Events Pre–1600 46 BC – Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato (Cato the Younger) at the Battle of Thapsus. 402 – Stilicho defeats the Visigoths under Alaric in the Battle of Pollentia. 945 – Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII crowns his son Romanos II as co-emperor. 1320 – The Scots reaffirm their independence by signing the Declaration of Arbroath. 1453 – Mehmed II begins his siege of Constantinople. The city falls on May 29 and is renamed Istanbul. 1580 – One of the largest earthquakes recorded in the history of England, Flanders, or Northern France, takes place.;
1601–1900 1652 – At the Cape of Good Hope, Dutch sailor Jan van Riebeeck establishes a resupply camp that eventually becomes Cape Town. 1712 – The New York Slave Revolt of 1712 begins near Broadway. 1776 – American Revolutionary War: Ships of the Continental Navy fail in their attempt to capture a Royal Navy dispatch boat. 1782 – King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (Rama I) of Siam (modern day Thailand) establishes the Chakri dynasty. 1793 – During the French Revolution, the Committee of Public Safety becomes the executive organ of the republic. 1800 – The Treaty of Constantinople establishes the Septinsular Republic, the first autonomous Greek state since the Fall of the Byzantine Empire. (Under the Old Style calendar then still in use in the Ottoman Empire, the treaty was signed on 21 March.); 1808 – John Jacob Astor incorporates the American Fur Company, that would eventually make him America's first millionaire. 1812 – British forces under the command of the Duke of Wellington assault the fortress of Badajoz. This would be the turning point in the Peninsular War against Napoleon-led France. 1814 – Nominal beginning of the Bourbon Restoration; anniversary date that Napoleon abdicates and is exiled to Elba. 1830 – Church of Christ, the original church of the Latter Day Saint movement, is organized by Joseph Smith and others at either Fayette or Manchester, New York. 1841 – U.S. President John Tyler is sworn in, two days after having become president upon William Henry Harrison's death. 1860 – The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, later renamed Community of Christ, is organized by Joseph Smith III and others at Amboy, Illinois. 1862 – American Civil War: The Battle of Shiloh begins: In Tennessee, forces under Union General Ulysses S. Grant meet Confederate troops led by General Albert Sidney Johnston. 1865 – American Civil War: The Battle of Sailor's Creek: Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia fights and loses its last major battle while in retreat from Richmond, Virginia, during the Appomattox Campaign. 1866 – The Grand Army of the Republic, an American patriotic organization composed of Union veterans of the American Civil War, is founded. It lasts until 1956. 1896 – In Athens, the opening of the first modern Olympic Games is celebrated, 1,500 years after the original games are banned by Roman emperor Theodosius I.
1901–present 1909 – Robert Peary and Matthew Henson become the first people to reach the North Pole; Peary's claim has been disputed because of failings in his navigational ability. 1911 – During the Battle of Deçiq, Dedë Gjon Luli Dedvukaj, leader of the Malësori Albanians, raises the Albanian flag in the town of Tuzi, Montenegro, for the first time after George Kastrioti (Skanderbeg). 1917 – World War I: The United States declares war on Germany. 1918 – Finnish Civil War: The battle of Tampere ends.100 years ago today: Reds take Tampere, Finnish Civil War begins – Yle News, January 27, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2021. 1926 – Varney Airlines makes its first commercial flight (Varney is the root company of United Airlines). 1929 – Huey P. Long, Governor of Louisiana, is impeached by the Louisiana House of Representatives. 1930 – At the end of the Salt March, Gandhi raises a lump of mud and salt and declares, "With this, I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire." 1936 – Tupelo–Gainesville tornado outbreak: Another tornado from the same storm system as the Tupelo tornado hits Gainesville, Georgia, killing 203. 