January 27
Template:Linked-title is the 27th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 338 days remaining (339 in leap years).
Events
- 98 - Trajan becomes Roman Emperor after the death of Nerva.
- 672 - St. Vitalian ends his reign as Catholic Pope.
- 847 - Sergius II ends his reign as Catholic Pope.
- 1142 - Wrongful execution of noted Song Dynasty General Yue Fei.
- 1186 - Henry VI, the son and heir of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I, weds Constance of Sicily.
- 1343 - Pope Clement VI issues the Bull Unigenitus.
- 1593 - Vatican opens 7 year trial against scholar Giordano Bruno.
- 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: The trial of Guy Fawkes and other conspirators begins, and ending in their execution on January 31.
- 1695 - Mustafa II becomes the Ottoman sultan in Istanbul on the death of Ahmed II. Mustafa rules until his death in 1703.
- 1785 - The University of Georgia is founded, the first public university in the United States.
- 1825 - U.S. Congress approves Indian Territory (in what is present-day Oklahoma), clearing the way for forced relocation of the Eastern Indians on the "Trail of Tears."
- 1870 - The first college sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, is formed at DePauw University.
- 1880 - Thomas Edison files a patent for his electric incandescent lamp.
- 1888 - In Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Society is founded.
- 1900 - Boxer Rebellion: Foreign diplomats in Peking, China demand that the Boxer rebels be disciplined.
- 1909 - The Young Left is founded in Norway.
- 1915 - United States Marines occupy Haiti.
- 1918 - The first hostilities occurred in the Finnish Civil War, beginning the war.
- 1926 - John Logie Baird demonstrates the first television broadcast.
- 1939 - United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt approves the sale of U.S. war planes to France.
- 1939 - First flight of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning.
- 1941 - World War II: Fighting at Derna, Libya, begins. Following the capture of Tobruk, two brigades of the 6th Australian Division under Major General Iven Mackay pursue the Italians westwards and encounters an Italian rear guard at Derna.
- 1943 - World War II: Fifty bombers mount the first entirely American air raid against Germany, targeting Wilhelmshaven.
- 1944 - World War II: The two-year Siege of Leningrad is lifted.
- 1945 - World War II: The Red Army arrives at [[Auschwitz concentration
- 1945 - World War II: Lt.Col. Mucci comades Army Rangers to liberate the prisoners of the Cabanatuan POW camp.
camp|Auschwitz]] and Birkenau in Poland and find the Nazi concentration camp.
- 1951 - Nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site begins with a one-kiloton bomb dropped on Frenchman Flats.
- 1967 - Project Apollo: Apollo 1 - Astronauts Gus Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee are killed in a fire during a test of the spacecraft at the Kennedy Space Center.
- 1967 - More than sixty nations sign the Outer Space Treaty banning nuclear weapons in space.
- 1969 - The present-day Hetch Hetchy Moccasin Powerhouse, rated at 100,000KVA was completed and placed in operation.
- 1973 - Paris Peace Accords officially end the Vietnam War, Colonel William Nolde falls, becoming the conflict's last recorded American combat casualty.
- 1977 - Record company EMI sacks the controversial United Kingdom punk rock group the Sex Pistols.
- 1983 - World's longest subaqueous tunnel (53.90 km) opens in Japan connecting the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido.
- 1984 - Carl Lewis beats his own indoor world long jump record by 9¼ inches (23.5 centimeters) with a 28-foot, 10¼-inch (8.795-meter) jump.
- 1991 - The New York Giants defeat the Buffalo Bills 20-19 to win Super Bowl XXV. Placekicker Scott Norwood had the opportunity to win the game with seconds remaining, but his kick would sail wide right.
- 1996 - Colonel Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara deposes the first democratically elected president of Niger, Mahamane Ousmane, in a military coup.
- 1996 - Germany observes its 1st Holocaust Remembrance Day.
- 1997 - It is revealed that French museums have nearly 2,000 pieces of art that were stolen by Nazis.
- 1998 - American First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton appears on The Today Show, calling the attacks against her husband part of a vast right-wing conspiracy.
- 2001 - Ten members of the Oklahoma State University men's basketball team and support staff die in a plane crash in Colorado.
- 2002 - Several explosions at a military dump in Lagos, Nigeria kill more than 1,000.
