February 27
February 27 is the 58th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 307 days remaining until the end of the year (308 in leap years).
Events
- 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, after he led the Chinese into a great victory against the Manchurians under Nurhaci.
- 1700 - The island of New Britain is discovered.
- 1801 - Washington, DC is placed under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress. See District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801
- 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.
- 1844 - The Dominican Republic gains independence from Haiti.
- 1860 - Abraham Lincoln makes a speech at Cooper Union in the city of New York that is largely responsible for his election to the Presidency.
- 1861 - A crowd in Warsaw protesting against 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.
- 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.
- 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 in Leser v. Garnett.
- 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 discover carbon-14
- 1942 - World War II: During the Battle of the Java Sea, an allied (ABDA) strike force is defeated by a Japanese task force in the Java Sea in the Dutch East Indies
- 1943 - The Smith Mine #3 in Bearcreek, Montana, explodes, killing 74 men.
- 1943 - The Rosenstrasse protest starts in Berlin
- 1945 - Lebanon declares Independence.
- 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 aborti provocati.
- 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 riots of Caracazo.
- 1991 - Gulf War: U.S. President George H. W. Bush announces that "Kuwait is liberated".
- 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 - Godhra train burning, a Muslim mob kills 59 Hindu pilgrims returning from Ayodhya;
- 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 worst terrorist attack kills 116.
- 2004 - Former BPMC general secretary Ordrick Samuel launches a new party in Barbuda, Barbudans for a Better Barbuda.
- 2007 - The general strike against Lansana Conté in Guinea ends.
- 2007 - The Chinese Correction: the Shanghai Stock Exchange falls 9%, the largest drop in 10 years.
Births
- 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)
- 1779 - Thomas Hazlehurst, English soap and alkali manufacturer (d. 1842)
- 1807 - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet (d. 1882)
- 1831 - Hiram Bond Everest, American cofounder of The Vacuum Oil Company (d. 1913)
- 1862 - Anastasios Metaxas, Greek architect and shooter (d. 1937)
- 1877 - Walter Briggs, Sr., American entrepreneur and sports team owner (d. 1952)
- 1878 - Alvan T. Fuller, 50th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1958)
- 1886 - Hugo Black, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (d. 1971)
- 1888 - Roberto Assagioli, Italian psychiatrist (d. 1974)
- 1888 - Earl Caddock, American professional wrestler (d. 1950)
- 1888 - Lotte Lehmann, German singer (d. 1976)
- 1890 - Freddie Keppard, American jazz musician (d. 1933)
- 1891 - David Sarnoff, Russian-born broadcast pioneer (d. 1971)
- 1891 - Anne Samson, oldest-ever nun documented (d. 2004)
- 1892 - William Demarest, American actor (d. 1983)
- 1897 - Marian Anderson, American contralto (d. 1993)
- 1899 - Charles Best, Canadian medical scientist (d. 1978)
- 1902 - Gene Sarazen, American golfer (d. 1999)
- 1902 - John Steinbeck, American writer, Nobel 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, American 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 - Ted Horn, American race car driver (d. 1948)
- 1910 - Clarence "Kelly" Johnson, American aircraft engineer (Lockheed Skunk Works; d. 1990)
- 1912 - Lawrence Durrell, British writer (d. 1990)
- 1912 - Kusumagraj, Indian writer (d. 1999)
- 1913 - Irwin Shaw, American writer (d. 1984)
- 1913 - Kazimierz Sabbat, Polish president (d. 1989)
- 1917 - John Connally, American politician (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, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1927 - Lynn Cartwright, American actress (d. 2004)
- 1927 - Guy Mitchell, American singer (d. 1999)
- 1928 - Ariel Sharon, former Prime Minister of Israel
- 1929 - Djalma Santos, Brazilian footballer
- 1929 - Jack Gibson, Australian rugby league footballer and coach (d. 2008)
- 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 interior designer (d. 1992)
- 1934 - N. Scott Momaday, American writer
- 1934 - Ralph Nader, American consumer activist
- 1934 - Van Williams, American actor
- 1935 - Mirella Freni, Italian soprano
- 1936 - Ron Barassi, Australian rules footballer
- 1936 - Roger Mahony, fourth Archbishop of Los Angeles
- 1937 - David Ackles, American singer songwriter (d. 1999)
- 1937 - Barbara Babcock, American actress
- 1939 - Peter Revson, American racecar driver (d. 1974)
- 1940 - Howard Hesseman, American actor
- 1940 - Bill Hunter, Australian actor
- 1941 - Paddy Ashdown, British politician
- 1942 - Robert H. Grubbs, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1942 - Charlayne Hunter-Gault, American journalist
