December 27
Events
Pre-1600
- 537 - The second Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is consecrated.
- 1512 - The Spanish Crown issues the Laws of Burgos, governing the conduct of settlers with regard to native Indians in the New World.
- 1521 - The Zwickau prophets arrive in Wittenberg, disturbing the peace and preaching the Apocalypse.
1601–1900
- 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 articulates for the first time in North American history that freedom of religion is a fundamental right.
- 1703 - Portugal and England sign the Methuen Treaty which allows Portugal to export wines to England on favorable trade terms.
- 1814 - War of 1812: The destruction of the schooner brings to an end Commodore Daniel Patterson's makeshift fleet, which 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, during which he will begin to formulate his theory of evolution.
- 1836 - The worst ever avalanche in England occurs at Lewes, Sussex, killing eight people.
- 1845 - Ether anesthetic is used for childbirth for the first time by Dr. Crawford Long in Jefferson, Georgia.
- 1845 - Having coined the phrase "manifest destiny" the previous July, journalist John L. O'Sullivan argued in his newspaper New York Morning News that the United States had the right to claim the entire Oregon Country.
1901–present
- 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.
- 1918 - Ukrainian War of Independence: The Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine occupies Yekaterinoslav and seizes seven airplanes from the UPRAF, establishing an Insurgent Air Fleet.
- 1922 - becomes the first purpose-built aircraft carrier to be commissioned in the world.
- 1927 - Kern and Hammerstein's musical play 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".
- 1932 - Radio City Music Hall, "Showplace of the Nation", opens in New York City.
- 1935 - Regina Jonas is ordained as the first female rabbi in the history of Judaism.
- 1939 - The 7.8 Erzincan earthquake shakes eastern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI. At least 32,700 people were killed.
- 1939 - Winter War: Finland holds off a Soviet attack in the Battle of Kelja.
- 1945 - The International Monetary Fund is 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 crewed mission to the Moon.
- 1968 - North Central Airlines Flight 458 crashes at O'Hare International Airport, killing 28.
- 1978 - Spain becomes a democracy after 40 years of fascist dictatorship.
- 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 the airports of Rome, Italy, and Vienna, Austria.
- 1989 - The Romanian Revolution concludes, as the last minor street confrontations and stray shootings abruptly end in the country's capital, Bucharest.
- 1991 - Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 751 crashes in Gottröra in the Norrtälje Municipality in Sweden, injuring 92.
- 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.
- 1999 - Burger King and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission order a recall of plastic Poké Ball containers after they are determined to be a choking hazard.
- 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 - Operation Cast Lead: Israel launches three-week operation on Gaza.
- 2009 - Iranian election protests: On the Day of Ashura in Tehran, Iran, government security forces fire upon demonstrators.
- 2019 - Bek Air Flight 2100 crashes during takeoff from Almaty International Airport in Almaty, Kazakhstan, killing 13.
- 2025 - An estimated were stolen from a Sparkasse bank in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.
Births
Pre-1600
- 1350 - John I of Aragon
- 1390 - Anne de Mortimer, claimant to the English throne
- 1459 - John I Albert, King of Poland
- 1481 - Casimir, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, Margrave of Bayreuth
- 1493 - Johann Pfeffinger, German theologian
- 1566 - Jan Jesenius, Bohemian physician, politician and philosopher
- 1571 - Johannes Kepler, German mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer
- 1572 - Johannes Vodnianus Campanus, Czech poet, playwright, and composer
- 1584 - Philipp Julius, Duke of Pomerania
