On This Day in History – January 27

Major Events

• 98 – Trajan becomes Roman Emperor, presiding over the greatest territorial expansion of the Roman Empire.
• 1302 – Dante Alighieri is exiled from Florence, an event that influences the writing of The Divine Comedy.
• 1593 – Giordano Bruno is imprisoned by the Roman Inquisition for heresy.
• 1756 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is born in Salzburg, later becoming one of history’s greatest composers.
• 1820 – Russian explorer Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen discovers Antarctica.
• 1880 – Thomas Edison receives a patent for the incandescent light bulb.
• 1945 – Soviet troops liberate Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp during World War II.
• 1967 – Astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee die in the Apollo 1 fire during a ground test.
• 1973 – The Paris Peace Accords are signed, ending U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.
• 2010 – Apple introduces the first iPad, marking a major shift in consumer electronics.

Famous Birthdays

• 1756 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Austrian composer (d. 1791)
• 1832 – Lewis Carroll, English author (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland) (d. 1898)
• 1850 – Edward John Smith, British naval officer (d. 1912)
• 1903 – John Eccles, Australian neurophysiologist (d. 1997)
• 1925 – Maria Schell, Austrian-Swiss actress (d. 2005)
• 1944 – Nick Mason, English musician (Pink Floyd)
• 1966 – Bridget Fonda, American actress
• 1980 – Marat Safin, Russian tennis player
• 1985 – Alicia Keys, American singer-songwriter

Notable Deaths

• 1302 – Dante Alighieri, Italian poet (exile begins; died 1321)
• 1945 – Victims of Auschwitz-Birkenau (liberation remembrance)
• 1967 – Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee, American astronauts
• 1970 – Mahalia Jackson, American gospel singer (b. 1911)
• 1984 – Michael Holliday, English singer (b. 1924)
• 1998 – Samuel Goldwyn, American film producer (b. 1879)
• 2012 – Marvin Hamlisch, American composer (b. 1944)
• 2019 – Gloria Vanderbilt, American artist and fashion icon (b. 1924)
• 2022 – Meat Loaf, American singer and actor (b. 1947)

Holidays

• International Holocaust Remembrance Day
• Chocolate Cake Day – United States
• Liberation Day (Auschwitz Remembrance) – Observed internationally

Fun Facts

• January 27 is observed worldwide as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
• Mozart began composing music before the age of five.
• Antarctica remained largely unexplored for decades after its discovery.
• The Apollo 1 tragedy led to major safety improvements in space travel.
• The iPad helped redefine how people consume media and information.
• Thomas Edison held over 1,000 patents during his lifetime.