January 27 is the 27th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar . There are 338 days remaining until the end of the year (339 in leap years ).
Events
98 – Trajan succeeded his adoptive father Nerva as Roman emperor; under his rule the Roman Empire would reach its maximum extent.
661 – The Rashidun Caliphate ends with the death of Ali .
1142 – Song dynasty General Yue Fei is executed.
1186 – Henry VI , the son and heir of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I , marries Constance of Sicily .
1302 – Dante Alighieri , the poet and politician, is exiled from Florence , Italy, where he served as one of six priors governing the city.
1343 – Pope Clement VI issues the papal bull Unigenitus to justify the power of the pope and the use of indulgences . Nearly 200 years later, Martin Luther would protest this.
1593 – The Vatican opens the seven-year trial of scholar Giordano Bruno .
1606 – Gunpowder Plot : The trial of Guy Fawkes and other conspirators begins, ending with their execution on January 31.
1695 – Mustafa II becomes the Ottoman sultan and Caliph of Islam in Istanbul on the death of Ahmed II . Mustafa rules until his abdication in 1703 .
1776 – American Revolutionary War : Henry Knox 's "noble train of artillery " arrives in Cambridge, Massachusetts .
1785 – The University of Georgia is founded, the first public university in the United States.
1825 – The 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 ".
1868 – Boshin War : The Battle of Toba–Fushimi between forces of the Tokugawa shogunate and pro-Imperial factions begins, which will end in defeat for the shogunate, and is a pivotal point in the Meiji Restoration .
1869 – Boshin War: Tokugawa rebels establish the Ezo Republic in Hokkaidō .
1880 – Thomas Edison receives the patent on the incandescent lamp.
1888 – The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C.
1909 – The Young Left is founded in Norway.
1927 – Ibn Saud takes the title of King of Nejd .
1939 – First flight of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning .
1943 – World War II : The VIII Bomber Command dispatched ninety-one B-17s and B-24s to attack the U-Boat construction yards at Wilhelmshaven , Germany. This was the first American bombing attack on Germany of the war.
1944 – World War II: The 900-day Siege of Leningrad is lifted.
1945 – World War II: The Red Army liberates the remained inmates of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp built by the Nazi Germans on the territory of Poland.
1951 – Nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site begins with a one-kiloton bomb dropped on Frenchman Flat .
1961 – Soviet submarine S-80 sinks with all hands lost.
1967 – Astronauts Gus Grissom , Edward White and Roger Chaffee are killed in a fire during a test of their Apollo 1 spacecraft at the Kennedy Space Center , Florida .
1967 – The United States, United Kingdom, and Soviet Union sign the Outer Space Treaty in Washington, D.C. , banning deployment of nuclear weapons in space, and limiting use of the Moon and other celestial bodies to peaceful purposes.
1973 – The Paris Peace Accords officially end the Vietnam War . Colonel William Nolde is killed in action becoming the conflict's last recorded American combat casualty.
1974 – The Brisbane River breaches its banks causing the largest flood to affect the city of Brisbane in the 20th century.
1980 – Through cooperation between the U.S. and Canadian governments, six American diplomats secretly escape hostilities in Iran in the culmination of the Canadian Caper .
1983 – The pilot shaft of the Seikan Tunnel , the world's longest sub-aqueous tunnel (53.85 km) between the Japanese islands of Honshū and Hokkaidō , breaks through.
1984 – Pop singer Michael Jackson suffers second degree burns to his scalp during the filming of a Pepsi commercial in the Shrine Auditorium .
1993 – American-born sumo wrestler Akebono Tarō becomes the first foreigner to be promoted to the sport's highest rank of yokozuna .
1996 – In a military coup Colonel Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara deposes the first democratically elected president of Niger , Mahamane Ousmane .
1996 – Germany first observes International Holocaust Remembrance Day .
2002 – An explosion at a military storage facility in Lagos , Nigeria , kills at least 1,100 people and displaces over 20,000 others.
