What Happened on January 27
Important Events
- 1820 Russian Antarctic Expedition led by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev discover the continent of Antarctica
- 1825 US Congress approves Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma), clearing the way for the forced relocation of the Eastern Indian tribes via the "Trail of Tears"
- 1888 The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C. for "the increase and diffusion of geographic knowledge"
- 1924 Lenin placed in Mausoleum in Red Square, Moscow
- 1944 Siege of Leningrad lifted by the Soviets after 880 days and more than 2 million Russians killed
- 1945 Soviet troops liberate Auschwitz and Birkenau Concentration Camps in Poland
- 1973 US & North Vietnam's William Rogers & Nguyen Duy Trinh sign cease-fire, ending longest US war and military draft
Jan 27 in Film & TV
- 1970 Movie rating system modifies "M" rating to "PG"
Jan 27 in Music
- 1956 "Heartbreak Hotel" single released by Elvis Presley, his first million-selling single
Jan 27 in Sport
- 1894 1st college basketball game, University of Chicago beats Chicago YMCA 19-11
Would You Believe?
Peruvian ambassador Ricardo Rivera-Schreiber warns American Ambassador of Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor
On January 27, 1941
Famous Weddings
- 1186 Henry VI, the son and heir of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I, weds Constance of Sicily
- 1937 Musician Nat King Cole (17) weds dancer Nadine Robinson in Ypsilanti, Michigan
- 1996 "ER" TV actress Yvette Freeman (39) weds musical director Lawny Hartley (49) in Dunleith, Delaware
Famous Divorces
- 1997 "Wall Street" actor Charlie Sheen (31) divorces model Donna Peele after nearly 5 months of marriage
Famous Deaths
Nerva
(30 - 98)Samuel Hood
(1724 - 1816)Giuseppe Verdi
(1813 - 1901)Nellie Bly
(1865 - 1922)André the Giant
(1946 - 1993)Suharto
(1921 - 2008)
Articles, Photos and Quiz
Crippled Kaiser Had Grip of Iron
German Emperor 'Kaiser Bill,' was born on this day, strong-willed and determined to overcome the deformity that afflicted him from birth.
January 27, 1859Apollo 1 Fire
The command module of Apollo 1 the day after the fatal fire that killed 3 astronauts
January 27, 1967Weekly Quiz for January 27 - February 2
Who succeeded King Henry VIII to the English throne in 1547? Who wrote the novel Pride and Prejudice?
January in History
Al Capone, Public Enemy Number One
Al Capone, forever associated with Prohibition and the St Valentine’s Day Massacre, has long been ranked as the most notorious gangster in American history.
January 25, 1947'I Did Not Have Sexual Relations With That Woman'
One of the most notorious denials in political history came on this day when President Bill Clinton held a news conference on his relations with Monica Lewinsky.
January 26, 1998Riot Leader Accuses a Queen
How did Lord George Gordon, an aristocrat who led the Gordon Riots in London, lose a libel case on this day to French Queen Marie Antoinette?
January 28, 1788Secret Behind Mona Lisa's Smile
The smile has beguiled art lovers for nearly 600 years and made the Mona Lisa the world's most famous work of art. But was her smile due to a medical condition?
January 29, 1987