December 27

December 27 is the 361st day of the year (362nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are four days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

• 537 – The Hagia Sophia is completed.
• 1512 – The Spanish Crown issues the Laws of Burgos, governing the conduct of settlers with regard to native Indians in the New World.
• 1655 – Second Northern War/the Deluge: Monks at the Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa are successful in fending off a month-long siege.
• 1657 – The Flushing Remonstrance is signed.
• 1703 – Portugal and England sign the Methuen Treaty which gives preference to Portuguese imported wines into England.
• 1814 – War of 1812: The American schooner USS Carolina is destroyed. It was the last of Commodore Daniel Patterson's makeshift fleet that fought a series of delaying actions that contributed to Andrew Jackson's victory at the Battle of New Orleans.
• 1831 – Charles Darwin embarks on his journey aboard the HMS Beagle, during which he will begin to formulate the theory of evolution.
• 1836 – The worst ever avalanche in England occurs at Lewes, Sussex, killing 8 people.
• 1845 – Ether anesthetic is used for childbirth for the first time by Dr. Crawford Long in Jefferson, Georgia.
• 1845 – Journalist John L. O'Sullivan, writing in his newspaper the New York Morning News, argues that the United States had the right to claim the entire Oregon Country "by the right of our manifest destiny".
• 1911 – "Jana Gana Mana", the national anthem of India, is first sung in the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress.
• 1918 – The Great Poland Uprising against the Germans begins.
• 1922 – Japanese aircraft carrier Hōshō becomes the first purpose built aircraft carrier to be commissioned in the world.
• 1923 – Daisuke Namba, a Japanese student, tries to assassinate the Prince Regent Hirohito.
• 1927 – Show Boat, considered to be the first true American musical play, opens at the Ziegfeld Theatre on Broadway.
• 1929 – Soviet General Secretary Joseph Stalin orders the "liquidation of the kulaks as a class", ostensibly as an effort to spread socialism to the countryside.
• 1932 – Radio City Music Hall, "Showplace of the Nation", opens in New York, New York.
• 1939 – Erzincan, Turkey is hit by an earthquake, killing 30,000.
• 1939 – Winter War: Finland holds off a Soviet attack in the Battle of Kelja.
• 1942 – The Union of Pioneers of Yugoslavia is founded.
• 1945 – The World Bank and International Monetary Fund are created with the signing of an agreement by 29 nations.
• 1949 – Indonesian National Revolution: The Netherlands officially recognizes Indonesian independence. End of the Dutch East Indies.
• 1966 – The Cave of Swallows, the largest known cave shaft in the world, is discovered in Aquismón, San Luis Potosí, Mexico.
• 1968 – Apollo program: Apollo 8 splashes down in the Pacific Ocean, ending the first orbital manned mission to the Moon.
• 1978 – Spain becomes a democracy after 40 years of dictatorship.
• 1979 – The Soviet Union invades the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.
• 1983 – Pope John Paul II visits Mehmet Ali Ağca in Rebibbia's prison and personally forgives him for the 1981 attack on him in St. Peter's Square.
• 1985 – Palestinian guerrillas kill eighteen people inside Rome, Italy and Vienna, Austria airports.
• 1989 – The Romanian Revolution concludes, as the last minor street confrontations and stray shootings abruptly end in the country's capital, Bucharest.
• 1996 – Taliban forces retake the strategic Bagram Airfield which solidifies their buffer zone around Kabul, Afghanistan.
• 1997 – Protestant paramilitary leader Billy Wright is assassinated in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.
• 2001 – China is granted permanent normal trade relations with the United States.
• 2002 – Two truck bombs kill 72 and wound 200 at the pro-Moscow headquarters of the Chechen government in Grozny, Chechnya, Russia.
• 2004 – Radiation from an explosion on the magnetar SGR 1806-20 reaches Earth. It is the brightest extrasolar event known to have been witnessed on the planet.
• 2007 – Former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto is assassinated in a shooting incident.
• 2007 – Riots erupt in Mombasa, Kenya, after Mwai Kibaki is declared the winner of the presidential election, triggering a political, economic, and humanitarian crisis.