1941 – World War II: Nazi Germany launches Operation 25 (the invasion of Kingdom of Yugoslavia) and Operation Marita (the invasion of Greece). 1945 – World War II: Sarajevo is liberated from German and Croatian forces by the Yugoslav Partisans. 1945 – World War II: The Battle of Slater's Knoll on Bougainville comes to an end. 1947 – The first Tony Awards are presented for theatrical achievement. 1948 – The Finno-Soviet Treaty is signed in Moscow. 1957 – The flag carrier airline of Greece for decades, Olympic Airways, is founded by Aristotle Onassis following the acquisition of "TAE - Greek National Airlines". 1958 – Capital Airlines Flight 67 crashes in Tittabawassee Township, Michigan, near Freeland Tri-City Airport, killing 47. 1965 – Launch of Early Bird, the first commercial communications satellite to be placed in geosynchronous orbit. 1968 – In the downtown district of Richmond, Indiana, a double explosion kills 41 and injures 150. 1968 – Pierre Elliott Trudeau wins the Liberal Party leadership election, and becomes Prime Minister of Canada soon afterward. 1970 – Newhall massacre: Four California Highway Patrol officers are killed in a shootout. 1972 – Vietnam War: Easter Offensive: American forces begin sustained air strikes and naval bombardments. 1973 – Launch of Pioneer 11 spacecraft. 1973 – The American League of Major League Baseball begins using the designated hitter. 1974 – In Brighton, United Kingdom, ABBA wins the 1974 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest with "Waterloo", the first of a joint-record seven Swedish wins. 1974 – The first California Jam festival takes place at the Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California. Co-headlined by Deep Purple and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. The festival set what were then records for the loudest amplification system ever installed, the highest paid attendance, and highest gross in history. 1984 – Members of Cameroon's Republican Guard unsuccessfully attempt to overthrow the government headed by Paul Biya. 1985 – Sudanese President Gaafar Nimeiry is ousted from power in a coup d'état led by Field Marshal Abdel Rahman Swar al-Dahab. 1992 – The Bosnian War begins. 1994 – The Rwandan genocide begins when the aircraft carrying Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian president Cyprien Ntaryamira is shot down. 1997 – In Greene County, Tennessee, the Lillelid murders occur. 1998 – Nuclear weapons testing: Pakistan tests medium-range missiles capable of reaching India. 2004 – Rolandas Paksas becomes the first president of Lithuania to be peacefully removed from office by impeachment. 2005 – Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani becomes Iraqi president; Shiite Arab Ibrahim al-Jaafari is named premier the next day. 2008 – The 2008 Egyptian general strike starts led by Egyptian workers later to be adopted by April 6 Youth Movement and Egyptian activists. 2009 – A 6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes near L'Aquila, Italy, killing 307. 2010 – Maoist rebels kill 76 CRPF officers in Dantewada district, India. 2011 – In San Fernando, Tamaulipas, Mexico, over 193 victims of Los Zetas were exhumed from several mass graves. 2012 – Azawad declares itself independent from the Republic of Mali. 2017 – U.S. military launches 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at an air base in Syria. Russia describes the strikes as an "aggression", adding they significantly damage US-Russia ties. 2018 – A bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos junior ice hockey team collides with a semi-truck in Saskatchewan, Canada, killing 16 people and injuring 13 others. 2026 – The crew of Artemis II makes the first crewed circumlunar flight since Apollo 17 in 1972, returning humanity to the Moon's vicinity and breaking Apollo 13's record by ~4,000 miles as the furthest crewed spaceflight.