- 1595 - Bohdan Khmelnytsky, hetman of Ukraine
1601–1900
- 1622 - Teofil Rutka, Polish philosopher
- 1633 - Jean de Lamberville, French missionary
- 1636 - William Whitelock, English gentleman, Member of Parliament
- 1637 - Petar Kanavelić, Venetian writer
- 1645 - Giovanni Antonio Viscardi, Swiss architect
- 1655 - Abstrupus Danby, English politician
- 1660 - Veronica Giuliani, Italian Capuchin mystic
- 1663 - Johann Melchior Roos, German painter
- 1683 - Conyers Middleton, English priest and theologian
- 1689 - Jacob August Franckenstein, Encyclopedia editor, professor
- 1692 - Francis Blake Delaval, British Royal Navy officer and Member of Parliament
- 1697 - Sollom Emlyn, Irish legal writer
- 1705 - Prince Frederick Henry Eugen of Anhalt-Dessau, German prince of the House of Ascania
- 1713 - Giovanni Battista Borra, Italian architect and engineer
- 1714 - George Whitefield, English preacher and saint
- 1715 - Philippe de Noailles, French general
- 1721 - François Hemsterhuis, Dutch philosopher and author
- 1761 - Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly, Russian field marshal and politician, Governor-General of Finland
- 1773 - George Cayley, English engineer and politician
- 1776 - Nikolay Kamensky, Russian general
- 1797 - Ghalib, Indian poet
- 1797 - Charles Hodge, American theologian
- 1803 - François-Marie-Thomas Chevalier de Lorimier, Canadian activist
- 1809 - Alexandros Rizos Rangavis, Greek poet and politician, Foreign Minister of Greece
- 1822 - Louis Pasteur, French chemist and microbiologist
- 1823 - Mackenzie Bowell, English-Canadian journalist and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Canada
- 1827 - Stanisław Mieroszewski, Polish-born politician, writer, historian and member of the Imperial Council of Austria
- 1832 - Pavel Tretyakov, Russian businessman and philanthropist, founded the Tretyakov Gallery
- 1838 - Lars Oftedal, Norwegian priest, social reformer, politician, and newspaper editor
- 1858 - Juan Luis Sanfuentes, Chilean lawyer and politician, 17th President of Chile
- 1863 - Louis Lincoln Emmerson, American lawyer and politician, 27th Governor of Illinois
- 1864 - Hermann-Paul, French painter and illustrator
- 1878 - Kalle Korhonen, Finnish politician
- 1879 - Sydney Greenstreet, English-American actor
- 1882 - Mina Loy, British modernist poet and artist
- 1883 - Cyrus S. Eaton, Canadian-American businessman and philanthropist
- 1888 - Thea von Harbou, German actress, director, and screenwriter
- 1892 - Alfred Edwin McKay, Canadian captain and pilot
- 1896 - Louis Bromfield, American author and theorist
- 1896 - Maurice De Waele, Belgian cyclist
- 1896 - Carl Zuckmayer, German author and playwright
- 1898 - Inejiro Asanuma, Japanese politician
- 1900 - Hans Stuck, German racing driver
1901–present
- 1901 - Marlene Dietrich, German-American actress and singer
- 1901 - Irene Handl, English actress
- 1904 - René Bonnet, French racing driver and engineer
- 1905 - Cliff Arquette, American actor and comedian
- 1906 - Oscar Levant, American pianist, composer, and actor
- 1907 - Asaf Halet Çelebi, Turkish poet
- 1907 - Sebastian Haffner, German journalist and author
- 1907 - Mary Howard, English author
- 1907 - Conrad L. Raiford, American baseball player and activist
- 1907 - Willem van Otterloo, Dutch conductor and composer
- 1909 - James Riddell, English skier and author
- 1910 - Charles Olson, American poet and educator
- 1911 - Anna Russell, English-Canadian singer and actress
- 1913 - Elizabeth Smart, Canadian poet and novelist
- 1915 - William Masters, American gynecologist, author, and academic
- 1915 - Gyula Zsengellér, Hungarian-Cypriot footballer and manager
- 1916 - Werner Baumbach, German pilot
- 1916 - Cathy Lewis, American actress
- 1917 - Buddy Boudreaux, American saxophonist and clarinet player
- 1917 - T. Nadaraja, Sri Lankan lawyer and academic
- 1917 - Onni Palaste, Finnish soldier and author
- 1918 - John Celardo, American captain and illustrator
- 1919 - Charles Sweeney, American general and pilot
- 1920 - Bruce Hobbs, American jockey and trainer
- 1921 - John Whitworth, English countertenor
- 1923 - Bruno Bobak, Polish-Canadian painter and educator
