August 27 facts for kids

August 27 is the 239th day of the year (240th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 126 days remain until the end of the year. This page tells you about important things that happened on August 27th throughout history. You'll learn about big events, famous people who were born on this day, and notable people who passed away.

Historic Moments

Early History (Before 1600)

• 410 – The city of Rome was attacked by the Visigoths, and the attack ended after three days.
• 1172 – Henry the Young King and Margaret of France were crowned as junior king and queen of England.
• 1232 – In Japan, the powerful leader Hojo Yasutoki created the Goseibai Shikimoku. This was the first set of laws specifically for the samurai warriors.
• 1557 – The Battle of St. Quentin (1557) took place, leading to Emmanuel Philibert becoming the Duke of Savoy.
• 1597 – During the Jeongyu War, a large Japanese fleet destroyed the Joseon fleet at Chilcheollyang.
• 1600 – Ishida Mitsunari's army began the Siege of Fushimi Castle, which was defended by a smaller Tokugawa army.

Later History (1601–1900)

• 1689 – The Treaty of Nerchinsk was signed between Russia and the Qing Empire of China.
• 1776 – American Revolutionary War: During the Battle of Long Island, American soldiers bravely fought a larger British force. This allowed General Washington and his troops to escape.
• 1791 – French Revolution: Two European rulers, Frederick William II of Prussia and Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor, issued the Declaration of Pillnitz. This declaration supported the French monarchy and made French revolutionaries angry, helping to start the War of the First Coalition.
• 1793 – French Revolutionary Wars: The city of Toulon rebelled against the French Republic. It allowed British and Spanish fleets to take its port, leading to the Siege of Toulon.
• 1798 – Wolfe Tone's Irish and French forces fought the British Army in the Battle of Castlebar. This was part of the Irish Rebellion of 1798.
• 1810 – Napoleonic Wars: The French Navy defeated the British Royal Navy in the Battle of Grand Port, stopping them from taking the harbor of Grand Port on Île de France (now Mauritius).
• 1813 – French Emperor Napoleon I defeated a larger army of Austrians, Russians, and Prussians at the Battle of Dresden.
• 1828 – Brazil and Argentina officially recognized Uruguay as an independent country in the Treaty of Montevideo (1828).
• 1832 – Black Hawk, a leader of the Sauk Native American tribe, surrendered to U.S. authorities, ending the Black Hawk War.
• 1859 – Petroleum (oil) was found in Titusville, Pennsylvania. This led to the world's first successful commercial oil well.
• 1881 – A strong hurricane hit near Savannah, Georgia, causing an estimated 700 deaths.
• 1883 – The volcano Krakatoa erupted with four huge explosions. This almost completely destroyed the island and caused global climate changes for years.
• 1893 – The 1893 Sea Islands hurricane hit the United States near Savannah, Georgia, killing between 1,000 and 2,000 people.
• 1895 – Japanese invasion of Taiwan: The Empire of Japan defeated a smaller Formosan army at the Battle of Baguashan. This weakened the short-lived Republic of Formosa.
• 1896 – The Anglo-Zanzibar War took place. It is known as the shortest war in history, lasting only 38 minutes!

Modern History (1901–Present)

• 1908 – The Qing dynasty in China introduced the Qinding Xianfa Dagang. This was the first constitutional document in Chinese history, changing the Qing empire into a constitutional monarchy.
• 1914 – World War I: The Battle of Étreux was a British rearguard action during the Great Retreat.
• 1914 – World War I: A Japanese fleet began a blockade along the coast of German Tsingtao, starting the Siege of Tsingtao.
• 1916 – World War I: The Kingdom of Romania declared war on Austria-Hungary, joining the Allied nations.
• 1918 – Mexican Revolution: U.S. Army forces fought against Mexican soldiers in the Battle of Ambos Nogales. This was the only battle of World War I fought on American soil.
• 1922 – Greco-Turkish War: The Turkish army took the city of Afyonkarahisar from the Kingdom of Greece.
• 1927 – Five Canadian women asked the Supreme Court of Canada if women could be considered "persons" under the law.
• 1928 – The Kellogg–Briand Pact, which aimed to outlaw war, was signed by fifteen nations. Eventually, sixty-one nations signed it.
• 1933 – The first Afrikaans Bible was introduced at a festival in Bloemfontein.
• 1939 – The Heinkel He 178, the world's first jet aircraft, made its first flight.
• 1943 – World War II: Japanese forces left New Georgia Island in the Pacific.
• 1943 – World War II: The German air force (Luftwaffe) bombed and destroyed the village of Vorizia in Crete.
• 1955 – The first Guinness Book of Records was published in Great Britain.
• 1956 – The nuclear power station at Calder Hall in the United Kingdom became the world's first commercial nuclear power station to generate electricity on a large scale.
• 1962 – The Mariner 2 unmanned space mission was launched to Venus by NASA.
• 1963 – An explosion at the Cane Creek potash mine near Moab, Utah killed 18 miners.
• 1971 – An attempted coup d'état (a sudden takeover of government) failed in the African nation of Chad. Chad accused Egypt of being involved and ended their diplomatic relations.
• 1975 – The Governor of Portuguese Timor left its capital, Dili, and fled to Atauro Island, leaving control to a rebel group.
• 1979 – The Troubles: Eighteen British soldiers were killed in an ambush by the Provisional Irish Republican Army near Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland. This was the deadliest attack on British forces during Operation Banner. An IRA bomb also killed British royal family member Lord Mountbatten and three others on his boat.
• 1980 – South Korean presidential election: General Chun Doo-hwan was elected President after a successful takeover.
• 1985 – Major General Muhammadu Buhari, the leader of Nigeria's military government, was removed from power in a coup d'état led by Major General Ibrahim Babangida.
• 1991 – The European Community recognized the independence of the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
• 1991 – Moldova declared its independence from the USSR.
• 1992 – Aeroflot Flight 2808 crashed while approaching Ivanovo Yuzhny Airport, killing all 84 people on board.
• 2003 – Mars came closer to Earth than it had in nearly 60,000 years, passing about 34.6 million miles away.
• 2003 – The first six-party talks began. These talks involved South and North Korea, the United States, China, Japan, and Russia, aiming to find a peaceful solution to North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
• 2006 – Comair Flight 5191 crashed during takeoff from Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky. 49 of the 50 people on board died.
• 2009 – Internal conflict in Myanmar: The Burmese military and ethnic armies began three days of violent clashes in the Kokang Special Region.
• 2011 – Hurricane Irene hit the United States east coast, causing 47 deaths and an estimated $15.6 billion in damage.

