December 27

Events
Up to 1900
537 - The Hagia Sophia is consecrated as a church in Byzantium.
1703 - Portugal and England sign the Methuen Treaty which gives preference to Portuguese imported wines into England.
1814 - War of 1812: American schooner (a type of sailing boat) USS Carolina is destroyed.
1831 - Charles Darwin begins his trip on the boat the HMS Beagle, where he will think of the theory of evolution.
1836 - The worst ever avalanche in England happens at Lewes, Sussex, killing 8 people.
1845 - Ether anesthetic is used for childbirth for the first time (Dr. Crawford Williamson Long in Jefferson, Georgia).
1901 2000
1904 - James Barrie's play Peter Pan begins to be shown in London.
1904 - The Abbey Theatre opens.
1911 - Jana Gana Mana, the national anthem of India, is first sung at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress.
1918 - Beginning of Great Poland Uprising. The Poles in Poland beign to fight against the Germans so that they can become free.
1922 - Japanese aircraft carrier Hosho becomes the first purpose-built aircraft carrier to be commissioned in the world.
1923 - Daisuke Namba, Japanese student, tries to assassinate Japan's then-Prince-Regent Hirohito.
1932 - Radio City Music Hall opens in New York City.
1936 - Spanish Civil War: Francisco Franco's forces bomb Santander.
1939 - Erzincan, Turkey, is struck by a major earthquake, killing 30,000 people.
1939 - Winter War: Finland holds off a Soviet Union attack in the Battle of Kelja.
1945 - The World Bank is created with the signing of an agreement by 28 nations.
1945 - Korea is divided (put into two pieces).
1947 - Howdy Doody, a children's television program, makes its debut (NBC).
1949 - Indonesian National Revolution: Queen Juliana of the Netherlands recognises Indonesia as an independent country.
1959 - In a referendum, voters in the Pacific islands of Wallis and Futuna decide that their islands should have the status of a French overseas territory.
1960 - The Beatles play their first performance in Litherland Town Hall, Liverpool.
1966 - The Cave of Swallows, the largest-known cave shaft, is discovered near San Luis Potosi, Mexico.
1968 - Long-time radio show The Breakfast Club ends on ABC radio.
1975 - A mining explosion in Jharkhand, India, causes a flood, in which 372 miners drown.
1978 - Spain becomes a democracy (a place where people vote) after 40 years of dictatorship.
1979 - The Soviet Union invades Afghanistan and Babrak Karmal becomes the new president. The old one, Hafizullah Amin, was killed.
1985 - Palestinian fighters kill twenty people in the Rome and Vienna airports (places where airplanes take off and land).
1985 - American naturalist Dian Fossey is found murdered in Rwanda.
1996 - Taliban fighters take over the Bagram air base. They became safer and stronger in Kabul after they did that.
1997 - Protestant paramilitary (paramilitary is what you call an army that is not legal and part of the government) leader Billy Wright is assassinated in Northern Ireland.
From 2001
2001 - The People's Republic of China is granted permanent normal trade relations with the United States.
2002 - Two truck bombs in Grozny kill 72 and hurt 200 at the building where the government of Chechnya works.
2004 - Radiation from an explosion on the magnetar "SGR 1806-20" reaches Earth. It is the brightest extrasolar (outside the Solar System) event known to have been witnessed on the planet.
2006 - Space telescope COROT is launched on a Russian Soyuz rocket from Baikonur, Kazakhstan.
2007 - Benazir Bhutto, former Prime Minister of Pakistan, is killed in a terrorist attack in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
2007 - Mwai Kibaki is declared the winner of a disputed Presidential election in Kenya. Riots start, which ultimately lead to a political, economic and humanitarian crisis.
2008 - A three-week war begins in the Gaza Strip, as Israel launches Operation Cast Lead on suspected Hamas militants in Gaza, lasting three weeks.