• 2008 – Israel launches 3-week operation on Gaza - Operation Cast Lead.
• 2009 – Iranian election protests: On the Day of Ashura in Tehran, Iran, government security forces fire upon demonstrators.

Births

• 1390 – Anne de Mortimer, Irish wife of Richard of Conisburgh, 3rd Earl of Cambridge (d. 1411)
• 1571 – Johannes Kepler, German astronomer (d. 1630)
• 1572 – Johannes Vodnianus Campanus, Czech composer, poet, and playwright (d. 1622)
• 1654 – Jacob Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician (d. 1705)
• 1683 – Conyers Middleton, English clergyman (d. 1750)
• 1714 – George Whitefield, English-American preacher (d. 1770)
• 1715 – Philippe de Noailles, French soldier (d. 1794)
• 1717 – Pope Pius VI (d. 1799)
• 1721 – François Hemsterhuis, Dutch philosopher (d. 1790)
• 1761 – Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly, Russian field marshal (d. 1818)
• 1773 – George Cayley, English engineer (d. 1857)
• 1776 – Nikolay Kamensky, Russian general (d. 1811)
• 1796 – Mirza Ghalib, Indian poet (d. 1869)
• 1803 – François-Marie-Thomas Chevalier de Lorimier, Canadian activist (d. 1839)
• 1822 – Louis Pasteur, French chemist and microbiologist (d. 1895)
• 1823 – Mackenzie Bowell, Canadian politician, 5th Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1917)
• 1832 – Pavel Tretyakov, Russian businessman and philanthropist, founded the Tretyakov Gallery (d. 1897)
• 1858 – Juan Luis Sanfuentes, Chilean politician, 17th President of Chile (d. 1930)
• 1863 – Louis Lincoln Emmerson, American politician, 27th Governor of Illinois (d. 1941)
• 1864 – Hermann-Paul, French painter and illustrator (d. 1940)
• 1879 – Sydney Greenstreet, English actor (d. 1954)
• 1883 – Cyrus S. Eaton, Canadian-American financier, businessman, and philanthropist (d. 1979)
• 1888 – Thea von Harbou, German author and actress (d. 1954)
• 1892 – Alfred Edwin McKay, Canadian pilot (d. 1917)
• 1896 – Louis Bromfield, American author (d. 1956)
• 1896 – Maurice De Waele, Belgian cyclist (d. 1952)
• 1896 – Carl Zuckmayer, German author and playwright (d. 1977)
• 1900 – Hans Stuck, German race car driver (d. 1978)
• 1901 – Marlene Dietrich, German-American actress and singer (d. 1992)
• 1901 – Irene Handl, English actress (d. 1987)
• 1906 – Oscar Levant, American pianist, composer, and actor (d. 1972)
• 1907 – Sebastian Haffner, German journalist and author (d. 1999)
• 1907 – Mary Howard, English author (d. 1991)
• 1907 – Conrad L. Raiford, American baseball player and activist (d. 2002)
• 1907 – Willem van Otterloo, Dutch conductor and composer (d. 1978)
• 1909 – James Riddell, English skier and author (d. 2000)
• 1910 – Charles Olson, American poet (d. 1970)
• 1911 – Anna Russell, English-Canadian singer and actress (d. 2006)
• 1915 – Mary Kornman, American actress (d. 1973)
• 1915 – William H. Masters, American gynecologist (d. 2001)
• 1915 – Gyula Zsengellér, Hungarian footballer (d. 1999)
• 1916 – Werner Baumbach, German pilot (d. 1953)
• 1917 – T. Nadaraja, Sri Lankan Tamil academic and lawyer (d. 2004)
• 1917 – Onni Palaste, Finnish soldier and author (d. 2009)
• 1918 – John Celardo, American illustrator (d. 2012)
• 1919 – Charles Sweeney, American general (d. 2004)
• 1920 – Bruce Hobbs, American jockey (d. 2005)
• 1923 – Bruno Bobak, Polish-Canadian painter (d. 2012)
• 1924 – James A. McClure, American politician (d. 2011)
• 1924 – Hung Sin-nui, Chinese actress and singer (d. 2013)
• 1925 – Maurice Bambier, French politician (d. 1994)
• 1925 – Michel Piccoli, French actor, singer, director, and producer
