Year 1509
Pope Julius II places the Italian state of Venice under interdict.
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Daily Historical Chronicle
UPSC CSE • State PSC • SSC CGL Matrix
27 April: What Happened On This Day in History
Curated historical timeline of momentous political pacts, freedom struggle uprisings, constitutional developments, scientific breakthroughs, and prominent birthdays recorded on 27 April.
Observances & Special Days
Independence Day (Togo), celebrates the independence of Togo from France in 1960.
Freedom Day (South Africa)
Year 1521
Battle of Mactan: Explorer Ferdinand Magellan is killed by natives in the Philippines led by chief Lapu-Lapu.
Year 1667
John Milton, blind and impoverished, sells the copyright of Paradise Lost for £10.
Year 1854
The telegraph service opened to the public, and the first telegram sent from Mumbai to Pune.
Year 1877
The University of Calcutta gave the first approval for eligibility for women in the field of university education.
Year 1908
Fourth Olympic Games began in London.
Year 1960
The National Defence College (NDC) was inaugurated on this day by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of Independent India.
Year 1994
South African general election: The first democratic general election in South Africa, in which black citizens could vote. The Interim Constitution came into force.
Year 1999
A system was launched in India to launch more than one satellite with a single rocket.
Year 2005
The first demonstration of the Airbus A-380 took place in France.
Born 1593
Mumtaz Mahal, the chief consort of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.
Born 1791
Samuel Morse, an American inventor, and painter.
Born 1822
Ulysses S. Grant, an American soldier, and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States.
Born 1912
Zohra Sehgal, an Indian actress, dancer, and choreographer.
Born 1920
Manibhai Bhimbhai Desai, an Indian social activist, an associate of Mahatma Gandhi, and a pioneer of rural development.
Born 1949
P. Sathasivam, the 40th Chief Justice of India.
Born 1976
Faisal Saif, Indian director, screenwriter, and critic
Died 1521
Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer.
Died 1882
Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, and poet
Died 1960
Rajshekhar Basu, a Bengali writer, chemist, and lexicographer.
Died 1962
A. K. Fazlul Huq, a Bengali statesman, and jurist who served as the first Prime Minister of Bengal and later as the Home Minister of Pakistan.
Died 1972
Kwame Nkrumah, the first Prime Minister and President of Ghana.
Died 1989
Kōnosuke Matsushita, a Japanese industrialist who founded Panasonic, the largest Japanese consumer electronics company.
Died 2002
Ruth Handler, an American businesswoman, and inventor of the Barbie Doll.
Died 2009
Feroz Khan, an Indian actor, film editor, producer, and director.
Died 2017
Vinod Khanna, an Indian actor, film producer, and politician.