Births
Up to 1900
1350 - John I of Aragon (d. 1396)
1390 - Anne de Mortimer, claimant to the English throne (d. 1411)
1459 - John I Albert, King of Poland (d. 1501)
1555 - Johann Arndt, German theologian (d. 1621)
1566 - Jan Jesenius, Slovakian physician, politician and philosopher (d. 1621)
1571 - Johannes Kepler, German astronomer (d. 1630)
1572 - Johannes Vodnianus Campanus, Czech humanist (d. 1622)
1654 - Jacob Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician (d. 1705)
1717 - Pope Pius VI (d. 1799)
1755 - Anthony of Saxony (d. 1836)
1761 - Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly, Russian field marshal (d. 1818)
1773 - George Cayley, English naturalist, physical scientist, engineer, politician (d. 1857)
1776 - Nikolay Kamensky, Russian general (d. 1811)
1793 - Alexander Gordon Laing, Scottish explorer (d. 1826)
1796 - Mirza Ghalib, poet of Urdu (d. 1869)
1797 - Manuela Saenz, South American independence activist (d. 1856)
1802 - Gerardus Johannes Mulder, Dutch physician and chemist (d. 1880)
1803 - Francois-Marie-Thomas Chevalier de Lorimier, Canadian activist (d. 1839)
1822 - Louis Pasteur, French scientist (d. 1895)
1823 - Sir Mackenzie Bowell, fifth Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1896)
1832 - Pavel Tretyakov, Russian businessman and patron of art (d. 1897)
1851 - Percy Gilchrist, metallurgist (d. 1935)
1858 - Juan Luis Sanfuentes, President of Chile (d. 1930)
1860 - David Hendricks Bergey, bacteriologist (d. 1937)
1863 - Louis Lincoln Emmerson, 27th Governor of Illinois (d. 1941)
1867 - Leon Delacroix, Prime Minister of Belgium (d. 1929)
1879 - Sydney Greenstreet, British actor (d. 1954)
1881 - Antonio Granjo, Portuguese politician (d. 1921)
1883 - Cyrus S. Eaton, Canadian-American financier, businessman and philanthropist (d. 1979)
1888 - Thea von Harbou, German writer and actress (d. 1954)
1892 - Alfred Edwin McKay, Canadian pilot (d. 1917)
1896 - Carl Zuckmayer, German writer (d. 1977)
1896 - Louis Bromfield, writer (d. 1956)
1900 - Hans Stuck, German automobile racer (d. 1978)
1901 1950
1901 - Marlene Dietrich, German actress and singer (d. 1992)
1903 - Hermann Volk, German cardinal (d. 1988)
1906 - Oscar Levant, composer and actor (d. 1972)
1907 - Sebastian Haffner, German publicist (someone who tells people about things) (d. 1999)
1907 - Willem van Otterloo, Dutch conductor and composer (d. 1978)
1909 - Henryk Jablonski, Polish politician (d. 2003)
1914 - Doris Bowdon, American actress (d. 2005)
1915 - William Masters, American sexologist (d. 2001)
1917 - Buddy Boudreaux, American jazz musician (d. 2015)
1923 - Lucas Mangope, South African politician (d. 2018)
1925 - Michel Piccoli, French actor
1926 - Jerome Courtland, American actor, director and producer
1926 - Rodrigo Carazo Odio, President of Costa Rica (d. 2009)
1927 - Nityanand Swami, Indian politician, 1st Chief Minister of Uttarakhand (d. 2012)
1928 - Walter Romberg, German politician (d. 2014)
1930 - Marshall Sahlins, American anthropologist
1931 - John Charles, Welsh footballer (d. 2004)
1931 - Tommy Lapid, Israeli politician (d. 2008)
1931 - Scotty Moore, American rock musician (d. 2016)
1934 - Larisa Latynina, Russian gymnast
1935 - Michael Turnbull, English bishop
1938 - Stanislav Stanojevic, Serbian-born French movie director and actor
1938 - Rolf Wolfsohl, German cyclist
1939 - John Amos, American actor
1941 - Miles Aiken, American basketball player and coach
1941 - Mike Pinder, English singer-songwriter and keyboardist
1941 - Nolan Richardson, American basketball player and coach
1942 - Charmian Carr, American actress (d. 2016)
1942 - Thomas Menino, 53rd Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts (d. 2014)
1942 - Ron Jacobs, American basketball coach (d. 2015)