- 1923 - Lucas Mangope, South African politician
- 1924 - Jean Bartik, American computer scientist and engineer
- 1924 - James A. McClure, American soldier, lawyer, and politician
- 1925 - Michel Piccoli, French actor, singer, director, and producer
- 1926 - Jerome Courtland, American actor, director, and producer
- 1927 - Antony Gardner, English engineer and politician
- 1927 - Nityanand Swami, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Chief Minister of Uttarakhand
- 1927 - Audrey Wagner, American baseball player, obstetrician, and gynecologist
- 1930 - Marshall Sahlins, American anthropologist and academic
- 1930 - Wilfrid Sheed, English-born American novelist and essayist
- 1931 - Scotty Moore, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1933 - Dave Marr, American golfer
- 1934 - Larisa Latynina, Ukrainian gymnast and coach
- 1934 - Jeffrey Sterling, Baron Sterling of Plaistow, English businessman
- 1935 - Michael Turnbull, English bishop
- 1936 - James Harrison, Australian blood plasma donor
- 1936 - Phil Sharpe, English cricketer
- 1936 - Eve Uusmees, Estonian swimmer and coach
- 1939 - John Amos, American actor
- 1940 - David Shepherd, English cricketer and umpire
- 1941 - Miles Aiken, American basketball player and coach
- 1941 - Mike Pinder, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player
- 1941 - Nolan Richardson, American basketball player and coach
- 1942 - Byron Browne, American baseball player
- 1942 - Thomas Menino, American politician, 53rd Mayor of Boston
- 1942 - Ron Rothstein, American basketball player and coach
- 1943 - Cokie Roberts, American journalist and author
- 1943 - Joan Manuel Serrat, Spanish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1943 - Peter Sinfield, English songwriter and producer
- 1943 - Roy White, American baseball player and coach
- 1944 - Mick Jones, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1946 - Lenny Kaye, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1946 - Joe Kinnear, Irish footballer and manager
- 1946 - Janet Street-Porter, English journalist and producer
- 1946 - Polly Toynbee, English journalist and author
- 1947 - Bill Eadie, American wrestler and coach
- 1947 - Doug Livermore, English footballer and manager
- 1947 - Willy Polleunis, Belgian runner
- 1948 - Gérard Depardieu, French-Russian actor
- 1949 - Terry Ito, Japanese director, producer, and critic
- 1950 - Haris Alexiou, Greek singer-songwriter
- 1950 - Roberto Bettega, Italian footballer and manager
- 1950 - Terry Bozzio, American drummer and songwriter
- 1951 - Karla Bonoff, American singer-songwriter
- 1951 - Ernesto Zedillo, Mexican economist and politician, 54th President of Mexico
- 1952 - Jay Hill, Canadian farmer and politician
- 1952 - David Knopfler, Scottish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1954 - Kent Benson, American basketball player
- 1954 - Mandie Fletcher, English director, producer, and production manager
- 1954 - Teo Chee Hean, Singaporean politician and 5th Senior Minister of Singapore
- 1955 - Brad Murphey, American race car driver
- 1955 - Barbara Olson, American journalist and author
- 1956 - Doina Melinte, Romanian runner
- 1958 - Steve Jones, American golfer
- 1959 - Gerina Dunwich, American astrologer, historian, and author
- 1959 - Andre Tippett, American football player and coach
- 1960 - Maryam d'Abo, English actress
- 1960 - Donald Nally, American conductor and academic
- 1960 - Terry Price, Australian golfer
- 1961 - Guido Westerwelle, German lawyer and politician, 15th Vice-Chancellor of Germany
- 1962 - Mark Few, American basketball player and coach
- 1962 - John Kampfner, Singaporean journalist and author
- 1962 - Bill Self, American basketball player and coach
- 1962 - Sherri Steinhauer, American golfer
- 1963 - Gaspar Noé, Argentine-French director and screenwriter
- 1964 - Ian Gomez, American actor
- 1964 - Theresa Randle, American actress
- 1965 - Salman Khan, Indian film actor and producer
- 1966 - Marianne Elliott, English director and producer
- 1966 - Bill Goldberg, American football player, wrestler and actor
- 1966 - Eva LaRue, American model and actress