- 1942 - Michel Forget, French Canadian actor
- 1943 - Mary Frann, American actress (d. 1998)
- 1943 - Morten Lauridsen, American composer
- 1944 - Ken Grimwood, American writer (d. 2003)
- 1944 - Roger Scruton, British philosopher
- 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)
- 1952 - Stathis Psaltis, Greek actor
- 1953 - Gabriela Svobodová, Czech cross country skier
- 1954 - Neal Schon, American musician (Journey)
- 1955 - Peter Christopherson, English musician and video director
- 1957 - Viktor Markin, Russian athlete
- 1957 - Timothy Spall, English actor
- 1957 - Danny Antonucci, Canadian animator
- 1957 - Adrian Smith, English musician (Iron Maiden)
- 1958 - Naas Botha, South African rugby union footballer
- 1958 - Nancy Spungen, American murder victim of Sid Vicious (d. 1978)
- 1959 - Johnny Van Zant, American singer (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
- 1960 - Andrés Gómez, Ecuadorian tennis player
- 1961 - James Worthy, American basketball player
- 1962 - Adam Baldwin, American actor
- 1962 - Grant Show, American actor
- 1963 - Pär Nuder, Swedish politician
- 1964 - Todd Bodine, American race car driver
- 1965 - Noah Emmerich, American actor
- 1965 - Frank Peter Zimmermann, German violinist
- 1965 - Joakim Sundström, Swedish sound editor and sound designer
- 1966 - Donal Logue, Canadian actor
- 1968 - Matt Stairs, Canadian baseball player
- 1969 - Brad Vander Ark, American musician
- 1970 - Michael A. Burstein, American writer
- 1970 - Kent Desormeaux, American jockey
- 1970 - Matthias Lechner, German art director
- 1970 - Patricia Petibon, French opera singer
- 1971 - Derren Brown, British psychological illusionist
- 1971 - Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, American singer (TLC)
- 1973 - Ali Tabatabaee, American Iranian rapper (Zebrahead)
- 1973 - Mark Taylor, Welsh rugby union footballer
- 1973 - Peter André, Australian singer - Husband to Katie Price, Glamour model
- 1975 - Prodromos Korkizoglou, Greek decathlete
- 1975 - Shelby Walker, American mixed martial artist (d. 2006)
- 1976 - Tony Gonzalez, American football player
- 1977 - Lance Hoyt, American professional wrestler
- 1977 - Ji Sung, South Korean actor
- 1977 - James Wan, Australian film director
- 1978 - James Beattie, English footballer
- 1980 - Bobby Valentino, American singer
- 1980 - Chelsea Clinton, daughter of Bill and Hillary Clinton
- 1981 - Josh Groban, American singer
- 1981 - Elodie Ouédraogo, Belgian athlete
- 1983 - Kate Mara, American actress
- 1983 - Hayley Angel Wardle, English actress
- 1983 - Devin Harris, American basketball player
- 1984 - David Noel, American basketball player
- 1984 - Antti Tuisku, Finnish singer
- 1984 - Lotta Schelin, Swedish female footballer
- 1985 - Juliana Imai, Brazilian model
- 1985 - Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, Russian Footballer
- 1985 - Braydon Coburn, Canadian Hockey Player
- 1991 - Azeem Rafiq, Pakistani cricketer
- 1992 - Jonjo Shelvey, English footballer
- 1994 - Hou Yifan, Chinese chess player
Deaths
- 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 and chemist (b. 1833)
- 1892 - Louis Vuitton, French luggage maker (b. 1821)
- 1902 - Harry 'Breaker' Morant, Anglo-Australian Soldier executed in the Second Boer War under controversial circumstances (b. 1864)
- 1902 - Peter Handcock, Australian Soldier executed in the Second Boer War under controversial circumstances
- 1921 - Schofield Haigh, English cricketer (b. 1871)
- 1932 - William Southam, Canadian newspaper publisher (b. 1843)
- 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)
- 1943 - Kostis Palamas, Greek poet, twice nominated for the Nobel prize (b. 1859)
- 1964 - Orry-Kelly, Australian costume designer (b. 1897)
- 1968 - Frankie Lymon, American singer (b. 1942)
- 1969 - Marius Barbeau, French Canadian folklorist (b. 1883)
- 1970 - Marie Dionne, one of the French Canadian Dionne quintuplets (b. 1934)
- 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)
- 1981 - Jacob H. Gilbert, American politician (b. 1920)
- 1985 - Henry Cabot Lodge, American politician (b. 1902)
- 1986 - Jacques Plante, Canadian ice 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)
- 1990 - Nahum Norbert Glatzer, Jewish-American scholar (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, Irish 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)
- 2004 - Yoshihiko Amino, Japanese historians (b. 1928)
- 2005 - Jessica Lunsford, murder victim (b. 1995)
- 2006 - Otis Chandler, American newspaper publisher (b. 1927)
- 2006 - Robert Lee Scott, Jr., U.S. General, Flying Tiger, and author (b. 1908)
- 2006 - Linda Smith, British comedian (b. 1958)
- 2007 - Bobby Rosengarden, American jazz drummer (b. 1924)
- 2007 - Bernd von Freytag-Loringhoven, German soldier (b. 1914)
- 2008 - Myron Cope, American sports broadcaster (b. 1929)
- 2008 - William F. Buckley, Jr., American conservative author and commentator (b. 1925)
- 2008 - Boyd Coddington, American automobile designer (b. 1944)
Holidays and observances
External links
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