zaccaria, Italian theologian and historian (d.
1795)
*
1730 -
Thomas Tyrwhitt, English classical scholar (d.
1786)
*
1746 -
Michael Bruce, Scottish poet (d.
1767)
*
1765 -
Franz Xaver von Baader, German philosopher and theologian (d.
1841)
*
1785 - King
Louis XVII of France (d.
1795)
*
1797 -
Alfred de Vigny, French author (d.
1863)
*
1809 -
Baron Haussmann, French civic planner (d.
1891)
*
1810 -
William Hepworth Thompson, English classical scholar (d.
1886)
*
1813 -
Nathaniel Currier, American illustrator (d.
1888)
*
1817 -
Karl Wilhelm von Nägeli, Swiss biologist (d.
1891)
*
1845 -
Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, German physicist,
Nobel Prize laureate (d.
1923)
*
1847 -
Otto Wallach, German chemist,
Nobel Prize laureate (d.
1931)
*
1851 -
Vincent d'Indy, French composer and teacher (d.
1931)
*
1857 -
Karl Pearson, English statistician (d.
1936)
*
1860 -
Frank Frost Abbott, American classical scholar (d.
1924)
*
1863 - Sir
Henry Royce, English automobile pioneer (d.
1933)
*
1869 -
James McNeill, Irish politician (d.
1938)
*
1871 -
Heinrich Mann, German writer (d.
1950)
*
1879 -
Miller Huggins, baseball player and manager (d.
1929)
*
1883 -
Marie Under, Estonian author and poet (d.
1980)
*
1886 -
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, German architect (d.
1969)
*
1892 -
Ferde Grofé, American composer (d.
1972)
*
1893 -
Karl Mannheim, Hungarian sociologist (d.
1947)
*
1899 -
Gloria Swanson, American actress (d.
1983)
*
1901 -
Carl Barks, American illustrator (d.
2000)
* 1901 -
Sasaki Naojiro, Japanese author (d.
1943)
* 1901 -
Erich Ollenhauer, German politician (d.
1963)
* 1901 -
Eisaku Sato,
Prime Minister of Japan, recipient of the
Nobel Peace Prize (d.
1975)
* 1901 -
Kenneth Slessor, Australian poet (d.
1971)
*
1905 -
Elsie MacGill, Canadian aeronautical engineer (d.
1980)
*
1906 -
Pee Wee Russell, American musician (d.
1969)
*
1909 -
Golo Mann, German historian (d.
1994)
*
1912 -
James Callaghan,
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d.
2005)
*
1913 -
Theodor Dannecker, SS officer (d.
1945)
*
1914 -
Richard Denning, American actor (d.
1998)
* 1914 -
Budd Schulberg, American screenwriter and novelist
*
1915 -
Junior Lockwood, American musician
*
1917 -
Cyrus Vance, American politician (d.
2002)
*
1921 -
Harold Nicholas, American dancer (d.
2000)
*
1922 -
Stefan Wul, French author (d.
2003)
*
1923 -
Endo Shusaku, Japanese author (d.
1996)
* 1923 -
Louis Simpson, Jamaican-born poet
*
1924 -
Sarah Vaughan, American singer (d.
1990)
*
1927 -
Mstislav Rostropovich, Russian cellist and conductor
*
1931 -
David Janssen, American actor (d.
1980)
*
1935 -
Abelardo Castillo, Argentine writer
* 1935 -
Julian Glover, British actor
*
1939 -
Cale Yarborough, American race car driver
*
1941 -
Ivan Gašparovič,
President of Slovakia*
1942 -
John E. Sulston, British chemist, recipient of the
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine* 1942 -
Michael York, English actor
*
1947 -
Alan Belk, Canadian philosopher
* 1947 -
Brian Jones, British balloonist
*
1949 -
Leigh Steinberg, American
sports agent*
1950 -
Tony Banks, English musician (
Genesis)
* 1950 -
Lynn McGlothen, baseball player (d.
1984)
*
1952 -
Maria Schneider, French actress
*
1956 -
Leung Kwok Hung, Hong Kong activist
*
1957 -
Nick Hawkins, British politician
*
1959 -
Andrew Farriss, Australian musician (
INXS)
* 1959 -
neta moran,
israelin actress
*
1960 -
Hans Pflügler, former German footballer
*
1961 -
Tak Matsumoto, Japanese guitarist (
B'z)
* 1961 -
Tony Rominger, Swiss cyclist
*
1962 -
Jann Arden, Canadian musician
*
1963 -
Quentin Tarantino, American director, writer, and producer
* 1963 -
Xuxa, Brazilian television personality
*
1966 -
Paula Trickey, American actress
*
1967 -
Talisa Soto, American actress
* 1968 -
Sandra Hess, Swiss-born actress and model
*
1969 -
Keith Flint, member of British group
The Prodigy* 1969 -
Pauley Perrette, American actress, photographer, poet, writer
*
1970 -
Mariah Carey, American singer
* 1970 -
Princess Leila of Iran (d.
2001)
* 1970 -
Brendan Hill, British drummer (
Blues Traveler)
*
1971 -
David Coulthard, Scottish race car driver
* 1971 -
Nathan Fillion, Canadian actor
*
1972 -
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Dutch footballer
* 1972 -
Charlie Haas, Professional wrestler
*
1974 -
Gaizka Mendieta, Spanish footballer
* 1974 -
Russ Haas, wrestler (d.
