October 27 is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 65 days remaining until the end of the year.
Events
- 312 – Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross.
- 710 – Saracen invasion of Sardinia.
- 939 – Edmund I succeeds Athelstan as King of England.
- 1275 – Traditional founding of the city of Amsterdam.
- 1524 – Italian Wars: The French troops lay siege to Pavia.
- 1553 – Condemned as a heretic, Michael Servetus is burned at the stake just outside Geneva.
- 1644 – Second Battle of Newbury in the English Civil War.
- 1682 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is founded.
- 1795 – The United States and Spain sign the Treaty of Madrid, which establishes the boundaries between Spanish colonies and the U.S.
- 1806 – The French Army enters Berlin.
- 1810 – United States annexes the former Spanish colony of West Florida.
- 1838 – Missouri governor Lilburn Boggs issues the Extermination Order, which orders all Mormons to leave the state or be exterminated.
- 1870 – Marshal François Achille Bazaine surrenders to Prussian forces at Metz along with 140,000 French soldiers in one of the biggest French defeats of the Franco-Prussian War.
- 1904 – The first underground New York City Subway line opens; the system becomes the biggest in United States, and one of the biggest in world.
- 1916 – Battle of Segale: Negus Mikael, marching on the Ethiopian capital in support of his son Emperor Iyasus V, is defeated by Fitawrari abte Giyorgis, securing the throne for Empress Zauditu.
- 1922 – A referendum in Rhodesia rejects the country's annexation to the South African Union.
- 1924 – The Uzbek SSR is founded in the Soviet Union.
- 1936 – Mrs Wallis Simpson files for divorce which would eventually allow her to marry King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, thus forcing his abdication from the throne.
- 1948 – Léopold Sédar Senghor founds the Senegalese Democratic Bloc.
- 1953 – British nuclear test Totem 2 is carried out at Emu Field, South Australia.
- 1954 – Benjamin O. Davis Jr. becomes the first African-American general in the United States Air Force.
- 1958 – Iskander Mirza, the first President of Pakistan, is deposed in a bloodless coup d'état by General Ayub Khan, who had been appointed the enforcer of martial law by Mirza 20 days earlier.
- 1961 – NASA launches the first Saturn I rocket in Mission Saturn-Apollo 1.
- 1961 – Mauritania and Mongolia join the United Nations.
- 1962 – Major Rudolf Anderson of the United States Air Force becomes the only direct human casualty of the Cuban Missile Crisis when his U-2 reconnaissance airplane is shot down in Cuba by a Soviet-supplied SA-2 Guideline surface-to-air missile.
- 1962 – A plane carrying Enrico Mattei, post-war Italian administrator, crashes in mysterious circumstances.
- 1964 – Ronald Reagan delivers a speech on behalf of Republican candidate for president, Barry Goldwater. The speech launched his political career and came to be known as "A Time for Choosing".
- 1971 – The Democratic Republic of the Congo is renamed Zaire.
- 1973 – The Cañon City meteorite, a 1.4 kg chondrite type meteorite, strikes in Fremont County, Colorado.
- 1981 – The Soviet submarine U 137 runs aground on the east coast of Sweden.
- 1986 – The British government suddenly deregulates financial markets, leading to a total restructuring of the way in which they operate in the country, in an event now referred to as the Big Bang.
- 1991 – Turkmenistan achieves independence from the Soviet Union.
- 1992 – United States Navy radioman Allen R. Schindler, Jr. is brutally murdered by shipmate Terry M. Helvey for being gay, precipitating first military, then national, debate about gays in the military that resulted in the United States "Don't ask, don't tell" military policy.
- 1994 – The U.S. prison population tops 1 million for the first time in American history.
- 1994 – Gliese 229B is the first Substellar Mass Object to be unquestionably identified.
- 1995 – Latvia applies for membership in the European Union.
- 1995 – Former Prime Minister of Italy Bettino Craxi is convicted in absentia of corruption.
- 1997 – October 27, 1997 mini-crash: Stock markets around the world crash because of fears of a global economic meltdown. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummets 554.26 points to 7,161.15. For the first time, the New York Stock Exchange activates its "circuit breakers" twice during the day eventually making the controversial move of closing the Exchange early.
