August 27Birthdays & History

On this day: August 27 in history

Oldest first. Tap a year to see it on the World Chronicle timeline.

1. 410The sacking of Rome by the Visigoths ends after three days.Europe
2. 1172Henry the Young King and Margaret of France are crowned junior king and queen of England.Europe
3. 1232Shikken Hojo Yasutoki of the Kamakura shogunate promulgates the Goseibai Shikimoku, the first Japanese legal code governing the samurai class.Asia
4. 1353War of the Straits and Sardinian–Aragonese war: The Battle of Alghero results in a crushing victory of the allied Aragonese and Venetian fleet over the Genoese fleet, most of which is captured.Europe
5. 1557The Battle of St. Quentin results in Emmanuel Philibert becoming Duke of Savoy.Europe
6. 1593Pierre Barrière fails in an attempt to assassinate Henry IV of France.Europe
7. 1597Jeongyu War: Battle of Chilcheollyang: A Japanese fleet of 500 ships destroys Joseon commander Wŏn Kyun's fleet of 200 ships at Chilcheollyang.AsiaAsia
8. 1600Ishida Mitsunari's Western Army commences the Siege of Fushimi Castle, which is lightly defended by a much smaller Tokugawa garrison led by Torii Mototada.Asia
9. 1689The Treaty of Nerchinsk is signed by Russia and the Qing Empire (Julian calendar).EuropeAsia
10. 1776American Revolutionary War: British forces under General William Howe flank and defeat the Continental Army under General George Washington during the Battle of Long Island, with the 1st Maryland Regiment sustaining heavy casualties to cover retreating American troops.North AmericaEurope
11. 1791French Revolution: Frederick William II of Prussia and Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor, issue the Declaration of Pillnitz, declaring the joint support of the Holy Roman Empire and Prussia for the French monarchy, agitating the French revolutionaries and contributing to the outbreak of the War of the First Coalition.Europe
12. 1793French Revolutionary Wars: The city of Toulon revolts against the French Republic and admits the British and Spanish fleets to seize its port, leading to the Siege of Toulon by French Revolutionary forces.Europe
13. 1798Wolfe Tone's United Irish and French forces clash with the British Army in the Battle of Castlebar, part of the Irish Rebellion of 1798, resulting in the creation of the French puppet Republic of Connacht.Europe
14. 1810Napoleonic Wars: The French Navy defeats the British Royal Navy, preventing them from taking the harbour of Grand Port on Île de France.Europe
15. 1813French Emperor Napoleon I defeats a larger force of Austrians, Russians, and Prussians at the Battle of Dresden.Europe
16. 1828Brazil and Argentina recognize the sovereignty of Uruguay in the Treaty of Montevideo.Latin America
17. 1832Black Hawk, leader of the Sauk tribe of Native Americans, surrenders to U.S. authorities, ending the Black Hawk War.North America
18. 1859Petroleum is discovered in Titusville, Pennsylvania, leading to the world's first commercially successful oil well.North America
19. 1881The Georgia hurricane makes landfall near Savannah, Georgia, resulting in an estimated 700 deaths.North America
20. 1883Eruption of Krakatoa: Four enormous explosions almost completely destroy the island of Krakatoa, with a combination of tsunamis and pyroclastic flows killing more than 36,000. Climate effects are observed worldwide.Asia
21. 1893The Sea Islands hurricane strikes the United States near Savannah, Georgia, killing between 1,000 and 2,000 people.North America
22. 1895Japanese invasion of Taiwan: Battle of Baguashan: The Empire of Japan decisively defeats a smaller Formosan army at Changhua, crippling the short-lived Republic of Formosa and leading to its surrender two months later.AsiaAsia
23. 1896Anglo-Zanzibar War: The shortest war in world history (09:02 to 09:40) occurs, between the United Kingdom and Zanzibar.AfricaEurope
24. 1908The Qing dynasty promulgates the Qinding Xianfa Dagang, the first constitutional document in the history of China, transforming the Qing empire into a constitutional monarchy.Asia
25. 1914World War I: Battle of Étreux: A British rearguard action by the Royal Munster Fusiliers during the Great Retreat.Europe
26. 1914World War I: Siege of Tsingtao: A Japanese fleet commanded by Vice Admiral Sadakichi Kato imposes a blockade along the whole coastline of German Tsingtao, initiating the Siege of Tsingtao.AsiaEurope
27. 1915Attempted assassination of Bishop Patrick Heffron, bishop of the Diocese of Winona, by Rev. Louis M. Lesches.North America
28. 1916World War I: The Kingdom of Romania declares war on Austria-Hungary, entering the war as one of the Allied nations.Europe