2001)
*
1975 -
Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson, American musician (
Black Eyed Peas)
*
1981 -
Terry McFlynn, Irish footballer
*
1982 -
Kurara Chibana, Japanese beauty queen, First runner-up
Miss Universe 2006*
1985 -
Caroline Winberg, Swedish supermodel
*
1986 -
Valerie "So Cal Val" Wyndham, American professional wrestling valet
*
1988 -
Brenda Song, American actress
*
1995 -
Taylor Atelian, American actress
*
1191 -
Pope Clement III*
1350 - King
Alfonso XI of Castile (b.
1312)
*
1378 -
Pope Gregory XI*
1462 -
Vasili II of Russia, Grand Prince of Moscow (b.
1415)
*
1482 -
Mary of Burgundy, daughter of
Charles the Bold and wife of
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (b.
1457)
*
1555 -
William Hunter, protestant martyr
*
1572 -
Girolamo Maggi, Italian
Renaissance man (b. abt.
1523)
*
1625 - King
James I of England and Ireland, James VI of Scotland (b.
1566)
*
1635 -
Robert Naunton, English politician (b.
1563)
*
1697 -
Simon Bradstreet, English colonial magistrate (b.
1603)
*
1757 -
Johann Stamitz, Czech-born composer (b.
1717)
*
1770 -
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Italian artist (b.
1696)
*
1809 -
Joseph-Marie Vien, French painter (b.
1716)
*
1827 -
François Alexandre Frédéric, duc de la Rochefoucauld-Liancourt, French social reformer (b.
1747)
*
1836 -
James Fannin, Texas revolutionary (b.
1804)
*
1843 -
Karl Salomo Zachariae von Lingenthal, German jurist (b.
1769)
*
1849 -
Archibald Acheson, 2nd Earl of Gosford (b.
1776)
*
1850 -
Wilhelm Beer, German astronomer (b.
1797)
*
1864 -
Jean-Jacques Ampère, French scholar (b.
1800)
*
1865 -
Petrus Hoffman Peerlkamp, Dutch scholar (b.
1786)
*
1873 -
Amedée Simon Dominique Thierry, French journalist and historian (b.
1797)
*
1875 -
Edgar Quinet, French historian (b.
1803)
*
1878 - Sir
George Gilbert Scott, English architect (b.
1811)
*
1889 -
John Bright, English statesman (b.
1811)
*
1898 -
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, a famous
Indian Muslim intellectual of the 19th Century (b.
1817)
*
1910 -
Alexander Emanuel Agassiz, American scientist and engineer (b.
1835)
*
1918 -
Henry Adams, American historian (b.
1838)
*
1923 - Sir
James Dewar, Scottish chemist (b.
1842)
*
1924 -
Walter Parratt, English composer (b.
1841)
*
1926 -
Georges Vézina, Canadian ice hockey player (b.
1887)
*
1927 -
Joe Start, baseball player (b.
1842)
*
1931 -
Arnold Bennett, British novelist (b.
1867)
*
1940 -
Michael Joseph Savage,
Prime Minister of New Zealand (b.
1872)
*
1967 -
Jaroslav Heyrovský, Czech chemist,
Nobel Prize laureate (b.
1890)
* 1967 -
Jim Thompson, American designer (disappeared) (b.
1906)
*
1968 -
Yuri Gagarin, cosmonaut (b.
1934)
*
1969 -
B. Traven, German writer
*
1972 -
Sharkey Bonano, American musician (b.
1904)
* 1972 -
M.C. Escher, Dutch artist (b.
1898)
*
1977 -
A. P. Hamann, American politician
* 1977 -
Diana Hyland, American actress (b.
1936)
*
1981 -
Mao Dun, Chinese writer (b.
1895)
*
1989 -
May Allison, American actress (b.
1890)
* 1989 -
Jack Starrett, American actor and director (b.
1936)
*
1991 -
Ralph Bates, British actor (b.
1940)
* 1991 -
Aldo Ray, American actor (b.
1926)
*
1992 -
Easley Blackwood, American bridge player (b.
1903)
*
1993 -
Paul László, Hungarian interior designer and architect (b.
1900)
*
1998 -
David McClelland, American psychologist (b.
1917)
* 1998 -
Ferry Porsche, Austrian automobile manufacturer (b.
1909)
*
2000 -
Ian Dury, English musician (b.
1942)
*
2002 -
Milton Berle, American actor and comedian (b.
1908)
* 2002 -
Dudley Moore, British actor, musician, and composer (b.
1935)
* 2002 -
Billy Wilder, American director (b.
1906)
*
2003 -
Daniel Ceccaldi, French actor (b.
1927)
* 2003 -
Ricardo Munguia, Salvadoran aid worker
* 2003 -
Paul Zindel, American writer (b.
1936)
*
2004 -
Adán Sánchez, Mexican-American singer (b.
1984)
*
2005 -
Bob Casey, baseball announcer (b.
1925)
*
2006 -
Stanisław Lem, Polish writer (b.
1921)
* 2006 -
Dan Curtis, American television producer and director (b.
1928)
* 2006 -
Lyn Nofziger, American journalist and political advisor to
Ronald Reagan (b.
1924)
*
Angolan
Victory Day.
*
World Theatre DayLiturgical feasts
*Feast day of
Rupert of Salzburg in the
Roman Catholic Church.
*
St. John of Egypt*
St. Augusta*
St. Lydia*
BBC: On This Day*
Today in History: March 27March 26 -
March 28 -
February 27 -
April 27 --
listing of all days