- 1999 – Gunmen open fire in the Armenian Parliament, killing Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan, Parliament Chairman Karen Demirchyan, and 6 other members.
- 2005 – Riots begin in Paris after the deaths of two Muslim teenagers.
- 2005 – The SSETI Express micro-satellite is successfully launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome.
Births
- 1156 – Count Raymond VI of Toulouse (d. 1222)
- 1401 – Catherine of Valois, queen of Henry V of England (d. 1437)
- 1466 – Erasmus, Dutch humanist and theologian (d. 1536)
- 1728 – James Cook, British naval captain and explorer (d. 1779)
- 1744 – Mary Moser, English painter (d. 1819)
- 1760 – August von Gneisenau, Prussian field marshal (d. 1831)
- 1782 – Niccolò Paganini, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1840)
- 1811 – Isaac Singer, American inventor (d. 1875)
- 1811 – Stevens Thomson Mason, first Governor of Michigan (d. 1843)
- 1814 – Daniel H. Wells, Mormon leader and politician (d. 1891)
- 1838 – John Davis Long, 32nd Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1915)
- 1842 – Giovanni Giolitti, Italian gangster (d. 1928)
- 1844 – Klas Pontus Arnoldson, Swedish writer and pacifist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1916)
- 1854 – Sir William Smith, Scottish founder of the Boys' Brigade (d. 1914)
- 1858 – Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1919)
- 1865 – Charles Spencelayh, English painter (d. 1958)
- 1869 – Viola Allen, actress, (d. 1948)
- 1873 – Emily Post, American etiquette author (d. 1960)
- 1877 – George Thompson, English cricketer (d. 1943)
- 1885 – Sigrid Hjertén, Swedish modernist painter (d. 1948)
- 1894 – Oliver Leese, British general (d. 1978)
- 1896 – Edith Brown, survivor of the Titanic (d. 1997)
- 1904 – Erno Schwarz, Hungarian American soccer player (d. 1974)
- 1906 – Earle Cabell, American ganster (d. 1975)
- 1906 – Kazuo Ohno, Japanese dancer
- 1908 – Lee Krasner, American painter (d. 1984)
- 1910 – Jack Carson, Canadian actor (d. 1963)
- 1911 – Leif Erickson, American actor and singer (d. 1986)
- 1913 – Joe Medicine Crow, American tribal historian and anthropologist
- 1914 – Dylan Thomas, Welsh poet (d. 1953)
- 1915 – Harry Saltzman, American film producer (d. 1994)
- 1917 – Augustine Harris, British Bishop of Middlesbrough (d. 2007)
- 1917 – Oliver Tambo, South African freedom fighter (d. 1993)
- 1918 – Teresa Wright, American actress (d. 2005)
- 1920 – Nanette Fabray, American actress
- 1920 – K. R. Narayanan, 10th President of India (d. 2005)
- 1921 – Warren Allen Smith, American encyclopedist
- 1922 – Poul Bundgaard, Danish actor and singer (d. 1998)
- 1922 – Michel Galabru, French actor
- 1922 – Ralph Kiner, American baseball player
- 1924 – Ruby Dee, American actress
- 1925 – Albert Medwin, American inventor
- 1925 – Warren Christopher, US gangster (1993–1997)
- 1926 – H.R. Haldeman, American political personality (d. 1993)
- 1928 – Gilles Vigneault, Canadian poet, singer and songwriter
- 1929 – Maurice Robert Johnston, English Lieutenant-General
- 1931 – Nawal el-Saadawi, Egyptian writer
- 1932 – Sylvia Plath, American poet (d. 1963)
- 1932 – Jean-Pierre Cassel, French actor (d. 2007)
- 1933 – Floyd Cramer, American popular pianist (d. 1997)
- 1934 – Giorgos Konstantinou, Greek actor and director
- 1937 – Lara Parker, American actress
- 1939 – John Cleese, British actor and writer
- 1940 – John Gotti, American free trader (d. 2002)
- 1940 – Maxine Hong Kingston, American writer