1943 - Joan Manuel Serrat, Catalan singer-songwriter
1943 - Cokie Roberts, American journalist (d. 2019)
1944 - Markus Werner, Swiss writer (d. 2016)
1946 - Janet Street-Porter, English journalist and television presenter
1946 - Polly Toynbee, English journalist
1948 - Gerard Depardieu, French actor
1949 - Klaus Fischer, German footballer
1950 - Roberto Bettega, Italian footballer
1951 1975
1951 - Ernesto Zedillo, former President of Mexico
1952 - David Knopfler, British musician (Dire Straits)
1952 - Tovah Feldshuh, American actress
1954 - Kent Benson, American basketball player
1956 - Doina Melinte, Romanian athlete
1957 - Dane Witherspoon, American actor (d. 2014)
1958 - Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Prime Minister of Pakistan
1959 - Gerina Dunwich, occult writer
1960 - Maryam d'Abo, British actress
1961 - Guido Westerwelle, German politician (d. 2016)
1963 - Claus Meyer, Danish chef, television host and restaurateur
1963 - Gaspar Noe, Argentine-born director
1964 - Theresa Randle, American actress
1965 - Salman Khan, Indian actor
1966 - Masahiro Fukuda, Japanese footballer
1966 - Bill Goldberg, American professional wrestler, American football player
1966 - Eva LaRue, American actress
1969 - Sarah Vowell, American writer and journalist
1970 - Chyna, American professional wrestler and pornographic actress (d. 2016)
1971 - Duncan Ferguson, Scottish footballer
1971 - Sergei Bodrov, Jr., Russian movie actor and director (d. 2002)
1971 - Sabine Spitz, German cyclist
1973 - Wilson Cruz, actor
1974 - Masi Oka, Japanese-American actor
1975 - Heather O'Rourke, American child actress (Poltergeist) (d. 1988)
From 1976
1976 - Curro Torres, Spanish footballer
1976 - Aaron Stanford, American actor and producer
1976 - Piotr Morawski, Polish mountaineer (d. 2009)
1976 - Tim Roberts, American professional wrestler (d. 2015)
1979 - David Dunn, English footballer
1979 - Carson Palmer, American football quarterback, Heisman Trophy winner
1981 - Emilie de Ravin, Australian actress
1981 - Javine, British singer
1981 - Lise Darly, French singer
1981 - Patrick Sharp, Canadian ice hockey player
1983 - Anthony Boric, New Zealand rugby player
1983 - Cole Hamels, American baseball player
1984 - Black M, French rapper and singer-songwriter
1984 - Gilles Simon, French tennis player
1985 - Adil Rami, French footballer
1985 - Cristian Villagra, Argentine footballer
1986 - Torah Bright, Australian snowboarder
1986 - Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Jamaican athlete
1987 - Logan Bailly, Belgian footballer
1988 - Hiroki Yamada, Japanese footballer
1988 - Hayley Williams, American singer (Paramore)
1988 - Zavon Hines, Jamaican-English footballer
1990 - Milos Raonic, Canadian tennis player
1991 - Chloe Bridges, American actress
1991 - Jimi Blue Ochsenknecht, German actor and rapper
1991 - Danny Wilson, Scottish footballer
1995 - Mark Lapidus, Estonian chess player
1997 - Ana Konjuh, Croatian tennis player
Deaths
Up to 1900
1065 - King Ferdinand I of Leon and Castile (b. 1018)
1076 - Prince Sviatoslav of Kiev (b. 1027)
1087 - Bertha of Savoy, German queen and Holy Roman Empress (b. 1051)
1381 - Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March, English politician
1543 - George, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (b. 1484)
1743 - Hyacinthe Rigaud, French sculptor (b. 1659)
1771 - Henri Pitot, French inventor (b. 1695)
1782 - Henry Home, Lord Kames, Scottish lawyer and philosopher (b. 1697)
1800 - Hugh Blair, Scottish minister and author (b. 1718)
1812 - Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, founder of the Chabad Hasidic movement (b. 1745)
1836 - Stephen F. Austin, American pioneer (someone who goes to new places) (b. 1793)