2003 – The first selections for the National Recording Registry are announced by the Library of Congress .
2006 – Western Union discontinues its Telegram and Commercial Messaging services.
2010 – The 2009 Honduran constitutional crisis ends when Porfirio Lobo Sosa becomes the new President of Honduras .
2011 – Arab Spring : The Yemeni Revolution begins as over 16,000 protestors demonstrate in Sana'a .
2013 – Two hundred forty-two people die in a nightclub fire in the city of Santa Maria , Brazil .
Births
1443 – Albert III, Duke of Saxony (d. 1500)
1546 – Joachim III Frederick, Elector of Brandenburg (d. 1608)
1571 – Abbas I of Persia (d. 1629)
1585 – Hendrick Avercamp , Dutch painter (d. 1634)
1603 – Sir Harbottle Grimston, 2nd Baronet , English lawyer and politician, Speaker of the British House of Commons (d. 1685)
1621 – Thomas Willis , English physician and anatomist (d. 1675)
1662 – Richard Bentley , English scholar and theologian (d. 1742)
1687 – Johann Balthasar Neumann , German engineer and architect, designed Würzburg Residence and Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers (d. 1753)
1701 – Johann Nikolaus von Hontheim , German historian and theologian (d. 1790)
1708 – Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna of Russia (d. 1728)
1741 – Hester Thrale , Welsh author (d. 1821)
1756 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Austrian pianist and composer (d. 1791)
1775 – Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling , German-Swiss philosopher and academic (d. 1854)
1795 – Eli Whitney Blake , American engineer, invented the Mortise lock (d. 1886)
1805 – Maria Anna of Bavaria (d. 1877)
1805 – Samuel Palmer , English painter and etcher (d. 1881)
1805 – Princess Sophie of Bavaria (d. 1872)
1806 – Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga , Spanish composer and educator (d. 1826)
1807 – David Strauss , German theologian and author (d. 1874)
1814 – Eugène Viollet-le-Duc , French architect, designed the Lausanne Cathedral (d. 1879)
1821 – John Chivington , American colonel and pastor (d. 1892)
1823 – Édouard Lalo , French violinist and composer (d. 1892)
1826 – Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin , Russian journalist and author (d. 1889)
1826 – Richard Taylor , American general, historian, and politician (d. 1879)
1827 – Nakahama Manjirō , Japanese translator (d. 1898)
1832 – Lewis Carroll , English mathematician, photographer, and author (d. 1898)
1832 – Carl Friedrich Schmidt , Estonian-Russian geologist and botanist (d. 1908)
1836 – Leopold von Sacher-Masoch , Austrian journalist and author (d. 1895)
1842 – Arkhip Kuindzhi , Ukrainian-Russian painter (d. 1910)
1848 – Tōgō Heihachirō , Japanese admiral (d. 1934)
1850 – John Collier , English painter and author (d. 1934)
1850 – Samuel Gompers , English-American labor leader (d. 1924)
1850 – Edward Smith , English captain (d. 1912)
1858 – Neel Doff , Dutch-Belgian author (d. 1942)
1859 – Wilhelm II, German Emperor (d. 1941)
1862 – Eustaquio de Escandón , Mexican polo player (d. 1933)
1869 – Will Marion Cook , American violinist and composer (d. 1944)
1875 – Elizabeth Israel , Dominican super-centenarian (d. 2003)
1885 – Jerome Kern , American composer and songwriter (d. 1945)
1885 – Eduard Künneke , German composer (d. 1953)
1885 – Seison Maeda , Japanese painter (d. 1977)
1886 – Radhabinod Pal , Indian academic and jurist (d. 1967)
1886 – Balthasar van der Pol , Dutch physicist and academic (d. 1959)
1891 – Ilya Ehrenburg , Russian journalist and author (d. 1967)
1893 – Soong Ching-ling , Chinese politician; President of the People's Republic of China (d. 1981)
1895 – Joseph Rosenstock , Polish-American conductor and manager (d. 1985)
1895 – Harry Ruby , American composer and screenwriter (d. 1974)