Births
- 1443 - Albert, Duke of Saxony (d. 1500)
- 1546 - Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg (d. 1608)
- 1585 - Hendrick Avercamp, Dutch painter (d. 1634)
- 1603 - Harbottle Grimston, English politician (d. 1685)
- 1621 - Thomas Willis, English physician (d. 1675)
- 1662 - Richard Bentley, English classical scholar (d. 1742)
- 1687 - Balthasar Neumann, German architect (d. 1753)
- 1701 - Johann Nikolaus von Hontheim, German historian (d. 1790)
- 1720 - Samuel Foote, English dramatist (d. 1777)
- 1741 - Hester Thrale, Welsh diarist (d. 1821)
- 1756 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Austrian composer (d. 1791)
- 1805 - Samuel Palmer, English artist (d. 1881)
- 1806 - Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga, Spanish composer (d. 1826)
- 1814 - Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, French architect (d. 1879)
- 1823 - Edouard Lalo, French composer (d. 1892)
- 1826 - Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin, Russian writer (d. 1889)
- 1826 - Richard Taylor, American Confederate general (d. 1879)
- 1832 - Lewis Carroll, English author (d. 1898)
- 1836 - Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, Austrian writer (d. 1895)
- 1841 - Arkhip Kuindzhi, Russian painter (d. 1910)
- 1848 - Togo Heihachiro, Japanese admiral (d. 1934)
- 1850 - Samuel Gompers, American labor leader (d. 1924)
- 1850 - Edward J. Smith, English captain of the Titanic (d. 1912)
- 1859 - Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany (d. 1941)
- 1885 - Jerome Kern, American composer (d. 1945)
- 1885 - Eduard Künneke, German composer (d. 1953)
- 1885 - Maeda Seison, Japanese painter (d. 1977)
- 1891 - Ilya Ehrenburg, Russian writer (d. 1967)
- 1893 - Soong Ching-ling, Chinese wife of Sun Yat-sen (d. 1981)
- 1895 - Harry Ruby, American composer & songwriter (d. 1974)
- 1900 - Hyman Rickover, American admiral (d. 1986)
- 1901 - Art Rooney, American football team owner (d. 1988)
- 1901 - Willy Fritsch, German actor (d. 1973)
- 1903 - John Carew Eccles, Australian neuropsychologist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1997)
- 1905 - Howard McNear, American actor (d. 1969)
- 1908 - Oran "Hot Lips" Page, American musician (d. 1954)
- 1908 - William Randolph Hearst, Jr., American newspaper magnate (d. 1993)
- 1912 - Arne Næss, Norwegian philosopher
- 1918 - Skitch Henderson, English bandleader (d. 2005)
- 1918 - Elmore James, American blues musician (d. 1963)
- 1918 - William Seawell, United States Army Brigadier General (d. 2005)
- 1919 - Ross Bagdasarian, American musician (d. 1972)
- 1920 - Helmut Zacharias, German violinist (d. 2002)
- 1920 - John Box, British film production designer and art director (d. 2005)
- 1921 - Donna Reed, American actress (d. 1986)
- 1924 - Sabu Dastagir, Indian actor (d. 1963)
- 1924 - Rauf Denktaş, founder of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
- 1926 - Fritz Spiegl, Austrian journalist (d. 2003)
- 1926 - Ingrid Thulin, Swedish actress (d. 2004)
- 1928 - Michael Craig, British actor
- 1929 - Gastón Suárez, Bolivian novelist (d. 1984)
- 1930 - Bobby Blue Bland, American singer
- 1931 - Mordecai Richler, Canadian author (d. 2001)
- 1932 - Boris Shakhlin, Soviet gymnast
- 1936 - Troy Donahue, American actor (d. 2001)
- 1936 - Samuel C. C. Ting, American physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate
- 1937 - John Ogdon, English pianist (d. 1989)
- 1940 - James Cromwell, American actor
- 1940 - Terry Harper, National Hockey League defenceman
- 1944 - Mairéad Corrigan, Irish activist, Nobel Prize Laureate
- 1944 - Nick Mason, English musician (Pink Floyd)
- 1945 - Harold Cardinal, Cree political leader (d. 2005)
- 1946 - Nedra Talley, American singer (Ronettes)
- 1948 - Jean-Philippe Collard, French pianist
- 1949 - Ethan Mordden, American author
- 1950 - Amos Grunebaum, Israeli-born physician
- 1951 - Brian Downey, Irish musician (Thin Lizzy)
- 1952 - Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, American football player
- 1954 - Peter Laird, American comic-book artist
- 1954 - Joko Ninomiya, Japanese martial artist
- 1955 - John Glover Roberts, Jr., 17th Chief Justice of the United States
- 1955 - Alexander Stuart, British author
- 1955 - Brian Engblom, National Hockey League defenceman
- 1956 - Mimi Rogers, American actress
- 1957 - Frank Miller, American author
- 1957 - Janick Gers, guitarist from Iron Maiden
- 1958 - Kadri Mälk, Estonian artist and jewelry designer
- 1959 - Keith Olbermann, American news presenter
- 1959 - Cris Collinsworth, American football player
- 1961 - Margo Timmins, Canadian singer (Cowboy Junkies)
- 1961 - Gillian Gilbert, British musician (New Order)