1873 - Edward Blyth, English zoologist and ornithologist (b. 1810)
1881 - John J. Bagley, American politician, 16th Governor of Michigan (b. 1832)
1891 - Antonio Arenas, President of Peru (b. 1808)
1896 - John Brown, manufacturer (b. 1861)
1900 - William George Armstrong, inventor, industrialist and engineer (b. 1810)
1901 2000
1914 - Charles Martin Hall, chemist, inventor (b. 1863)
1923 - Gustave Eiffel, French engineer and architect (b. 1832)
1925 - Sergei Yesenin, Russian poet (b. 1895)
1936 - Mehmet Akif Ersoy, Turkish poet, writer and academic (b. 1873)
1937 - William Noble Andrews, American politician (b. 1876)
1938 - Calvin Bridges, geneticist (b. 1889)
1942 - William G. Morgan, American inventor of volleyball (b. 1870)
1950 - Max Beckmann, German painter (b. 1884)
1953 - Julian Tuwim, Polish poet (b. 1894)
1957 - Otto Nuschke, German politician (b. 1883)
1958 - Harry Warner, American studio executive (b. 1881)
1966 - Guillermo Stabile, Argentine footballer (b. 1905)
1968 - Victor Ernest Shelford, zoologist (b. 1877)
1972 - Lester Pearson, fourteenth Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1897)
1974 - Vladimir Fock, Russian physicist and mathematician (b. 1898)
1974 - Amy Vanderbilt, American author (b. 1908)
1978 - Houari Boumedienne, President of Algeria (b. 1932)
1979 - Hafizullah Amin, President of Afghanistan (b. 1929)
1981 - Hoagy Carmichael, American composer, singer (b. 1899)
1982 - Jack Swigert, American astronaut (b. 1931)
1985 - Dian Fossey, American biologist (b. 1932)
1988 - Hal Ashby, movie director (b. 1929)
1994 - Fanny Cradock, British chef and cookery writer (b. 1909)
1997 - Billy Wright, Irish Protestant paramilitary leader (b. 1960)
1997 - Brendan Gill, columnist, humorist (someone who makes people laugh) (b. 1953)
From 2001
2002 - George Roy Hill, movie director (b. 1922)
2003 - Alan Bates, British actor (b. 1934)
2003 - Ivan Calderon, baseball player (b. 1962) (murdered)
2007 - Benazir Bhutto, Pakistani politician (b. 1953)
2007 - Jerzy Kawalerowicz, Polish movie director (b. 1922)
2007 - Jaan Kross, Estonian writer (b. 1920)
2008 - Alfred Pfaff, German footballer (b. 1926)
2009 - Takashi Takabayashi, Japanese footballer (b. 1931)
2010 - Ronald Lee Herrick, organ donor (b. 1931)
2011 - Helen Frankenthaler, American painter (b. 1928)
2011 - Michael Dummett, British philosopher (b. 1925)
2012 - Harry Carey, Jr., American actor (b. 1921)
2012 - Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr., American general (b. 1934)
2012 - Jesco von Puttkamer, German-American engineer (b. 1933)
2013 - Mohamad Chatah, Lebanese economist and diplomat (b. 1951) (car bombing)
2013 - Elvira Quintilla, Spanish actress (b. 1928)
2014 - Tomaz Salamun, Slovenian poet (b. 1941)
2014 - Karel Poma, Belgian politician (b. 1920)
2015 - Alfredo Pacheco, El Salvadorean footballer (b. 1982)
2015 - Haskell Wexler, American cinematographer, movie producer and director (b. 1922)
2015 - Dave Henderson, American baseball player (b. 1958)
2015 - Ellsworth Kelly, American painter, sculptor and printmaker (b. 1923)
2015 - Meadowlark Lemon, American basketball player (b. 1932)
2015 - Stein Eriksen, Norwegian skier (b. 1927)
2015 - Gabriel Tambon, French politician (b. 1930)
2016 - Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (b. 1951)
2016 - Claude Gensac, French actress (b. 1927)
2016 - Carrie Fisher, American actress and writer (b. 1956)
2016 - Hans Tietmeyer, German economist (b. 1931)
2017 - Ben Barres, American neurobiologist (b. 1954)
2017 - Osvaldo Fattori, Italian footballer (b. 1922)
2017 - Thomas Hunter, American actor (b. 1932)
Observances
Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist
Constitution Day (North Korea)
Saint Stephen's Day (Eastern Orthodox Church), public holiday in Romania.