29. 1918Mexican Revolution: Battle of Ambos Nogales: U.S. Army forces skirmish against Mexican Carrancistas as part of the Mexican Border War.Latin AmericaNorth America
30. 1922Greco-Turkish War: The Turkish army takes the Aegean city of Afyonkarahisar from the Kingdom of Greece.Middle EastEurope
31. 1927Five Canadian women file a petition to the Supreme Court of Canada, asking: "Does the word 'Persons' in Section 24 of the British North America Act, 1867, include female persons?"North AmericaEurope
32. 1928The Kellogg–Briand Pact outlawing war is signed by fifteen nations. Ultimately sixty-one nations will sign it.EuropeNorth America
33. 1933The first Afrikaans Bible is introduced during a Bible Festival in Bloemfontein.Africa
34. 1939First flight of the turbojet-powered Heinkel He 178, the world's first jet aircraft.Europe
35. 1942The Holocaust: first day of the Sarny Massacre, perpetrated by German military forces.Europe
36. 1943World War II: Japanese forces evacuate New Georgia Island in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II.Asia
37. 1943World War II: Aerial bombardment by the Luftwaffe razes to the ground the village of Vorizia in Crete.Europe
38. 1955The first edition of the Guinness Book of Records is published in Great Britain.Europe
39. 1956The nuclear power station at Calder Hall in the United Kingdom was connected to the national power grid becoming the world's first commercial nuclear power station to generate electricity on an industrial scale.Europe
40. 1962The Mariner 2 unmanned space mission is launched to Venus by NASA.North America
41. 1963An explosion at the Cane Creek potash mine near Moab, Utah kills 18 miners.North America
42. 1964South Vietnamese junta leader Nguyễn Khánh enters into a triumvirate power-sharing arrangement with rival generals Trần Thiện Khiêm and Dương Văn Minh, who had both been involved in plots to unseat Khánh.Asia
43. 1971An attempted coup d'état fails in the African nation of Chad. The Government of Chad accuses Egypt of playing a role in the attempt and breaks off diplomatic relations.AfricaMiddle East
44. 1975The Governor of Portuguese Timor abandons its capital, Dili, and flees to Atauro Island, leaving control to a rebel group.Europe
45. 1979The Troubles: Eighteen British soldiers are killed at the Warrenpoint ambush by the Provisional Irish Republican Army near Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland, in the deadliest attack on British forces during Operation Banner. An IRA bomb also kills British royal family member Lord Mountbatten and three others on his boat at Mullaghmore, Republic of Ireland.Europe
46. 1980South Korean presidential election: After successfully staging the Coup d'état of May Seventeenth, General Chun Doo-hwan, running unopposed, has the National Conference for Unification elect him President of the Fourth Republic of Korea.Asia
47. 1982Turkish military diplomat Colonel Atilla Altıkat is shot and killed in Ottawa. Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide claim to be avenging the massacre of 1+1⁄2 million Armenians in the 1915 Armenian genocide.Middle EastNorth AmericaEurope
48. 1985Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on STS-51-I to deploy three communication satellites and repair a fourth malfunctioning one.World
49. 1985Major General Muhammadu Buhari, Chairman of the Supreme Military Council of Nigeria, is ousted from power in a coup d'état led by Major General Ibrahim Babangida.Africa
50. 1991Moldova declares independence from the USSR.Europe
51. 1991The European Community recognizes the independence of the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.Europe
52. 1992Aeroflot Flight 2808 crashes in Lebyazhy Lug during approach to Ivanovo Yuzhny Airport, killing all 84 aboard.Europe
53. 2003The first six-party talks, involving South and North Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia, convene to find a peaceful resolution to the security concerns of the North Korean nuclear weapons program.AsiaNorth AmericaAsia
54. 2003Mars makes its closest approach to Earth in nearly 60,000 years, passing 34,646,418 miles (55,758,005 km) distant.World
55. 2006Comair Flight 5191 crashes on takeoff from Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky, bound for Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta. Of the passengers and crew, 49 of 50 are confirmed dead in the hours following the crash.North America
56. 2009Internal conflict in Myanmar: The Burmese military junta and ethnic armies begin three days of violent clashes in the Kokang Special Region.Asia
57. 2011Hurricane Irene strikes the United States east coast, killing 47 and causing an estimated $15.6 billion in damage.North America

Source: Wikipedia "August 27" / CC BY-SA 4.0