- 1964 - Bridget Fonda, American actress
- 1965 - Alan Cumming, Scottish actor
- 1967 - Bobby Deol, Indian actor
- 1967 - Dave Manson, National Hockey League player
- 1968 - Mike Patton, American singer (Faith No More)
- 1968 - Tricky, English rapper
- 1969 - Cornelius, musician (Flipper's Guitar)
- 1969 - Michael Kulas, Canadian singer/songwriter (James)
- 1970 - Jon Douglas Rainey, actor/host of It Takes a Thief
- 1970 - Emmanuel Pahud, French-Swiss flute player
- 1971 - Fann Wong, Singapore entertainer (Shanghai Knights)
- 1971 - Patrice Brisebois, National Hockey League defenceman
- 1972 - Keith Wood, Irish rugby player
- 1974 - Chaminda Vaas, Sri Lankan cricketer
- 1974 - Andrei Pavel, Romanian tennis player
- 1976 - Clint Ford, American voice actor
- 1976 - Ahn Jung-Hwan, Korean football player
- 1978 - Pete Laforest, Major League Baseball catcher
- 1979 - Daniel Vettori, New Zealand cricketer
- 1979 - Rosamund Pike, British actress
- 1980 - Marat Safin, Russian tennis player
- 1981 - Alicia Molik, Australian tennis player
- 1983 - Carlo Colaiacovo, Canadian hockey player
- 1983 - Gavin Floyd, American baseball player
- 1987 - Lily Donaldson, British model
- 1988 - Kerlon Moura Souza, Brazilian footballer
Deaths
- 98 - Nerva, Roman Emperor (b. 35)
- 1490 - Ashikaga Yoshimasa, Japanese shogun (b. 1435)
- 1629 - Hieronymus Praetorius, German composer (b. 1560)
- 1638 - Gonzalo de Céspedes y Meneses, Spanish novelist
- 1688 - Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, grandmother of the Kangxi Emperor in Qing Dynasty China
- 1731 - Bartolomeo Cristofori, Italian maker of musical instruments (b. 1655)
- 1740 - Louis Henri, Duc de Bourbon, Prime Minister of France (b. 1692)
- 1814 - Johann Gottlieb Fichte, German philosopher (b. 1762)
- 1816 - Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood, British admiral (b. 1724)
- 1851 - John James Audubon, French-American naturalist, ornithologist, and painter (b. 1789)
- 1857 - Dorothea Lieven, Russian noblewoman (b. 1785)
- 1860 - János Bolyai, Hungarian mathematician (b. 1802)
- 1880 - Edward Middleton Barry, English architect (b. 1830)
- 1901 - Giuseppe Verdi, Italian composer (b. 1813)
- 1910 - Thomas Crapper, English inventor (b. 1836)
- 1919 - Endre Ady, Hungarian poet (b. 1877)
- 1921 - Maurice Vincent Buckley, Australian winner of the Victoria Cross (b. 1891)
- 1940 - Isaac Babel, Ukrainian writer (b. 1894)
- 1956 - Erich Kleiber, Argentine conductor (b. 1890)
- 1967 - Crew of Apollo 1:
- Roger Chaffee (b. 1935)
- Virgil "Gus" Grissom (b. 1926)
- Edward White (b. 1930)
- 1967 - Alphonse Juin, Marshal of France (b. 1888)
- 1970 - Rita Angus, New Zealand painter (b. 1908)
- 1971 - Jacobo Arbenz, President of Guatemala (b. 1913)
- 1972 - Mahalia Jackson, American singer (b. 1911)
- 1972 - Richard Courant, German-American mathematician (b. 1888)
- 1973 - William Nolde, last American combat casualty of Vietnam War (b. 1929)
- 1975 - Bill Walsh, American producer and writer (b. 1913)
- 1983 - Louis de Funès, French actor (b. 1914)
- 1986 - Lilli Palmer, German-born actress (b. 1914)
- 1988 - Massa Makan Diabaté, Malian author (b. 1938)
- 1989 - Thomas Sopwith, British aviation pioneer (b. 1888)
- 1993 - André the Giant, professional wrestler and actor (b. 1946)
- 1994 - Claude Akins, American actor (b. 1918)
- 1996 - Ralph Yarborough, American politician (b. 1903)
- 1997 - Gerald Marks, American songwriter (All of Me) (b. 1900)
- 2000 - Friedrich Gulda, Austrian pianist (b. 1930)
- 2003 - Henryk Jabłoński, President of communist People's Republic of Poland (b. 1909)
- 2003 - Louis Archambault, Quebec actor (b. 1915)
- 2004 - Jack Paar, American television show host (b. 1918)
- 2004 - Salvador Laurel, 9th Vice President of the Philippines (b. 1928)
- 2006 - Johannes Rau, 8th Bundespräsident (President of Germany) (b. 1931)
- 2006 - Gene McFadden, American singer and songwriter (b. 1949)
- 2007 - Gump Worsley, Professional ice hockey goaltender (b. 1929)
- 2007 - Marcheline Bertrand, actress; and mother of Angelina Jolie (b 1950)
Holidays and observances
- UN — International Holocaust Remembrance Day
- United Kingdom — Holocaust Memorial Day.
- Germany — Gedenktag für die Opfer des Nationalsozialismus (Commemoration Day for the Victims of National Socialism).
- Poland — Dzień Pamięci Ofiar Nazizmu (Memorial Day for the Victims of Nazism).
- Italy — Giorno della Memoria (Memorial Day).
- Catholicism — Catholic Schools Week.
- Serbia — St. Sava Day.
- Denmark — Auschwitzdag (Auschwitz Day; commemoration day for the victims of the Holocaust and other genocide).
- Monaco, day of Saint Devota, patron saint
- January 27 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)