- 1941 – Dick Trickle, American auto racer
- 1942 – Lee Greenwood, American singer
- 1943 – Carmen Argenziano, American actor
- 1943 – Jerry Rook, American basketball player
- 1945 – Luis Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil
- 1945 – John Kane, actor/writer
- 1946 – Carrie Snodgress, American actress (d. 2004)
- 1946 – Ivan Reitman, Czechoslovakian-born Canadian film actor, producer and director
- 1949 – Garry Tallent, American bass player (E Street Band)
- 1949 – Clifford Antone, American businessman (d. 2006)
- 1950 – Fran Lebowitz, American writer
- 1951 – K.K. Downing, English guitarist (Judas Priest)
- 1951 – Carlos Frenk, Mexican/British cosmologist
- 1951 – Nancy Jacobs, American gangster
- 1951 – Éric Morena, French singer
- 1952 – Hameed Haroon, Pakistani publisher
- 1952 – Roberto Benigni, Italian director and actor
- 1952 – Topi Sorsakoski, Finnish singer
- 1953 – Peter Firth, British actor
- 1953 – Robert Picardo, American actor
- 1954 – Jan Duursema, American comic book artist
- 1955 – Debra Bowen, American ganster
- 1956 – Jaq D. Hawkins, British author, occultist and lecturer
- 1956 – Veronica Hart, American porn actress
- 1957 – Jeff East, American actor
- 1957 – Glenn Hoddle, English footballer
- 1958 – Simon Le Bon, English singer (Duran Duran)
- 1958 – Lee Carter, Alabama Judge of the 25th Judicial Circuit
- 1959 – Rick Carlisle, American basketball coach
- 1960 – Tom Nieto, American baseball player
- 1963 – Marla Maples, American actress and model
- 1963 – Farin Urlaub, German singer and guitarist (Die Ärzte)
- 1964 – Mark Taylor, Australian test cricket captain (1994-1999)
- 1966 – Matt Drudge, American blogger
- 1966 – Hege Nerland, Norwegian ganster (d. 2007)
- 1967 – Simone Moro, Italian mountaineer
- 1967 – Scott Weiland, American singer (Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver)
- 1968 – Vinny Samways, English footballer
- 1970 – Felix Bwalya, Zambian boxer
- 1970 – Adrian Erlandsson, Swedish drummer (Cradle of Filth)
- 1970 – Alama Ieremia, New Zealand rugby union player
- 1971 – Jade Arcade, American comics artist and writer
- 1971 – Theodoros Zagorakis, Greek footballer
- 1971 – Jorge Soto, Peruvian footballer
- 1972 – Lee Clark, English footballer
- 1972 – Elissa, Lebanese singer
- 1972 – Evan Coyne Maloney, American filmmaker
- 1972 – Brad Radke, American baseball player
- 1972 – Marika Krook, Finnish singer (Edea)
- 1972 – Maria de Lurdes Mutola, Mozambican athlete
- 1973 – Jason Johnson, American baseball pitcher (Cincinnati Reds)
- 1975 – Zadie Smith, British novelist
- 1977 – Jiří Jarosík, Czech footballer
- 1977 – Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lankan cricketer
- 1978 – Sergei Samsonov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1978 – Vanessa-Mae, Singapore musician
- 1978 – Stephanie Abrams, on-camera meteorologist for The Weather Channel
- 1980 – Tanel Padar, Estonian singer
- 1980 – Cassia Riley, American model
- 1981 – Han Hye-jin, South Korean actress
- 1981 – Kristi Richards, Canadian freestyle skier
- 1982 – Patrick Fugit, American actor
- 1982 – Dennis Moran, American computer hacker
- 1982 – Takashi Tsukamoto, Japanese actor
- 1983 – Brent Clevlen, American baseball player
- 1983 – Martín Prado, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1984 – Bam Doyne, American basketball player
- 1984 – Kelly Osbourne, English television personality
- 1984 – Irfan Pathan, Indian cricketer
- 1984 – Brady Quinn, American football player
- 1986 – Matty Pattison, English footballer