- 1969 - Jean-Christophe Boullion, French racing driver
- 1969 - Chyna, American professional wrestler and actress
- 1969 - Sarah Vowell, American author and journalist
- 1970 - Lorenzo Neal, American football player and radio host
- 1970 - Naoko Yamazaki, Japanese pilot and astronaut
- 1971 - Duncan Ferguson, Scottish footballer and coach
- 1971 - Guthrie Govan, English guitarist and educator
- 1971 - Savannah Guthrie, American television journalist
- 1972 - Colin Charvis, Welsh rugby union player and coach
- 1972 - Kevin Ollie, American basketball player and coach
- 1972 - Matt Slocum, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1973 - Wilson Cruz, American actor
- 1973 - Kristoffer Zegers, Dutch pianist and composer
- 1974 - Tomáš Janků, Czech high jumper
- 1974 - Masi Oka, Japanese-American actor and visual effects designer
- 1974 - Fumiko Orikasa, Japanese voice actress and singer
- 1974 - Jay Pandolfo, American ice hockey player and coach
- 1975 - Aigars Fadejevs, Latvian race walker and therapist
- 1975 - Heather O'Rourke, American actress
- 1976 - Nikolaos Georgeas, Greek footballer
- 1976 - Piotr Morawski, Polish mountaineer
- 1976 - Daimí Pernía, Cuban basketball player and hurdler
- 1976 - Fernando Pisani, Canadian-Italian ice hockey player
- 1977 - Jacqueline Pillon, Canadian actress
- 1977 - Chris Tate, English footballer
- 1978 - Deuce McAllister, American football player
- 1978 - Lisa Jakub, Canadian actress
- 1979 - Pascale Dorcelus, Canadian weightlifter
- 1979 - David Dunn, English footballer and manager
- 1979 - Carson Palmer, American football player
- 1980 - Bernard Berrian, American football player
- 1980 - Claudio Castagnoli, Swiss wrestler
- 1980 - Dahntay Jones, American basketball player
- 1980 - Meelis Kompus, Estonian journalist
- 1981 - David Aardsma, American baseball player
- 1981 - Emilie de Ravin, Australian actress
- 1981 - Jay Ellis, American actor
- 1981 - Moise Joseph, American-Haitian runner
- 1981 - Patrick Sharp, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1982 - Erin E. Stead, American illustrator
- 1983 - Anthony Boric, New Zealand rugby union player
- 1983 - Cole Hamels, American baseball player
- 1983 - Jesse Williams, American high jumper
- 1984 - Andrejs Perepļotkins, Ukrainian-Latvian footballer
- 1984 - Gilles Simon, French tennis player
- 1985 - Logan Bailly, Belgian footballer
- 1985 - Jérôme d'Ambrosio, Belgian racing driver
- 1985 - Adil Rami, French footballer
- 1985 - Paul Stastny, Canadian-American ice hockey player
- 1986 - Torah Bright, Australian snowboarder
- 1986 - Jamaal Charles, American football player
- 1986 - Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Jamaican sprinter
- 1987 - Lily Cole, English model
- 1988 - Jorge Gutiérrez, Mexican basketball player
- 1988 - Hera Hilmar, Icelandic actress
- 1988 - Zavon Hines, Jamaican-English footballer
- 1988 - Ok Taec-yeon, South Korean singer and actor
- 1988 - Rick Porcello, American baseball player
- 1988 - Hayley Williams, American singer-songwriter
- 1989 - Ingrid Várgas Calvo, Peruvian tennis player
- 1990 - Max Lindholm, Finnish figure skater
- 1990 - Jonathan Marchessault, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1990 - Milos Raonic, Canadian tennis player
- 1990 - Zelina Vega, American wrestler
- 1991 - Chloe Bridges, American actress
- 1991 - Michael Morgan, Australian rugby league player
- 1991 - Beth Potter, Scottish triathlete and long-distance runner
- 1991 - Danny Wilson, Scottish footballer
- 1992 - Joel Indermitte, Estonian footballer
- 1992 - Maicel Uibo, Estonian decathlete
- 1993 - Olivia Cooke, English actress
- 1994 - Isi Palazón, Spanish footballer
- 1995 - Timothée Chalamet, French-American actor
- 1995 - Nick Chubb, American football player
- 1995 - Ghislain Konan, Ivorian footballer
- 1995 - Mark Lapidus, Estonian chess player
- 1997 - Mads Juel Andersen, Danish footballer
- 1997 - Vachirawit Chivaaree, Thai actor and singer
- 1997 - Ana Konjuh, Croatian tennis player
- 1997 - Jang Gyu-ri, South Korean actress
- 1998 - Luka Garza, American basketball player
- 1999 - Brock Purdy, American football player
- 2001 - Ander Barrenetxea, Spanish footballer