1900 – Hyman G. Rickover , American admiral (d. 1986)
1901 – Willy Fritsch , German actor, singer, and screenwriter (d. 1973)
1901 – Art Rooney , American football player and coach, founded the Pittsburgh Steelers (d. 1988)
1902 – Carl Berner , German-American super-centenarian (d. 2013)
1903 – John Eccles , Australian-Swiss neurophysiologist and academic; Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1997)
1903 – Otto P. Weyland , American general (d. 1979)
1904 – James J. Gibson , American psychologist and academic (d. 1979)
1905 – Howard McNear , American actor (d. 1969)
1908 – William Randolph Hearst, Jr. , American journalist and publisher (d. 1993)
1908 – Hot Lips Page , American trumpet player, singer, and bandleader (d. 1954)
1910 – Edvard Kardelj , Slovene general, economist, and politician; 2nd Foreign Minister of Yugoslavia (d. 1979)
1912 – Arne Næss , Norwegian philosopher and environmentalist (d. 2009)
1912 – Francis Rogallo , American engineer, invented the Rogallo wing (d. 2009)
1915 – Jules Archer , American historian and author (d. 2008)
1915 – Jacques Hnizdovsky , Ukrainian-American painter, sculptor, and illustrator (d. 1985)
1918 – Skitch Henderson , American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 2005)
1918 – Elmore James , American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1963)
1918 – William Seawell , American general (d. 2005)
1919 – Tom Addington , English soldier (d. 2011)
1919 – Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. , American singer-songwriter, pianist, producer, and actor (d. 1972)
1920 – John Box , English production designer and art director (d. 2005)
1920 – Helmut Zacharias , German violinist and composer (d. 2002)
1921 – Donna Reed , American actress (d. 1986)
1924 – Sabu Dastagir , Indian-American actor and singer (d. 1963)
1924 – Rauf Denktaş , Cypriot lawyer and politician, 1st President of Northern Cyprus (d. 2012)
1924 – Brian Rix, Baron Rix , English actor, producer, academic and life peer
1924 – Harvey Shapiro , American poet and academic (d. 2013)
1926 – Fritz Spiegl , Austrian flute player and journalist (d. 2003)
1926 – Ingrid Thulin , Swedish actress and director (d. 2004)
1928 – Hans Modrow , Polish-German politician, 5th Prime Minister of East Germany
1929 – Mohamed Al-Fayed , Egyptian-Swiss businessman
1929 – Gastón Suárez , Bolivian author and playwright (d. 1984)
1930 – Bobby Bland , American singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
1931 – Gazanfer Özcan , Turkish actor (d. 2009)
1931 – Mordecai Richler , Canadian author and screenwriter (d. 2001)
1932 – Boris Shakhlin , Russian-Ukrainian gymnast (d. 2008)
1933 – Jerry Buss , American chemist and businessman (d. 2013)
1934 – Édith Cresson , French politician; 160th Prime Minister of France
1934 – George Follmer , American race car driver
1936 – Troy Donahue , American actor and singer (d. 2001)
1936 – Florin Piersic , Romanian actor
1936 – Samuel C. C. Ting , American physicist and academic; Nobel Prize laureate
1937 – Fred Åkerström , Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1985)
1937 – John Ogdon , English pianist and composer (d. 1989)
1938 – Roy Bourgeois , American priest and activist
1939 – Julius Lester , American author and academic
1937 – Tigran Mansurian , Armenian composer of classical music and film scores
1940 – Ahmet Kurtcebe Alptemoçin , Turkish engineer and politician; 35th Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs
1940 – James Cromwell , American actor and producer
1940 – Terry Harper , Canadian ice hockey player and coach
1940 – Petru Lucinschi , Romanian politician, 2nd President of Moldova
1941 – Bobby Hutcherson , American vibraphone player and composer