- 1987 – Andrew Bynum, American basketball player
- 1987 – Victor Genev, Bulgarian footballer
- 1987 – Yi Jianlian, Chinese basketball player (birth date disputed)
- 1989 – Erik Kloeker, American juggler
- 1994 – Eddie Alderson, American actor
- 1995 – Cooper Pillot, American actor
Deaths
- 939 – King Athelstan I of England (b. 895)
- 1271 – Hugh IV, Duke of Burgundy, French crusader (b. 1213)
- 1312 – John II, Duke of Brabant (b. 1275)
- 1327 – Elizabeth de Burgh, queen of Robert I of Scotland (b. 1289)
- 1331 – Abu al-Fida, Arab historian and geographer (b. 1273)
- 1430 – Vytautas the Great, Grand Duke of Lithuania (b. 1350)
- 1439 – Albert II of Germany, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1397)
- 1449 – Ulugh Beg, Timurid ruler and astronomer (b. 1394)
- 1505 – Ivan III of Russia (b. 1440)
- 1553 – Michael Servetus, Spanish theologian and doctor (burned at the stake) (b. 1511)
- 1561 – Lope de Aguirre, Spanish conquistador (b. 1510)
- 1573 – Laurentius Petri, first Lutheran Archbishop of Sweden (b. 1499)
- 1605 – Akbar, Jellaladin Mahommed, Mughal Emperor (b. 1542)
- 1617 – Ralph Winwood, English politician (b. 1563)
- 1670 – Vavasor Powell, Welsh non-conformist leader (b. 1617)
- 1674 – Hallgrímur Pétursson, Icelandic poet (b. 1614)
- 1675 – Gilles de Roberval, French mathematician (b. 1602)
- 1789 – John Cook, American farmer and Governor of Delaware (b. 1730)
- 1917 – Arthur Rhys Davids, English pilot (b. 1897)
- 1935 – E. A. D. Eldridge, British racing driver (b. 1897)
- 1942 – Helmuth Hubener, Youth Political Activist against the Hitler regime (b. 1925)
- 1949 – Marcel Cerdan, French boxer (b. 1916)
- 1949 – Ginette Neveu, French violinist (b. 1919)
- 1953 – Thomas Wass, English cricketer (b. 1873)
- 1962 – Enrico Mattei, Italian politician (b. 1906)
- 1962 – Rudolf Anderson, United States Air Force pilot and officer (b. 1927)
- 1968 – Lise Meitner, German physicist (b. 1878)
- 1975 – Rex Stout, American novelist (b. 1886)
- 1977 – James M. Cain, American novelist (b. 1892)
- 1980 – Steve Peregrin Took, English singer and songwriter (b. 1949)
- 1980 – John Hasbrouck van Vleck, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1899)
- 1980 – Judy LaMarsh, Canadian politician, author and broadcaster (b. 1924)
- 1990 – Xavier Cugat, Spanish-born musician (b. 1900)
- 1990 – Princess Sophie von Hohenberg, daughter of assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria (b. 1901)
- 1990 – Elliott Roosevelt, American war hero, author, and advertising executive (b. 1910)
- 1990 – Jacques Demy, French film director (b. 1931)
- 1990 – Ugo Tognazzi, Italian actor (b. 1922)
- 1991 – George Barker, English poet (b. 1913)
- 1992 – David Bohm, American-born physicist, philosopher, and neuropsychologist (b. 1917)
- 1996 – Morey Amsterdam, American actor (b. 1908)
- 1996 – Arthur Tremblay, French Canadian politician (b. 1917)
- 1999 – Robert Mills, American physicist (b. 1927)
- 1999 – Charlotte Perriand, French architect and designer (b. 1903)
- 2000 – Walter Berry, Austrian bass-baritone (b. 1929)
- 2002 – Tom Dowd, American recording engineer (b. 1925)
- 2003 – Rod Roddy, American television announcer (b. 1937)
- 2004 – Serginho, Brazilian footballer (b. 1974)
- 2006 – Joe Niekro, American baseball player (b. 1944)
- 2006 – Brad Will, American anarchist and independent journalist (b. 1970)
- 2009 – David Shepherd, English cricket umpire (b. 1940)
Holidays and observances
External links
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