Births Pre–1600 1135 – Maimonides, Jewish philosopher, Torah scholar, physician and astronomer (March 30 also proposed, died 1204) 1342 – Infanta Maria, Marchioness of Tortosa 1573 – Margaret of Brunswick-Lüneburg, German noble (died 1643)
1601–1900 1632 – Maria Leopoldine of Austria (died 1649) 1651 – André Dacier, French scholar and academic (died 1722) 1660 – Johann Kuhnau, German organist and composer (died 1722) 1664 – Arvid Horn, Swedish general and politician, Governor of Västerbotten County (died 1742) 1671 – Jean-Baptiste Rousseau, French poet and playwright (died 1741) 1672 – André Cardinal Destouches, French composer (died 1749) 1706 – Louis de Cahusac, French playwright and composer (died 1759) 1708 – Johann Georg Reutter, Austrian organist and composer (died 1772) 1725 – Pasquale Paoli, French soldier and politician (died 1807) 1726 – Gerard Majella, Italian saint (died 1755) 1741 – Nicolas Chamfort, French author and playwright (died 1794) 1766 – Wilhelm von Kobell, German painter and educator (died 1853) 1773 – James Mill, Scottish historian, economist, and philosopher (died 1836) 1787 – Celestina Cordero, Puerto Rican educator (died 1862) 1810 – Philip Henry Gosse, English biologist and academic (died 1888) 1812 – Alexander Herzen, Russian philosopher and author (died 1870) 1815 – Robert Volkmann, German organist, composer, and conductor (died 1883) 1818 – Aasmund Olavsson Vinje, Norwegian journalist and poet (died 1870) 1820 – Nadar, French photographer, journalist, and author (died 1910) 1823 – Joseph Medill, Canadian-American publisher and politician, 26th Mayor of Chicago (died 1899) 1824 – George Waterhouse, English-New Zealand politician, 7th Prime Minister of New Zealand (died 1906) 1826 – Gustave Moreau, French painter and academic (died 1898) 1844 – William Lyne, Australian politician, 13th Premier of New South Wales (died 1913) 1851 – Guillaume Bigourdan, French astronomer and academic (died 1932) 1852 – Will Crooks, English trade unionist and politician (died 1921) 1855 – Charles Huot, Canadian painter and illustrator (died 1930) 1857 – Arthur Wesley Dow, American painter and photographer (died 1922) 1860 – René Lalique, French sculptor and jewellery designer (died 1945) 1861 – Stanislas de Guaita, French poet and author (died 1897) 1864 – William Bate Hardy, English biologist and academic (died 1934) 1866 – Felix-Raymond-Marie Rouleau, Canadian cardinal (died 1931) 1869 – Levon Shant, Armenian author, poet, and playwright (died 1951) 1871 – Prince Alexander John of Wales, British Prince 1878 – Erich Mühsam, German author, poet, and playwright (died 1934) 1881 – Karl Staaf, Swedish pole vaulter and hammer thrower (died 1953) 1884 – J. G. Parry-Thomas, Welsh race car driver and engineer (died 1927) 1886 – Athenagoras I of Constantinople (died 1972) 1886 – Walter Dandy, American physician and neurosurgeon (died 1946) 1886 – Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII, Indian ruler (died 1967) 1888 – Hans Richter, Swiss painter, illustrator, and director (died 1976) 1888 – Gerhard Ritter, German historian and academic (died 1967) 1890 – Anthony Fokker, Dutch engineer and businessman, founded Fokker Aircraft Manufacturer (died 1939) 1892 – Donald Wills Douglas, Sr., American businessman, founded the Douglas Aircraft Company (died 1981) 1892 – Lowell Thomas, American journalist and author (died 1981) 1895 – Dudley Nichols, American director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1960) 1898 – Jeanne Hébuterne, French painter and author (died 1920) 1900 – Leo Robin, American composer and songwriter (died 1984)
1901–present 1901 – Pier Giorgio Frassati, Italian activist (died 1925) 1902 – Julien Torma, French author, poet, and playwright (died 1933) 1903 – Mickey Cochrane, American baseball player and manager (died 1962) 1903 – Harold Eugene Edgerton, American engineer and academic (died 1990) 1904 – Kurt Georg Kiesinger, German lawyer, politician and Chancellor of Germany (died 1988) 1904 – Erwin Komenda, Austrian car designer and engineer (died 1966)