1941 – Beatrice Tinsley , New Zealand astronomer and cosmologist (d. 1981)
1942 – Maki Asakawa , Japanese singer and composer (d. 2010)
1942 – Stewart Raffill , American director and screenwriter
1942 – John Witherspoon , American actor
1942 – Kate Wolf , American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1986)
1943 – Julia Cumberlege, Baroness Cumberlege , English businesswoman and politician
1944 – Peter Akinola , Nigerian archbishop
1944 – Mairead Maguire , Northern Irish peace activist; Nobel Prize laureate
1944 – Nick Mason , English drummer, songwriter, and producer (Pink Floyd )
1945 – Harold Cardinal , Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 2005)
1946 – Christopher Hum , English academic and diplomat; British Ambassador to China
1946 – Nedra Talley , American singer (The Ronettes )
1947 – Björn Afzelius , Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1999)
1947 – Vyron Polydoras , Greek politician; Greek Minister for Public Order
1948 – Mikhail Baryshnikov , Russian dancer, choreographer, and actor
1948 – Valeri Brainin , Russian-German composer and poet
1948 – Jean-Philippe Collard , French pianist
1951 – Brian Downey , Irish drummer and songwriter
1951 – Cees van der Knaap , Dutch soldier and politician
1952 – Billy Johnson , American football player and coach
1952 – Tam O'Shaughnessy , American tennis player, psychologist, and academic
1954 – Peter Laird , American author and illustrator
1954 – Jōkō Ninomiya , Japanese-American martial artist
1955 – Brian Engblom , Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
1955 – John Roberts , American lawyer and judge; 17th Chief Justice of the United States
1956 – Mimi Rogers , American actress and producer
1956 – Susanne Blakeslee , American actress
1957 – Frank Miller , American illustrator, director, producer, and screenwriter
1958 – James Grippando , American lawyer and author
1958 – Kadri Mälk , Estonian jewelry designer
1958 – Alan Milburn , English businessman and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
1958 – Susanna Thompson , American actress
1959 – Cris Collinsworth , American football player and sportscaster
1959 – Göran Hägglund , Swedish politician; 28th Swedish Minister for Social Affairs
1959 – Keith Olbermann , American journalist and author
1960 – Fiona O'Donnell , Canadian-Scottish politician
1961 – Zarganar , Burmese comedian, actor, and director
1961 – Dina Bonnevie , Filipino actress
1961 – Gillian Gilbert , English keyboard player and singer (New Order and The Other Two )
1961 – Narciso Rodriguez , American fashion designer
1962 – Roberto Paci Dalò , Italian director and composer
1963 – George Monbiot , English-Welsh author and activist
1964 – Patrick van Deurzen , Dutch composer and academic
1964 – Bridget Fonda , American actress
1964 – Jack Haley , American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster (d. 2015)
1965 – Alan Cumming , Scottish-American actor, singer, director, and producer
1965 – Oktay Kaynarca , Turkish actor and producer
1965 – Ignacio Noé , Argentinian author and illustrator
1965 – Attila Sekerlioglu , Austrian footballer and manager
1966 – Tamlyn Tomita , Japanese-American actress and singer
1967 – Bobby Deol , Indian actor and singer
1967 – Dave Manson , Canadian ice hockey player and coach
1968 – Tricky , English rapper, producer, and actor
1968 – Patrick Blondeau , French footballer
1968 – Mike Patton , American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (Faith No More , Mr. Bungle , Fantômas , Tomahawk , and Lovage )
1968 – Matt Stover , American football player
1969 – Cornelius , Japanese singer, guitarist, and producer (Flipper's Guitar and Plastic Ono Band )
1969 – Patton Oswalt , American comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter
1970 – Emmanuel Pahud , Swiss flute player
1971 – Patrice Brisebois , Canadian ice hockey player and coach
1971 – Fann Wong , Singaporean actress and singer
1972 – Mark Owen , English singer-songwriter (Take That )
1972 – Josh Randall , American actor
1972 – Keith Wood , Irish rugby player and hurdler
1973 – Valyantsin Byalkevich , Belarusian footballer and manager (d. 2014)
1974 – Ole Einar Bjørndalen , Norwegian skier and biathlete
1974 – Andrei Pavel , Romanian tennis player and coach
1974 – Chaminda Vaas , Sri Lankan cricketer and coach
1976 – Ahn Jung-hwan , South Korean footballer
1976 – Ruby Lin , Taiwanese actress, singer, and producer
1979 – Rosamund Pike , English actress
1979 – Daniel Vettori , New Zealand cricketer and coach
1980 – Eva Padberg , German fashion model, singer, and actress
1980 – Marat Safin , Russian tennis player and politician
1981 – Yaniv Katan , Israeli footballer
1981 – Alicia Molik , Australian tennis player
1981 – Tony Woodcock , New Zealand rugby player
1983 – Carlo Colaiacovo , Canadian ice hockey player
1983 – Tim Kasten , German rugby player
1985 – Gerard Aafjes , Dutch footballer
1985 – Dustley Mulder , Dutch footballer
1986 – Giorgi Loria , Georgian footballer
1987 – Lily Donaldson , English model
1987 – Katy Rose , American singer-songwriter and producer
1987 – Anton Shunin , Russian footballer
1988 – Kerlon , Brazilian footballer
1988 – Liu Wen , Chinese model
1989 – Alberto Botía , Spanish footballer
1989 – Daisy Lowe , English model
1989 – Ricky van Wolfswinkel , Dutch footballer
1993 – Yaya Sanogo , French footballer
1994 – Rani Khedira , German footballer
Deaths
98 – Nerva , Roman emperor (b. 35)
457 – Marcian , Byzantine emperor (b. 392)
661 – Ali , Arab general and caliph (b. 607)
672 – Pope Vitalian
1490 – Ashikaga Yoshimasa , Japanese shogun (b. 1435)
1540 – Angela Merici , Italian educator and saint, founded the Company of St. Ursula (b. 1474)
1596 – Francis Drake , English captain and explorer (b. 1540)
1629 – Hieronymus Praetorius , German organist and composer (b. 1560)
1638 – Gonzalo de Céspedes y Meneses , Spanish author and poet (b. 1585)
1651 – Abraham Bloemaert , Dutch painter and illustrator (b. 1566)
1689 – Robert Aske , English merchant and philanthropist (b. 1619)
1731 – Bartolomeo Cristofori , Italian instrument maker, invented the Piano (b. 1655)
1733 – Thomas Woolston , English theologian and author (b. 1669)
1740 – Louis Henri, Duke of Bourbon (b. 1692)
1794 – Antoine Philippe de La Trémoille , French general (b. 1765)
1812 – John Perkins , Jamaican captain
1814 – Johann Gottlieb Fichte , German philosopher and academic (b. 1762)
1816 – Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood , English admiral and politician (b. 1724)
1851 – John James Audubon , French-American ornithologist and painter (b. 1789)
1860 – János Bolyai , Romanian-Hungarian mathematician and academic (b. 1802)
1880 – Edward Middleton Barry , English architect; co-designed the Halifax Town Hall and the Royal Opera House (b. 1830)
1901 – Giuseppe Verdi , Italian composer (b. 1813)
1910 – Thomas Crapper , English plumber and businessman (b. 1836)
1919 – Endre Ady , Hungarian poet and journalist (b. 1877)
1921 – Maurice Buckley , Australian sergeant (b. 1891)
1922 – Nellie Bly , American journalist and author (b. 1864)
1927 – Jurgis Matulaitis-Matulevičius , Lithuanian bishop (b. 1871)
1931 – Nishinoumi Kajirō II , Japanese sumo wrestler, the 25th Yokozuna (b. 1880)
1940 – Isaac Babel , Russian journalist, author, and playwright (b. 1894)
1942 – Kaarel Eenpalu , Estonian journalist and politician; Prime Minister of Estonia (b. 1888)
1951 – Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim , Finnish field marshal and politician; 6th President of Finland (b. 1867)