• 1926 – Jerome Courtland, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2012)
• 1927 – Antony Gardner, English politician (d. 2011)
• 1927 – Nityanand Swami, Indian politician, 1st Chief Minister of Uttarakhand (d. 2012)
• 1927 – Audrey Wagner, American baseball player (d. 1984)
• 1930 – Marshall Sahlins, American anthropologist
• 1930 – Wilfrid Sheed, English-American author (d. 2011)
• 1931 – Scotty Moore, American guitarist (The Blue Moon Boys)
• 1934 – Christopher Benjamin, English actor
• 1934 – Larisa Latynina, Russian gymnast
• 1934 – Jeffrey Sterling, Baron Sterling of Plaistow, British businessman
• 1935 – Michael Turnbull, English bishop
• 1936 – Eve Uusmees, Estonian swimmer
• 1938 – Stanislav Stanojevic, Serbian-French actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1939 – John Amos, American actor
• 1941 – Miles Aiken, American basketball player and coach
• 1941 – Mike Pinder, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player (The Moody Blues)
• 1941 – Nolan Richardson, American basketball player and coach
• 1942 – Byron Browne, American baseball player
• 1942 – Charmian Carr, American actress and singer
• 1942 – Thomas Menino, American politician, 53rd Mayor of Boston
• 1942 – Ron Rothstein, American basketball player and coach
• 1943 – Cokie Roberts, American journalist
• 1943 – Joan Manuel Serrat, Spanish singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1943 – Peter Sinfield, English songwriter and producer
• 1943 – Roy White, American baseball player
• 1944 – Mick Jones, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer (Foreigner and Spooky Tooth)
• 1944 – Tracy Nelson, American singer (Mother Earth)
• 1946 – Lenny Kaye, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
• 1946 – Joe Kinnear, Irish businessman and former footballer
• 1946 – Joyce Spiliotis, American politician (d. 2012)
• 1946 – Janet Street-Porter, English journalist and producer
• 1946 – Polly Toynbee, English journalist and writer
• 1947 – Bill Eadie, American wrestler
• 1947 – Janet Perry, American soprano
• 1947 – Willy Polleunis, Belgian runner
• 1947 – Mickey Redmond, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1947 – Doug Livermore, English footballer and manager
• 1948 – Gérard Depardieu, French actor
• 1950 – Haris Alexiou, Greek singer-songwriter
• 1950 – Roberto Bettega, Italian footballer
• 1950 – Terry Bozzio, American drummer and songwriter (Missing Persons UK, and HoBoLeMa)
• 1950 – Morgan Chu, American lawyer
• 1950 – Doug Stone, Canadian voice actor
• 1951 – Ernesto Zedillo, Mexican economist and politician, 54th President of Mexico
• 1952 – Karla Bonoff, American singer-songwriter (Bryndle)
• 1952 – Tovah Feldshuh, American actress and singer
• 1952 – Jay Hill, Canadian politician
• 1952 – David Knopfler, Scottish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Dire Straits)
• 1952 – Raimund Krauth, German footballer (d. 2012)
• 1954 – Mark Cleary, English academic
• 1954 – Mandie Fletcher, English television and film director
• 1955 – E. E. Bell, American actor
• 1955 – Brad Murphey, Australian race car driver
• 1955 – Barbara Olson, American journalist (d. 2001)
• 1957 – Jerry Gaskill, American drummer (King's X)
• 1957 – Greg Mortenson, American author
• 1958 – Barbara Crampton, American actress
• 1958 – Steve Jones, American golfer
• 1958 – Norbert Schmitz, German footballer (d. 1998)
• 1959 – Gerina Dunwich, American author
• 1959 – Andre Tippett, American football player
• 1960 – Maryam d'Abo, English actress
• 1960 – Victoria Paige Meyerink, American actress and producer