Famous Birthdays

Born Before 1900

• 865 – Rhazes, a Persian polymath (someone with knowledge in many subjects).
• 1407 – Ashikaga Yoshikazu, a Japanese shōgun (military ruler).
• 1545 – Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma, a powerful European duke.
• 1624 – Koxinga, a Chinese-Japanese Ming loyalist.
• 1770 – Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, a famous German philosopher.
• 1809 – Hannibal Hamlin, the 15th Vice President of the United States.
• 1845 – Ödön Lechner, a Hungarian architect who designed famous buildings.
• 1856 – Ivan Franko, a Ukrainian author and poet.
• 1858 – Giuseppe Peano, an Italian mathematician and philosopher.
• 1865 – Charles G. Dawes, the 30th Vice President of the United States and a Nobel Peace Prize winner.
• 1871 – Theodore Dreiser, an American novelist and journalist.
• 1874 – Carl Bosch, a German chemist and engineer, and a Nobel Prize in Chemistry winner.
• 1877 – Charles Rolls, an English engineer who co-founded Rolls-Royce Limited.
• 1884 – Vincent Auriol, a French lawyer and President of the French Republic.
• 1890 – Man Ray, an American-French photographer and painter.
• 1896 – Kenji Miyazawa, a Japanese author and poet.
• 1899 – C. S. Forester, an English novelist.

Born After 1900

• 1908 – Don Bradman, a legendary Australian cricketer.
• 1908 – Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th President of the United States.
• 1915 – Norman Foster Ramsey Jr., an American physicist and Nobel Prize in Physics winner.
• 1916 – Martha Raye, an American actress and comedian.
• 1918 – Jelle Zijlstra, a Dutch economist and Prime Minister of the Netherlands.
• 1925 – Nat Lofthouse, a famous English footballer.
• 1926 – Kristen Nygaard, a Norwegian computer scientist.
• 1928 – Péter Boross, a Hungarian lawyer and Prime Minister of Hungary.
• 1928 – Mangosuthu Buthelezi, a South African politician.
• 1929 – Ira Levin, an American novelist and playwright.
• 1932 – Antonia Fraser, an English historian and author.
• 1936 – Lien Chan, a Taiwanese politician and Vice President of the Republic of China.
• 1937 – Alice Coltrane, an American pianist and composer.
• 1941 – Cesária Évora, a famous Cape Verdean singer.
• 1943 – Bob Kerrey, an American politician and Governor of Nebraska.
• 1947 – Barbara Bach, an American actress and model.
• 1948 – Sgt. Slaughter, an American professional wrestler.
• 1949 – Jeff Cook, an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
• 1950 – Charles Fleischer, an American comedian and actor.
• 1952 – Paul Reubens, an American actor and comedian, known for playing Pee-wee Herman.
• 1953 – Alex Lifeson, a Canadian guitarist and producer, from the band Rush.
• 1953 – Peter Stormare, a Swedish actor and director.
• 1954 – Derek Warwick, an English race car driver.
• 1956 – Glen Matlock, an English bass player from the Sex Pistols.
• 1957 – Bernhard Langer, a German golfer.
• 1958 – Sergei Krikalev, a Russian engineer and astronaut.
• 1959 – Gerhard Berger, an Austrian race car driver.
• 1961 – Yolanda Adams, an American singer and producer.
• 1961 – Tom Ford, an American fashion designer and film director.
• 1962 – Adam Oates, a Canadian ice hockey player.
• 1965 – Ange Postecoglou, a Greek-Australian footballer and coach.
• 1966 – René Higuita, a Colombian footballer.
• 1969 – Cesar Millan, a Mexican-American dog trainer and TV personality.
• 1969 – Chandra Wilson, an American actress and director.
• 1970 – Tony Kanal, a British-American bass player and songwriter from No Doubt.
• 1970 – Jim Thome, an American baseball player.
• 1972 – Denise Lewis, an English heptathlete (multi-event athlete).
• 1972 – The Great Khali, an Indian professional wrestler.
• 1973 – Dietmar Hamann, a German footballer.
• 1974 – Mark Webber, an Australian race car driver.
• 1975 – Mase, an American rapper and songwriter.
• 1976 – Sarah Chalke, a Canadian actress.
• 1976 – Carlos Moyá, a Spanish-Swiss tennis player.
• 1977 – Deco, a Brazilian-Portuguese footballer.
• 1979 – Aaron Paul, an American actor.
• 1981 – Patrick J. Adams, a Canadian actor.
• 1981 – Maxwell Cabelino Andrade, a Brazilian footballer.
• 1984 – David Bentley, an English footballer.
• 1984 – Sulley Muntari, a Ghanaian footballer.
• 1985 – Kayla Ewell, an American actress.
• 1986 – Sebastian Kurz, a former Chancellor of Austria.
• 1986 – Mario, an American singer and actor.
• 1988 – Alexa PenaVega, an American actress and singer.
• 1990 – Tori Bowie, an American athlete.
• 1990 – Luuk de Jong, a Dutch footballer.
• 1992 – Kim Petras, a German singer-songwriter.
• 1994 – Breanna Stewart, an American basketball player.