1956 – Erich Kleiber , Austrian conductor and director (b. 1890)
1961 – Bernard Friedberg , Austrian scholar and author (b. 1876)
1963 – John Farrow , Australian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1904)
1965 – Abraham Walkowitz , American painter (b. 1878)
1967 – Roger B. Chaffee , American pilot, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1935)
1967 – Gus Grissom , American pilot and astronaut (b. 1926)
1967 – Alphonse Juin , Algerian-French general (b. 1888)
1967 – Edward Higgins White , American colonel, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1930)
1970 – Rocco D'Assunta , Italian actor, comedian and playwright (b. 1904)
1971 – Jacobo Árbenz , Guatemalan captain and politician; President of Guatemala (b. 1913)
1972 – Richard Courant , German-American mathematician and academic (b. 1888)
1972 – Mahalia Jackson , American singer and actress (b. 1911)
1974 – Georgios Grivas , Cypriot general (b. 1898)
1975 – Bill Walsh , American screenwriter and producer (b. 1913)
1979 – Qalandar Baba Auliya , Indian-Pakistani mystic, philosopher, and scholar (b. 1898)
1983 – Louis de Funès , French actor and screenwriter (b. 1914)
1986 – Lilli Palmer , German-American actress (b. 1914)
1987 – Norman McLaren , Scottish-Canadian animator and director (b. 1914)
1988 – Massa Makan Diabaté , Malian historian, author, and playwright (b. 1938)
1989 – Thomas Sopwith , English aviator (b. 1888)
1993 – André the Giant , French wrestler and actor (b. 1946)
1994 – Claude Akins , American actor (b. 1918)
1996 – Ralph Yarborough , American colonel, lawyer, and politician (b. 1903)
2000 – Friedrich Gulda , Austrian pianist and composer (b. 1930)
2003 – Louis Archambault , Canadian sculptor (b. 1915)
2003 – Henryk Jabłoński , Polish historian and politician, President of Poland (b. 1909)
2004 – Salvador Laurel , Filipino politician; 10th Vice President of the Philippines (b. 1928)
2004 – Jack Paar , American talk show host and author (b. 1918)
2005 – Shah A M S Kibria , Bangladeshi economist and politician (b. 1931)
2006 – Gene McFadden , American singer-songwriter and producer (McFadden & Whitehead ) (b. 1948)
2006 – Johannes Rau , German journalist and politician, 8th President of Germany (b. 1931)
2007 – Yang Chuan-kwang , Taiwanese decathlete, long jumper, and hurdler (b. 1933)
2008 – Suharto , Indonesian general and politician; 2nd President of Indonesia (b. 1921)
2008 – Gordon B. Hinckley , American religious leader and author; 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1910)
2009 – Mino Reitano , Italian singer and actor (b. 1944)
2009 – John Updike , American author, poet, and critic (b. 1932)
2009 – R. Venkataraman , Indian lawyer and politician; 8th President of India (b. 1910)
2010 – Zelda Rubinstein , American actress (b. 1933)
2010 – J. D. Salinger , American soldier and author (b. 1919)
2010 – Ajmer Singh , Indian sprinter and academic (b. 1940)
2010 – Howard Zinn , American historian, author, and activist (b. 1922)
2011 – Charlie Callas , American actor and drummer (b. 1927)
2011 – Mārtiņš Freimanis , Latvian singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1977)
2013 – Ivan Bodiul , Ukrainian-Russian politician (b. 1918)
2013 – Phạm Duy , Vietnamese singer-songwriter (b. 1921)
2013 – Stanley Karnow , American journalist and historian (b. 1925)
2014 – Ichirō Nagai , Japanese voice actor (b. 1931)
2014 – Pete Seeger , American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1919)
2015 – David Landau , English-Israeli journalist (b. 1947)
2015 – Charles Hard Townes , American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1915)
Holidays and observances
External links
Months and days of the year
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Related