• 1960 – Donald Nally, American conductor
• 1962 – Mark Few, American basketball coach
• 1962 – John Kampfner, Singaporean journalist, former editor New Statesman
• 1962 – Bill Self, American basketball player and coach
• 1962 – Sherri Steinhauer, American golfer
• 1962 – Sara Thornton, English Chief Constable of the Thames Valley Police
• 1962 – Pierlucio Tinazzi, Italian security guard (d. 1999)
• 1963 – Gaspar Noé, Argentinian-French director
• 1964 – Ian Gomez, American actor
• 1964 – Theresa Randle, American actress
• 1965 – Salman Khan, Indian actor
• 1965 – Chris Mainwaring, Australian footballer (d. 2007)
• 1966 – Wendy Coakley-Thompson, American author
• 1966 – Marianne Elliott, English associate director, National Theatre
• 1966 – Bill Goldberg, American football player, wrestler, and actor
• 1966 – Eva LaRue, American actress
• 1966 – Fabian Núñez, American politician
• 1969 – Jean-Christophe Boullion, French race car driver
• 1969 – Sarah Vowell, American author and journalist
• 1970 – Chyna, American wrestler and actress
• 1970 – Brendon Cook, Australian race car driver
• 1970 – Tracey Cherelle Jones, American actress
• 1970 – Lorenzo Neal, American football player
• 1971 – Sergei Bodrov, Jr., Russian actor (d. 2002)
• 1971 – Duncan Ferguson, Scottish footballer
• 1971 – Jason Hawes, American paranormal investigator and author, founded The Atlantic Paranormal Society
• 1971 – Bryan Smolinski, American ice hockey player
• 1971 – Savannah Guthrie, American journalist and co-host of The Today Show
• 1971 – Guthrie Govan, English guitarist and instructor
• 1972 – Thomas Wilson Brown, American actor
• 1972 – Colin Charvis, Welsh rugby player
• 1972 – Kevin Ollie, American basketball player
• 1972 – Matt Slocum, American guitarist and songwriter (Sixpence None the Richer)
• 1973 – Wilson Cruz, Puerto Rican actor
• 1973 – Dee Ferris, English painter
• 1973 – Luka Grubor, Yugoslavian-born British rower
• 1973 – Kristoffer Zegers, Dutch composer and pianist
• 1974 – Masi Oka, Japanese-American actor
• 1974 – Fumiko Orikasa, Japanese voice actress and singer
• 1974 – Jay Pandolfo, American ice hockey player
• 1974 – Edgar Ponce, Mexican actor and dancer (d. 2005)
• 1975 – Heather O'Rourke, American actress (d. 1988)
• 1976 – Nikolaos Georgeas, Greek footballer
• 1976 – Piotr Morawski, Polish mountaineer (d. 2009)
• 1976 – Fernando Pisani, Canadian-Italian ice hockey player
• 1976 – Aaron Stanford, American actor
• 1977 – Jacqueline Pillon, Canadian actress
• 1978 – Deuce McAllister, American football player
• 1979 – David Dunn, English footballer
• 1979 – Carson Palmer, American football player
• 1980 – Bernard Berrian, American football player
• 1980 – Antonio Cesaro, Swiss wrestler
• 1980 – Cas Haley, American singer and guitarist
• 1980 – Dahntay Jones, American basketball player
• 1980 – Meelis Kompus, Estonian radio and television journalist
• 1981 – David Aardsma, American baseball player
• 1981 – Emilie de Ravin, Australian actress
• 1981 – Javine Hylton, English singer
• 1981 – Moise Joseph, American-Haitian runner
• 1981 – Patrick Sharp, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1982 – Erin E. Stead, American children's book illustrator
• 1983 – Anthony Boric, New Zealand rugby player
• 1983 – Cole Hamels, American baseball player
• 1984 – Andrejs Perepļotkins, Ukrainian-Latvian footballer
• 1984 – Pleasure P, American singer-songwriter and producer (Pretty Ricky)
• 1984 – Gilles Simon, French tennis player
• 1985 – Logan Bailly, Belgian footballer