Notable Deaths

Died Before 1900

• 542 – Caesarius of Arles, a French bishop and saint.
• 827 – Pope Eugene II.
• 923 – Ageltrude, a queen and Holy Roman Empress.
• 1146 – King Eric III of Denmark.
• 1394 – Emperor Chōkei of Japan.
• 1521 – Josquin des Prez, a Flemish composer.
• 1576 – Titian, a famous Italian painter.
• 1590 – Pope Sixtus V.
• 1635 – Lope de Vega, a Spanish poet and playwright.
• 1664 – Francisco de Zurbarán, a Spanish painter.
• 1748 – James Thomson, a Scottish poet and playwright.
• 1782 – John Laurens, an American Revolutionary and abolitionist.
• 1828 – Eise Eisinga, a Dutch astronomer who built the Eisinga Planetarium.
• 1865 – Thomas Chandler Haliburton, a Canadian judge and politician.
• 1875 – William Chapman Ralston, an American businessman who founded the Bank of California.

Died After 1900

• 1903 – Kusumoto Ine, the first Japanese female doctor of Western medicine.
• 1935 – Childe Hassam, an American painter.
• 1948 – Charles Evans Hughes, an American lawyer and Chief Justice of the United States.
• 1950 – Cesare Pavese, an Italian author and poet.
• 1958 – Ernest Lawrence, an American physicist and Nobel Prize in Physics winner.
• 1963 – W. E. B. Du Bois, an American sociologist, historian, and activist.
• 1964 – Gracie Allen, an American actress and comedian.
• 1965 – Le Corbusier, a famous Swiss-French architect.
• 1967 – Brian Epstein, the English businessman who managed The Beatles.
• 1968 – Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark.
• 1971 – Bennett Cerf, an American publisher who co-founded Random House.
• 1971 – Margaret Bourke-White, an American photographer and journalist.
• 1975 – Haile Selassie, the emperor of Ethiopia.
• 1979 – Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, a British admiral and politician.
• 1981 – Valeri Kharlamov, a Russian ice hockey player.
• 1990 – Stevie Ray Vaughan, an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
• 1996 – Greg Morris, an American actor.
• 2001 – Michael Dertouzos, a Greek-American computer scientist.
• 2002 – Edwin Louis Cole, an American religious leader.
• 2005 – Giorgos Mouzakis, a Greek trumpet player and composer.
• 2006 – Hrishikesh Mukherjee, an Indian director and screenwriter.
• 2007 – Emma Penella, a Spanish actress.
• 2009 – Sergey Mikhalkov, a Russian author and poet.
• 2010 – Anton Geesink, a Dutch martial artist.
• 2012 – Malcolm Browne, an American journalist and photographer.
• 2014 – Jacques Friedel, a French physicist.
• 2015 – Kazi Zafar Ahmed, a Bangladeshi politician and former Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
• 2016 – Cookie, a Major Mitchell's cockatoo, known as the oldest recorded parrot.

Holidays and Observances

• Christian feast day for many saints, including:
  • Caesarius of Arles
  • Monica of Hippo, mother of Augustine of Hippo
  • Our Lady of La Vang
• Independence Day (Republic of Moldova), celebrating Moldova's independence from the USSR in 1991.
• Lyndon Baines Johnson Day in Texas, United States.

See also

In Spanish: 27 de agosto para niños