• 1985 – Jérôme d'Ambrosio, Belgian race car driver
• 1985 – Paul Stastny, Canadian-American ice hockey player
• 1988 – Zavon Hines, Jamaican-English footballer
• 1988 – Rick Porcello, American baseball player
• 1988 – Ok Taecyeon, South Korean rapper, dancer, and actor (2PM)
• 1988 – Hayley Williams, American singer-songwriter (Paramore)
• 1989 – Ingrid Várgas Calvo, Peruvian tennis player
• 1990 – Lazaro Arbos, Cuban-American singer
• 1990 – Max Lindholm, Finnish figure skater
• 1990 – Milos Raonic, Canadian tennis player
• 1991 – Chloe Bridges, American actress
• 1991 – Danny Wilson, Scottish footballer
• 1992 – Joel Indermitte, Estonian footballer
• 1992 – Maicel Uibo, Estonian decathlete
• 1997 – Ana Konjuh, Croatian tennis player

Deaths

• 683 – Gao Zong, Chinese emperor of the Tang Dynasty (b. 628)
• 1076 – Sviatoslav II of Kiev (b. 1027)
• 1087 – Bertha of Savoy, (b. 1051)
• 1381 – Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March, English politician (b. 1352)
• 1543 – George, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (b. 1484)
• 1548 – Francesco Spiera, Italian jurist (b. 1502)
• 1603 – Thomas Cartwright, English clergyman (b. 1535)
• 1704 – Hans Albrecht von Barfus, Prussian field marshal and politician (b. 1635)
• 1707 – Jean Mabillon, French monk and scholar (b. 1632)
• 1737 – William Bowyer, English printer (b. 1663)
• 1743 – Hyacinthe Rigaud, French painter (b. 1659)
• 1771 – Henri Pitot, French engineer, invented the Pitot tube (b. 1695)
• 1782 – Henry Home, Lord Kames, Scottish judge and philosopher (b. 1697)
• 1800 – Hugh Blair, Scottish minister and author (b. 1718)
• 1812 – Joanna Southcott, English prophet (b. 1750)
• 1812 – Shneur Zalman of Liadi, Lithuanian rabbi (b. 1745)
• 1834 – Charles Lamb, English author (b. 1775)
• 1836 – Stephen F. Austin, American army officer and politician (b. 1793)
• 1858 – Alexandre Pierre François Boëly, French composer and pianist (b. 1785)
• 1896 – John Brown, English businessman (b. 1816)
• 1900 – William Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong, English engineer and businessman, founded Armstrong Whitworth (b. 1810)
• 1914 – Charles Martin Hall, American chemist (b. 1863)
• 1923 – Gustave Eiffel, French engineer and architect, co-designed the Eiffel Tower (b. 1832)
• 1925 – Sergei Yesenin, Russian poet (b. 1895)
• 1938 – Calvin Bridges, American geneticist (b. 1889)
• 1938 – Osip Mandelstam, Russian poet (b. 1891)
• 1943 – Ants Kurvits, Estonian military commander (b. 1887)
• 1950 – Max Beckmann, German painter (b. 1884)
• 1952 – Patrick Joseph Hartigan, Australian priest, author, and educator (b. 1878)
• 1953 – Julian Tuwim, Polish poet (b. 1894)
• 1955 – Alfred Carpenter, English navy officer (b. 1881)
• 1956 – Lambert McKenna, Irish lexicographer (b. 1870)
• 1958 – Harry Warner, Polish-American film producer, co-founded Warner Bros. (b. 1881)
• 1960 – Jackie Gerlich, Austrian actor (b. 1917)
• 1965 – Edgar Ende, German painter (b. 1901)
• 1966 – Guillermo Stábile, Argentine footballer (b. 1905)
• 1972 – Lester B. Pearson, Canadian politician, 14th Prime Minister of Canada, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1897)
• 1974 – Vladimir Fock, Russian physicist (b. 1898)
• 1974 – Amy Vanderbilt, American etiquette author (b 1908)
• 1978 – Chris Bell American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Big Star) (b. 1951)
• 1978 – Houari Boumediene, Algerian politician, 2nd President of Algeria (b. 1932)
• 1978 – Bob Luman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1937)
• 1979 – Hafizullah Amin, Afghan politician, 2nd President of Afghanistan (b. 1929)
• 1981 – Hoagy Carmichael, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actor (b. 1899)
• 1982 – Jack Swigert, American astronaut (b. 1931)
• 1985 – Dian Fossey, American zoologist (b. 1932)
• 1985 – Jean Rondeau, French race car driver and constructor (b. 1946)
• 1986 – George Dangerfield, English-American historian and journalist (b. 1904)
• 1986 – Dumas Malone, American historian and biographer (b. 1892)
• 1988 – Hal Ashby, American director (b. 1929)
• 1992 – Kay Boyle, American author (b. 1902)
• 1993 – Feliks Kibbermann, Estonian chess player and philologist (b. 1902)
• 1993 – Evald Mikson, Estonian footballer and Nazi collaborator (b. 1911)
• 1993 – André Pilette, Belgian race car driver (b. 1918)
• 1994 – Fanny Cradock, English chief, author, and critic (b. 1909)
• 1994 – J. B. L. Reyes, Filipino jurist (b. 1902)
• 1995 – Shura Cherkassky, Ukrainian-American pianist (b. 1909)
• 1995 – Genrikh Kasparyan, Armenian chess player (b. 1910)
• 1997 – Brendan Gill, American journalist (b. 1914)
• 1997 – Billy Wright, English-Irish commander (b. 1960)
• 2002 – George Roy Hill, American director (b. 1922)
• 2003 – Alan Bates, English actor (b. 1934)
• 2003 – Iván Calderón, Puerto Rican baseball player (b. 1962)
• 2003 – Vestal Goodman, American singer (b. 1929)
• 2004 – Hank Garland, American guitarist (b. 1930)
• 2005 – William Doody, Canadian politician (b. 1931)
• 2007 – Benazir Bhutto, Pakistani politician, 11th Prime Minister of Pakistan (b. 1953)
• 2007 – Jerzy Kawalerowicz, Polish director (b. 1922)
• 2007 – Jaan Kross, Estonian author (b. 1920)
• 2008 – Delaney Bramlett, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Delaney & Bonnie) (b. 1939)
• 2008 – Robert Graham, Mexican sculptor (b. 1938)
• 2009 – Isaac Schwartz, Ukrainian composer (b. 1923)
• 2011 – Catê, Brazilian footballer (b. 1973)
• 2011 – Michael Dummett, English philosopher (b. 1925)
• 2011 – Helen Frankenthaler, American abstract expressionist painter (b. 1928)
• 2011 – Johnny Wilson, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1929)
• 2012 – Valentin Boreyko, Russian rower (b. 1933)
• 2012 – Harry Carey, Jr., American actor (b. 1921)
• 2012 – Lloyd Charmers, Jamaican singer, keyboard player, and producer (The Uniques) (b. 1938)
• 2012 – Maurice Paul Delorme, French bishop (b. 1919)
• 2012 – Hamid Ghodse, Iranian-English academic (b. 1938)
• 2012 – Sohrab Hossain, Bangladeshi singer (b. 1922)
• 2012 – Jorma Kortelainen, Finnish skier (b. 1932)
• 2012 – Tingye Li, Chinese-American physicist (b. 1931)
• 2012 – Edgar May, American politician (b. 1929)
• 2012 – John Quimby, American politician (b. 1935)
• 2012 – Albert Riederer, American jurist and politician (b. 1945)
• 2012 – Archie Roy, Scottish astronomer (b. 1924)
• 2012 – Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr., American general (b. 1934)
• 2012 – Jesco von Puttkamer, German-American engineer (b. 1933)
• 2012 – Mlađa Veselinović, Serbian actor (b. 1915)
• 2012 – Salt Walther, American race car driver (b. 1947)

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Fabiola
  • John the Apostle
  • Nicarete
  • December 27 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

• Constitution Day (North Korea)
• Emergency Rescuer's Day (Russia)
• St. Stephen's Day (Eastern Orthodox Church; a public holiday in Romania)
• The third day of Christmas (Western Christianity)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to December 27.

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada