Sunday, 27th July 2025

27th July in the Stars – Star Sign Leo

Today, the zodiac sign Leo celebrates its birthday.

Personality Profile

Personality People born on 27 July blend Leo confidence with Martian drive. They're creative, generous and naturally commanding, yet their inner force propels them beyond typical Leos. The numerological 7 adds introspection and spiritual depth beneath their bold exterior.

Strengths & Weaknesses Their strengths shine through courage, bold initiative and magnetic inspiration. They motivate others effortlessly and attract opportunity. Weaknesses include impatience and occasional rashness; they'd benefit from pausing for reflection to temper their intensity.

Love These individuals love fiercely and passionately, seeking equals as partners. They give admiration generously yet need freedom and mental stimulation. Long-term partnerships thrive when a partner respects their ambitions and matches their zest.

Caree & Finance Professionally, they excel in leadership, creative fields or entrepreneurship. Financial success follows their drive and persistence. They embrace challenges but may lose practical focus through excessive optimism at times.

Health Vitally energetic people who thrive on movement and competition. The Mars element demands physical outlets or energy stagnates. Regular exercise and mindful relaxation balance their intense inner momentum effectively.

That night, the moon was in its full moon phase.

Chinese year of the Snake (Wood).

Fun Facts About 27th July

Name Days in Your Language: Joy, Joyce, Lila, Lilac, Liliana, Lillian, Lillie, Lilly, Lily

Someone born on this day would be just 313 days old today — roughly 7,515 hours, 450,954 minutes, or 27,057,241 seconds spent on Earth so far.

It's the 208. day of the year. In 2025, 27th July falls on a Sunday.

There are 157 days still to come.

We’re currently in Week 30 — the year marches on.

Famous Birthdays on 27th July

On this day, 253 notable people were born on 27th July — spanning from 774 to 2003. From world leaders to artists and scientists, discover who shares this birthday.

27/07/2003

Elvina Kalieva, American tennis player

Elvina Kalieva is an American tennis player. Kalieva has a career-high singles ranking by the WTA of No. 143, achieved on 30 March 2026. She also has a career-high WTA doubles ranking of No. 194, reached on 6 February 2023.

27/07/2001

Miguel Gutiérrez, Spanish footballer

Miguel Gutiérrez Ortega is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a left-back or left wing-back for Serie A club Napoli.

27/07/1993

Max Power, English footballer

Max McAuley Power is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League One side Bradford City.

Jordan Spieth, American golfer

Jordan Alexander Spieth is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He is a former world number one in the Official World Golf Ranking. Spieth has won three major championships.

27/07/1992

Tory Lanez, Canadian singer and rapper

Daystar Shemuel Shua Peterson, known professionally as Tory Lanez, is a Canadian singer and rapper. Known for his versatility and blending R&B and hip-hop in his music, he was first discovered by Sean Kingston. He came to initial recognition with his mixtape Conflicts of My Soul: The 416 Story, released in August 2013. In 2015, Lanez signed with record producer Benny Blanco's Mad Love Records, an imprint of Interscope Records.

27/07/1991

Wandy Peralta, Dominican baseball player

Wandy Luis Peralta Dominguez is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, and New York Yankees. Peralta signed with the Reds as an amateur free agent in 2010 and made his MLB debut in 2016.

27/07/1990

Nick Hogan, American race car driver and actor

Nick Bollea is an American wrestling commissioner and former television personality. He is known for his appearances on the reality show Hogan Knows Best, and its spin-off Brooke Knows Best, featuring his father Hulk Hogan and older sister Brooke Hogan. Hogan became the acting commissioner of Real American Freestyle (RAF) in 2025, following his father's death.

Paolo Hurtado, Peruvian footballer

Cristopher Paolo César Hurtado Huertas, commonly known as Paolo Hurtado, is a Peruvian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Unión Huaral.

Cheyenne Kimball, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

Cheyenne Nichole Kimball is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and mandolinist. Her debut album, The Day Has Come, was released in July 2006, coinciding with an MTV reality series following her entry into the music industry. This album produced a charting single on the Billboard Hot 100 in "Hanging On." From 2008 to 2011, she was a member of the country music band Gloriana, which made its chart debut in 2009.

Stephen Li-Chung Kuo, Taiwanese-American figure skater

Stephen Li-Chung Kuo is a Taiwanese-American figure skater who represented Taiwan in men's singles. He is a two-time Taiwanese national champion (2010–2011) and competed in the free skate at three ISU Championships.

Kriti Sanon, Indian actress

Kriti Sanon is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi films. She is a recipient of several accolades including a National Film Award and two Filmfare Awards. Sanon was featured in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list of 2019.

27/07/1989

Maya Ali, Pakistani actress

Maryam Tanveer Ali known professionally Maya Ali, is a Pakistani actress who works in Urdu films and television series. She has received several accolades, including a Lux Style Award and three Hum Awards.

27/07/1988

Adam Biddle, Australian footballer

Adam Biddle is a former Australian footballer who played for Sydney FC and Bankstown City.

Yoervis Medina, Venezuelan baseball player

Yoervis José Medina was a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners and Chicago Cubs from 2013 to 2015.

Ryan Tannehill, American football player

Ryan Timothy Tannehill III is an American retired professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons with the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans. He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies and was selected eighth overall by the Dolphins in the 2012 NFL draft.

27/07/1987

Jacoby Ford, American football player

Jacoby Ford is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist. He was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL draft. He was also an accomplished track and field athlete. He played college football as a wide receiver and return specialist for the Clemson Tigers at Clemson University, where he competed in sprinting events. During his stint in the NFL, Ford was widely regarded as one of the fastest players in the league. He has one of the top 100 meter times by NFL players.

Marek Hamšík, Slovak footballer

Marek Hamšík is a Slovak football coach and former player who played as a midfielder. He is currently the team manager and assistant coach for the Slovakia national team.

Jordan Hill, American basketball player

Jordan Craig Hill is an American former professional basketball player.

Sarah Parsons, American ice hockey player

Sarah Sturgis Parsons is an American ice hockey player. She won a bronze medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics. She was a member of Dartmouth College's class of 2010.

27/07/1986

DeMarre Carroll, American basketball player

DeMarre LaEdrick Carroll is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected as the 27th overall pick by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2009 NBA draft. Carroll played in the NBA for 11 seasons with the Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets and San Antonio Spurs. He played college basketball for the Vanderbilt Commodores and Missouri Tigers.

Ryan Flaherty, American baseball player

Ryan Edward Flaherty is an American professional baseball coach and former infielder. He is the current bench coach for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves, and the Cleveland Indians. Flaherty was a utility player, having played every position except for center field and catcher. Flaherty was the bench coach for the San Diego Padres from 2020 to 2023. Flaherty's nickname is Flash.

Ryan Griffen, Australian footballer

Ryan Leigh Griffen is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Western Bulldogs and the Greater Western Sydney Giants in the Australian Football League (AFL).

27/07/1985

Husain Abdullah, American football player

Husain Ibn Muhammed Abdullah is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL) as an undrafted free agent in 2008 and also played for the Kansas City Chiefs. He retired from the NFL after seven seasons due to multiple concussions sustained during his career and concern for his future health. Abdullah played college football for the Washington State Cougars. He is the younger brother of former NFL safety Hamza Abdullah.

Matteo Pratichetti, Italian rugby player

Matteo Pratichetti is a former Italian rugby union player.

Ajmal Shahzad, English cricketer

Ajmal Shahzad is an English cricket coach and retired cricketer. He was a member of the England team that won the 2010 ICC World Twenty20.

27/07/1984

Antoine Bethea, American football player

Antoine Akeem Bethea is an American former professional football player who was a safety for 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Howard Bison and was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL draft. Bethea also played for the San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, and New York Giants. He was selected for the Pro Bowl three times and won Super Bowl XLI as a member of the Colts, beating the Chicago Bears.

Cecilie Myrseth, Norwegian politician

Cecilie Myrseth is a Norwegian psychologist and politician for the Labour Party. She is currently the minister of trade and industry since 2024. She also served as minister of fisheries between 2023 and 2024. She is also a member of the Storting for Troms since 2017, and previously chaired the Troms county cabinet from 2015 to 2017.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Japanese baseball player

Tsuyoshi Nishioka is a Japanese former professional baseball infielder and current hitting and first base coach for the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He played in NPB for the Marines and Hanshin Tigers, and in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins.

Max Scherzer, American baseball player

Maxwell Martin Scherzer, nicknamed "Mad Max", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, and Texas Rangers. A right-handed starting pitcher, Scherzer is an eight-time MLB All-Star, has won three Cy Young Awards, has pitched two no-hitters, and is a two-time World Series champion, winning with the Nationals in 2019 and the Rangers in 2023. He is regarded as one of the best pitchers in baseball history.

Taylor Schilling, American actress

Taylor Schilling is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Piper Chapman on the Netflix original comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019), for which she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and two Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy and Best Actress – Television Series Drama. She made her film debut in the 2007 drama Dark Matter. She also starred as Nurse Veronica Flanagan Callahan in the short-lived NBC medical drama Mercy (2009–2010). Her other films include Atlas Shrugged: Part I (2011), the romantic drama The Lucky One (2012), the comedy Take Me (2017), and the science-fiction thriller The Titan (2018).

Kenny Wormald, American actor, dancer, and choreographer

Kenny Wormald is an American dancer, reality television star and actor. He played Ren McCormack in the 2011 remake of 1984's Footloose. Wormald was a regular on the MTV reality television series Dancelife in 2007.

27/07/1983

Lorik Cana, Albanian footballer

Lorik Agim Cana is a former professional footballer who played as a centre-back or midfielder. He is currently the Grassroots ambassador for children's football in Albania, a role assigned by the Albanian Football Association on 26 October 2017. Born in Yugoslavia, he represented Albania internationally.

Martijn Maaskant, Dutch cyclist

Martijn Maaskant is a retired Dutch professional road racing cyclist. Maaskant competed professionally between 2008 and 2014.

Goran Pandev, Macedonian footballer

Goran Pandev is a Macedonian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He is regarded as one of the best Macedonian footballers of all time.

Soccor Velho, Indian footballer (died 2013)

Soccor Velho was an Indian footballer who last played for Air India in the I-League. He previously played for Cabral, Golden Gunners and Central Railway.

27/07/1982

Neil Harbisson, English-Catalan painter, composer, and activist

Neil Harbisson is a Catalan-raised British-Irish cyborg artist and cyborg rights advocate who has been described as the world's first legally recognised cyborg and as the world's first cyborg artist. International attention grew after he received permission to appear in his UK passport photo with an antenna implanted in his skull, a device he considers a new sensory organ. His artistic and activist work centres on expanded perception, the development of artificial senses and the rights of people with technologically extended bodies.

27/07/1981

Susan King Borchardt, American basketball player

Susan King Borchardt is an American professional women's basketball player.

Collins Obuya, Kenyan cricketer

Collins Omondi Obuya is a former Kenyan cricketer and captain of the Kenyan cricket team. An allrounder, Obuya bats right-handed and bowls leg spin. He came to prominence in the 2003 Cricket World Cup where he was one of Kenya's major performers as they reached the semi-finals. Obuya has a highest first class score of 103. He has been a prominent member of the Kenya cricket team with a career spanning more than two decades, since making his international debut in 2001. On 24 March 2024 he announced his retirement from international cricket. His final game was the bronze medal match at the African Games in Accra, Ghana.

Dash Snow, American painter and photographer (died 2009)

Dashiell Alexander Whitney Snow was an American artist based in New York City. Snow's photographs included scenes of sex, drugs, violence, and the art world; his work often depicted the decadent lifestyle of young New York City artists and their social circle.

Christopher Weselek, German rugby player

Christopher Weselek is a rugby coach and retired German international rugby union player, having last played for the RG Heidelberg in the Rugby-Bundesliga and the German national rugby union team. He is currently one of the successful rugby coaches in Germany.

27/07/1980

Allan Davis, Australian cyclist

Allan Howard Davis is an Australian former professional road racing cyclist, who last rode for UCI ProTour team Orica–GreenEDGE. Born in Ipswich, Queensland, Davis resides in Bundaberg, Queensland and in Spain. Known for his sprinting ability, he started competitive cycling at the age of 10, and turned professional in 2002. He is also the brother of fellow cyclist, Scott Davis, and was an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder.

Wesley Gonzales, Filipino basketball player

Wesley Olan Gonzales is a Filipino former professional basketball player. Gonzales last played for the Barako Bull Energy Cola before retiring after a stellar college career and a 10-year stint in the PBA.

Dolph Ziggler, American wrestler and comedian

Nicholas Theodore Nemeth is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he performs under his real name, stylized as Nic Nemeth. He is best known for his tenure in WWE from 2004 to 2023, where he performed under the ring names Nicky and most notably Dolph Ziggler.

27/07/1979

Marielle Franco, Brazilian politician, feminist, and human rights activist (died 2018)

Marielle Franco was a Brazilian politician, sociologist, feminist, socialist and human rights activist. Franco served as a city councillor of the Municipal Chamber of Rio de Janeiro for the Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL) from January 2017 until her assassination.

Jorge Arce, Mexican boxer

Jorge Armando Arce Armenta, best known as Jorge Arce, is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2014. He is a multiple-time world champion, and the second boxer from Mexico to win world titles in four weight divisions. In a storied career, Arce held the WBO light flyweight title from 1998 to 1999; the WBC and lineal light flyweight titles from 2002 to 2004; the WBO super flyweight title in 2010; the WBO junior featherweight title in 2011; and the WBO bantamweight title from 2011 to 2012. Additionally he held the WBC interim flyweight title from 2005 to 2006, the WBA interim super flyweight title from 2008 to 2009, and challenged once for the WBC featherweight title in his final fight in 2014.

Sidney Govou, French footballer

Sidney Rodrigue Noukpo Govou is a French former professional footballer who played primarily as a left winger, but was occasionally deployed as a striker. He is most prominent for his lengthy playing career at Lyon where he won seven Ligue 1 titles.

Shannon Moore, American wrestler and singer

Shannon Moore is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his work with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) between 1999 and 2001 and with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) for several years in the 2000s. He has also previously worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).

27/07/1978

Diarmuid O'Sullivan, Irish hurler and manager

Diarmuid O'Sullivan is an Irish hurling coach and hurler who plays for Cork Premier Championship club Cloyne. He played for the Cork senior hurling team for 12 years, during which time he usually lined out as a full-back. A fan favourite who was noted for his swashbuckling style during his inter-county career, O'Sullivan is considered a "Cork legend".

27/07/1977

Foo Swee Chin, Singaporean illustrator

Foo Swee Chin is a Singaporean comic book artist and illustrator.

Björn Dreyer, German footballer

Björn Dreyer is a German former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Irish actor

Jonathan Rhys Meyers is an Irish actor. He is known for his roles in the films Michael Collins (1996), Velvet Goldmine (1998), Titus (1999), Bend It Like Beckham (2002), Alexander (2004), Match Point (2005), Mission: Impossible III (2006) and his television roles as Elvis Presley in the biographical miniseries Elvis (2005), for which he won a Golden Globe Award and earned a Primetime Emmy Award nomination, as King Henry VIII in the historical drama The Tudors (2007–10), which earned him two Golden Globe Award nominations, and in the NBC drama series Dracula (2013–14) as the title character. He also starred as Bishop Heahmund, a character inspired by the Saint of the same name, in the History Channel television series Vikings.

27/07/1976

Singrid Campion, French businesswoman and singer

Demis Hassabis, English computer scientist and academic

Sir Demis Hassabis is a British artificial intelligence (AI) researcher and entrepreneur. He is the chief executive officer and co-founder of Google DeepMind and Isomorphic Labs, and a UK Government AI Adviser. In 2024, Hassabis and John M. Jumper were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their AI research contributions to protein structure prediction.

Scott Mason, Australian cricketer (died 2005)

Scott Robert Mason was an Australian cricketer who played first-class cricket for Tasmania. He was a left-handed batsman who averaged 27.21 with the bat in 28 first-class games and 9.42 with the bat in 8 one-day domestic games. In first-class cricket he scored 1252 runs with two centuries and five half-centuries with a highest score of 174. In one-day domestic cricket he scored just 66 runs with a highest score of 16.

27/07/1975

Serkan Çeliköz, Turkish keyboard player and songwriter

Kargo is a rock band from Istanbul, Turkey. Its current line-up includes Selim Öztürk on electric guitar, Burak Karataş on drums and Ozan Anlaş on vocals.

Shea Hillenbrand, American baseball player

Shea Matthew Hillenbrand is an American former professional baseball third baseman and first baseman, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Fred Mascherino, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

Frederick Paul Mascherino is an American musician best known for his work as lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist in alternative rock band Taking Back Sunday. He is currently active with bands The Color Fred, Say Anything, and Taking Back Sunday as a touring member. Fred is also known for working with Terrible Things. He also runs the record label Heading East Records. He is vegan and straight edge.

Alessandro Pistone, Italian footballer

Alessandro Pistone is an Italian former professional football player and manager.

Alex Rodriguez, American baseball player

Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez, nicknamed "A-Rod", is an American former professional baseball shortstop and third baseman and current businessman. Rodriguez played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners (1994–2000), Texas Rangers (2001–2003), and New York Yankees. Rodriguez is the chairman and chief executive officer of A-Rod Corp as well as the chairman of Presidente beer. He owns a controlling interest in the National Basketball Association's Minnesota Timberwolves with Marc Lore. Rodriguez began his professional baseball career as one of the sport's most highly touted prospects and is considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time.

27/07/1974

Eason Chan, Hong Kong singer, actor, and producer

Eason Chan Yick-shun is a Hong Kong singer and actor. He is one of the most popular and influential singers in both Cantopop and Mandopop. Besides holding the record for winning the "Ultimate Male Singer – Gold" award and "My Favorite Male Singer" award at the "Ultimate Song Chart Awards Presentation" in HK, he is also holding the record for being nominated for and winning prestigious Golden Melody Awards "Best Male Mandarin Singer" in Taiwan. Chan was ranked sixth in the 2013 Forbes China Celebrity Top 100 List. Chan was ranked third in Spotify Global Top Mandopop Artists of the Years 2023 and 2024. By December 2024, Chan's monthly listeners in Spotify was over 4 million.

Pete Yorn, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

Peter Joseph Yorn is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He first gained international recognition after his debut record, Musicforthemorningafter, was released to critical and commercial acclaim in 2001. He is known for playing the bulk of the instruments on his records. Spin magazine, in a career retrospective article dated March 26, 2021, recognized Yorn as one of his generation's best songwriters. Yorn’s eleventh album, The Hard Way, was released on August 23, 2024.

27/07/1973

Cassandra Clare, American journalist and author

Judith Lewis, better known by her pen name Cassandra Clare, is an American author of young adult fiction, best known for her bestselling series The Mortal Instruments.

Erik Nys, Belgian long jumper

Erik Nys is a retired Belgian long jumper.

Gorden Tallis, Australian rugby league player and coach

Gorden James Tallis, also known by the nickname of "Raging Bull" for his on-field aggression, is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. He is currently a commentator and pundit for the Fox Sports network.

27/07/1972

Clint Robinson, Australian kayaker

Clint David Robinson, OAM, born 27 July 1972, is an Australian sprint kayaker and surf lifesaver. He won three medals at the Summer Olympics: gold in the K-1 1000 meters at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, silver in the K-2 500 meters at the 2004 Athens Olympics, and bronze in the K-1 1000 meters at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Maya Rudolph, American actress

Maya Khabira Rudolph is an American actress and comedian. In 2000, she became a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL). During her tenure on the show, she appeared in supporting roles in the films 50 First Dates (2004), A Prairie Home Companion (2006), and Idiocracy (2006).

Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, Malaysian surgeon and astronaut

Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Al Masrie bin Sheikh Mustapha is a Malaysian doctor. He launched to the International Space Station aboard Soyuz TMA-11 with the Expedition 16 crew on 10 October 2007. Sheikh Muszaphar flew under an agreement with Russia through the Angkasawan program, and returned to Earth on 21 October 2007, aboard Soyuz TMA-10 with the Expedition 15 crew members, Fyodor Yurchikhin and Oleg Kotov.

27/07/1971

Matthew Johns, Australian rugby league player, sportscaster and television host

Matthew James Johns is an Australian rugby league media personality, commentator and former professional player. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative five-eighth, Johns played his club football primarily with the Newcastle Knights, alongside his younger brother, Andrew. Since March 2011, Johns has been a co-host on the Triple M Sydney breakfast show called The Grill Team with Mark Geyer. Since 2012, Johns has been a part of the Fox Sports NRL coverage. He had his own show on Channel 7 for one season in 2010, The Matty Johns Show and since 2013 has hosted a rugby league analysis and light entertainment show on Foxtel airing two nights each week.

Anna Menconi, Italian Paralympic archer

Anna Menconi is an Italian Paralympic archer.

27/07/1970

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Danish actor and producer

Nikolaj William Coster-Waldau is a Danish actor. His breakthrough role was in Denmark with the film Nightwatch in 1994. He played Jaime Lannister in the HBO fantasy drama series Game of Thrones, for which he received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

David Davies, English-Welsh politician

David Thomas Charles Davies is a British politician who was Secretary of State for Wales from 2022 to 2024. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Monmouth from 2005 to 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, he chaired the Welsh Affairs Select Committee from 2010 to 2019. Davies also served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales from 2019 to 2022, and as Member of the Welsh Assembly (AM) for Monmouth from 1999 to 2007.

27/07/1969

Triple H, American wrestler and actor

Paul Michael Levesque, also known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive, professional wrestling promoter, and retired wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as its chief content officer, its head of creative, and an executive producer.

Jonty Rhodes, South African cricketer and coach

Jonathan Neil "Jonty" Rhodes is a South African professional cricket coach, commentator and former Test and One Day International cricketer. He is regarded as one of the greatest fielders of all time and was the first South African cricketer to take 100 ODI catches. He played for the South African cricket team between 1992 and 2003. He is the fielding coach of the Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League. He is the fielding coach of Durban's Super Giants as well as the consultant fielding coach of the Sri Lanka national cricket team. Rhodes was a member of the South Africa cricket team that won the 1998 ICC KnockOut Trophy, the first ICC trophy the country has won.

27/07/1968

Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Italian actress and producer

Maria Grazia Cucinotta is an Italian actress who has featured in films and television series since 1990. Internationally she is best known for her roles in Il Postino and The World Is Not Enough.

Tom Goodwin, American baseball player and coach

Thomas Jones Goodwin is an American former professional baseball player. He played professionally for 14 seasons, primarily as a center fielder, from 1991 to 2004. As a player, he was listed at 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) and 165 pounds (75 kg); he batted left-handed and threw right-handed.

Sabina Jeschke, Swedish-German engineer and academic

Sabina Jeschke is a German university professor for information sciences in mechanical engineering at the RWTH Aachen University. As of 10 November 2017, she was named member of the management board of Deutschen Bahn AG for digitalization and technology. She is also the director of the Cybernetics Lab IMA/ZLW & IfU. In the summer semester of 2017, she is on sabbatical leave to develop her research in the area of artificial consciousness, and is involved in building a think tank "Strong Artificial Intelligence" at the Volvo Car Corporation in Göteborg. Since May 2015, Jeschke has been a member of the supervisory board of Körber AG, since April 2012 chairman of the board of VDI Aachen. Beginning of January 2023 she took on an additional position as a senior advisor at Arthur D. Little.

Julian McMahon, Australian actor and producer (died 2025)

Julian Dana William McMahon was an Australian-American actor. He was the only son of William McMahon, a former Prime Minister of Australia. He was best known for his roles as Ben Lucini in Home and Away, Detective John Grant in Profiler, Cole Turner in Charmed, Dr. Christian Troy in Nip/Tuck, Doctor Doom in the Fantastic Four duology, Jonah in Runaways and Jess LaCroix in FBI: Most Wanted. His other films include Premonition, Red, and The Surfer. For his performance in Nip/Tuck, McMahon was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Drama Series.

Ricardo Rosset, Brazilian race car driver

Ricardo Rosset is a Brazilian racing driver. Runner-up in the 1995 International Formula 3000 Championship, he later participated in 33 Formula One Grands Prix, making his debut at the 1996 Australian Grand Prix. He scored no championship points. He eventually quit Formula One to focus on developing a sportswear business in Brazil.

27/07/1967

Rahul Bose, Indian journalist, actor, director, and screenwriter

Rahul Bose is an Indian actor, sports administrator and former rugby player who works in Hindi films. Bose serves as the president of Rugby India since 2021.

Juliana Hatfield, American singer-songwriter and musician

Juliana Hatfield is an American musician and singer-songwriter from the Boston area. She was formerly a member of the indie rock bands Blake Babies, Some Girls, and the Lemonheads. Hatfield also fronted her own band, The Juliana Hatfield Three, alongside bassist Dean Fisher and drummer Todd Philips, which was active in the mid-1990s and again in the mid-2010s. With The Juliana Hatfield Three, she achieved her best-charting work, including the critically acclaimed album Become What You Are (1993), which featured the singles "My Sister" (1993) and "Spin the Bottle".

Hans Mathisen, Norwegian guitarist and composer

Hans Mathisen is a Norwegian Jazz guitarist, educated on the Jazzprogram at Trondheim musikkonservatorium (1988–90), well known for his Pat Metheny and Wes Montgomery inspired performances. He is the brother of Jazz musicians Per Mathisen (bass), Nils Mathisen and Ole Mathisen.

Neil Smith, English cricketer

Neil Michael Knight Smith is a former English cricketer who played in seven One Day Internationals from 1986 to 1996. He then went on to work at Warwick School, Myton Road, Warwick as the Groundsman but has recently semi retired. He is the son of the former England Test captain, M J K Smith.

Craig Wolanin, American ice hockey player

Craig William Wolanin is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League from 1985 until 1998.

27/07/1966

Steve Tilson, English footballer and manager

Stephen Brian Tilson is an English football manager and former player.

27/07/1965

José Luis Chilavert, Paraguayan footballer

José Luis Félix Chilavert González is a Paraguayan former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Sportivo Luqueño, Guaraní, San Lorenzo de Almagro, Real Zaragoza, Vélez Sarsfield, RC Strasbourg, Peñarol and the Paraguay national team.

27/07/1964

Rex Brown, American bass player and songwriter

Rex Robert Brown is an American musician. He is the longtime bassist for heavy metal band Pantera, having joined the band in 1982. Following the band's reunion in 2022, Brown is the longest-serving member of the band. He is also a former member of the supergroup Down (2001–2011) and a former bassist for Kill Devil Hill. He released his debut solo album Smoke on This... in 2017. For the first time in Brown's career, the work features him not only as a bassist but also as lead vocalist and guitarist.

27/07/1963

Donnie Yen, Chinese-Hong Kong actor, director, producer, and martial artist

Donnie Yen Chi-tan is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and action director. His accolades include three Golden Horse Awards and five Hong Kong Film Awards. He is best known for portraying Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man in the Ip Man film series, namely Ip Man (2008), Ip Man 2 (2010), Ip Man 3 (2015), and Ip Man 4: The Finale (2019). He also served as a co-producer of the spin-off Master Z: Ip Man Legacy (2018).

27/07/1962

Neil Brooks, Australian swimmer

Neil Brooks is an Australian former sprint freestyle swimmer best known for winning the 4 × 100 m medley relay at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow as part of the Quietly Confident Quartet. Brooks was as much known for his swimming achievements as he was for disciplinary incidents, and he often found himself in conflict with officialdom and threatened with sanctions.

Karl Mueller, American bass player (died 2005)

Karl Mueller was an American rock musician. He was the bass guitarist and a founding member of the Minneapolis alternative rock band Soul Asylum.

27/07/1961

Ed Orgeron, American football coach

Edward James Orgeron Jr., nicknamed "Coach O", is an American college football coach who is currently the special assistant to recruiting and defense at Louisiana State University (LSU). He was the head football coach at LSU from midway through the 2016 season until the 2021 season. Louisiana’s 2019 Tigers team, which went 15–0 en route to a victory over defending champions Clemson in the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship, is considered by many to be the greatest college football team of the modern era.

27/07/1960

Jo Durie, English tennis player and sportscaster

Joanna Mary Durie is a British former tennis player. Her highest singles ranking was world number five; in doubles she reached number nine, and won two Grand Slam titles, both in the mixed doubles with Jeremy Bates.

Conway Savage, Australian singer-songwriter and keyboard player (died 2018)

Conway Victor Savage was an Australian rock musician. He was a member of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, providing piano, organ & backing vocals from 1990 to 2017.

Emily Thornberry, English lawyer and politician

Dame Emily Anne Thornberry is a British politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Islington South and Finsbury since 2005. A member of the Labour Party, she served as Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales from 2021 until the 2024 general election, and previously from 2011 to 2014. Thornberry has also served in a number of other senior positions on Labour's front bench, namely as Shadow Foreign Secretary from 2016 to 2020, Shadow First Secretary of State from 2017 to 2020 and Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade from 2020 to 2021.

27/07/1959

Joe DeSa, American baseball player (died 1986)

Joseph DeSa was an American Major League Baseball first baseman.

Hugh Green, American football player

Hugh Donell Green is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) from 1981 to 1991. He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers as a defensive end, and was recognized as a three-time consensus All-American. Green was selected in the first round of the 1981 NFL draft, and played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Miami Dolphins.

Neil King Jr., American journalist and author (died 2024)

Neil Caldwell King Jr. was an American journalist and author. He shared in the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting in 2002. His first book, American Ramble: A Walk of Memory and Renewal, was published by HarperCollins in 2023.

Yiannos Papantoniou, French-Greek economist and politician, Greek Minister of National Defence

Yiannos Papantoniou is a former member of the National Parliament in Greece (MP) from 1988 to 2007, Minister of National Defense (2001−03), Minister of Economy and Finance (1994−2001). During his time as Economy and Finance Minister, he worked closely with his Economic and Financial Affairs Council partners to prepare for the launch of the Euro in Greece. For his achievements he was 'highly commended' by Euromoney magazine in September 1998 as Finance Minister of the Year. Prior to this, Papantoniou worked at the OECD (1978–81), served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1981 to 1984, and as advisor to the Greek prime minister on EEC Affairs and Integration. He was elected as chairman of the board of governors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in 1999. From 2009 to 2010, he was visiting senior fellow in the Hellenic Observatory within the European Institute at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Papantoniou has published numerous articles and books on topics related to economic and political developments in Greece, Europe and the wider world scene. In November 2014, Papantoniou was convicted by an Athens court of failing to declare 1.2 million euros in a Swiss bank account held under his wife's name. In July 2017, he filed an appeal to the European court of human rights against this decision.

27/07/1958

Christopher Dean, English figure skater and choreographer

Sir Christopher Colin Dean is a British ice dancer considered, with his skating partner, Jayne Torvill, amongst the greatest ice dancers of all time. The pair won a gold medal at the 1984 Winter Olympics and a bronze medal at the 1994 Winter Olympics. They were also four-time world and European champions and seven-time British champions.

Kimmo Hakola, Finnish composer

Kimmo Hannu Tapio Hakola is a Finnish composer. Born in Jyväskylä, he studied composition with Einojuhani Rautavaara and Magnus Lindberg at Sibelius Academy. He first came to prominence with his First String Quartet, which won the Unesco Composers' Rostrum in 1987.

27/07/1957

Bill Engvall, American comedian, actor, and producer

William Ray Engvall Jr. is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and television host. He has released stand-up comedy albums through Warner Records and BNA Records, which is defunct. His most-known album is his 1996 debut Here's Your Sign, certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album derives its name from Engvall's signature routine "here's your sign", wherein he offers "signs" to people whom he deems lacking in intellect. He has toured as a comedian both by himself and as a member of Blue Collar Comedy Tour which included Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy, and Ron White. Engvall's television roles include Delta, The Jeff Foxworthy Show, The Bill Engvall Show, and Lingo.

27/07/1956

Carol Leifer, American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and producer

Carol Leifer is an American comedian, writer, and producer whose career as a stand-up comedian started in the 1970s when she was in college. She has written many television scripts including The Larry Sanders Show, Saturday Night Live and Seinfeld.

27/07/1955

Cat Bauer, American journalist, author, and playwright

Catherine Bauer is the award-winning author of contemporary novels featuring the young protagonist, Harley Columba, and is known for her unique and honest voice. Publishers Weekly said, "Bauer creates a witty and resilient narrator in...Harley Columba... Readers will be rooting for this sympathetic heroine." In the Thomson Gale biography, the authors noted that: "Readers and reviewers often found the strength of Bauer's novel in the authentic voice of its heroine, Harley. Patricia Morrow, for example, in Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA), remarked that 'Harley's voice is true to the experience of many young people,' and that 'Although the outcomes are not unexpected, they do not follow any formulas.'"

Allan Border, Australian cricketer and coach

Allan Robert Border is an Australian former international cricketer and current cricket commentator. A batsman, Border was for many years the captain of the Australian team, and led his team to victory in the 1987 Cricket World Cup, the maiden world title for Australia. His playing nickname was "A.B.". He played 156 Test matches in his career, a record until it was passed by fellow Australian Steve Waugh. Border formerly held the world record for the number of consecutive Test appearances of 153, before it was surpassed in June 2018 by Alastair Cook, and is second on the list of number of Tests as captain.

John Howell, English journalist and politician

John Michael Howell is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Henley from 2008 to 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, he won a by-election to replace Boris Johnson, who resigned following his election as Mayor of London.

Bobby Rondinelli, American drummer

Robert Rondinelli is an American rock drummer best known for his work with the hard rock/heavy metal bands Blue Öyster Cult, Rainbow, Quiet Riot, Black Sabbath, The Lizards, The Handful, and Rondinelli. In July 2013, Rondinelli was announced as the new drummer for the Axel Rudi Pell band, replacing previous drummer Mike Terrana. Rondinelli has played on subsequent albums and tours, and remains with the band.

27/07/1954

Philippe Alliot, French race car driver and sportscaster

Philippe René Gabriel Alliot is a French former racing driver and broadcaster, who competed in Formula One from 1984 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1994.

G. S. Bali, Indian lawyer and politician (died 2021)

Gurmukh Singh Bali was a Member of the Legislative Assembly from Nagrota Bagwan, Himachal Pradesh, India. He was born on 27 July 1954 at Kangra. He had a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering. He got married on 20 June 1977. He was the Transport, Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, and Technical Education Minister in Himachal Pradesh Cabinet.

Mark Stanway, English keyboard player

Mark Stanway is an English musician. He was the keyboard player for the hard rock band Magnum from 1980 until the end of 2016.

Ricardo Uceda, Peruvian journalist and author

Ricardo Uceda Pérez is a Peruvian journalist notable for his award-winning coverage of military and government corruption.

27/07/1953

Chung Dong-young, South Korean journalist and politician, 31st South Korean Minister of Unification

Chung Dong-young is a South Korean politician who has served as the minister of unification since late July 2025.

Yahoo Serious, Australian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter

Yahoo Serious is an Australian actor. His films include the comedy films Young Einstein (1988), Reckless Kelly (1993), and Mr. Accident (2000). Serious writes, directs, produces, stars in, and has composed the scores for his movies.

27/07/1952

Marvin Barnes, American basketball player (died 2014)

Marvin Jerome "Bad News" Barnes was an American professional basketball player. A forward, he was an All-American at Providence College, and played professionally in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA).

Roxanne Hart, American actress

Roxanne Hart is an American actress. She played Brenda Wyatt in the 1986 film Highlander, and Nurse Camille Shutt on the CBS medical drama series Chicago Hope (1994–1998). Hart received a Tony Award nomination for her stage work.

27/07/1951

Roseanna Cunningham, Scottish lawyer and politician, Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs

Roseanna Cunningham is a retired Scottish National Party (SNP) politician who served as Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform from 2016 to 2021. She was previously Cabinet Secretary for Fair Work, Skills and Training from 2014 until 2016.

Bob Diamond, American-English banker and businessman

Robert Edward Diamond Jr. is an American banker and former chief executive officer of Barclays plc. In 2010, he became its president and deputy group chief executive; and in January 2011, succeeded John Varley as group chief executive of Barclays.

Rolf Thung, Dutch tennis player

Rolf Thung is a retired Dutch tennis player. With Louk Sanders, he won the doubles title of the 1978 British Hard Court Championships.

27/07/1950

Simon Jones, English actor

Simon Jones is an English actor. He is best known for originating the role of Arthur Dent, protagonist of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He also played the role of Donald Shellhammer in Miracle on 34th Street (1994), appeared in Brideshead Revisited (1981) as Lord Brideshead, and as King George V in the film Downton Abbey (2019), and as Bannister in The Gilded Age.

27/07/1949

Maury Chaykin, American-Canadian actor (died 2010)

Maury Alan Chaykin was an American-Canadian actor. Described as "one of the most recognizable faces in Canadian cinema," he was best known for his portrayal of Rex Stout's detective Nero Wolfe on the television series A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001–2002), as well as for his work as a character actor in many films and television programs.

André Dupont, Canadian ice hockey player and coach

André Dupont is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues, Philadelphia Flyers and Quebec Nordiques. He won back-to-back Stanley Cups while a member of Philadelphia's "Broad Street Bullies" teams in the mid-1970s. He is most often referred to by his nickname "Moose".

Rory MacDonald, Scottish singer-songwriter and bass player

Roderick "Rory" MacDonald is a Scottish songwriter and musician. He was bassist, and a primary song writer, for Celtic rock band Runrig, alongside his younger brother, Calum MacDonald. Generally, Rory wrote the melodies, and Calum the lyrics. After former lead singer Donnie Munro left the band in 1997, Rory took lead vocal duties on songs in the band's catalogue written in the Scottish Gaelic language, as the band's new lead singer, Bruce Guthro, was not a Gaelic speaker.

Maureen McGovern, American singer and actress

Maureen Therese McGovern is an American singer and Broadway actress, well known for her renditions of the songs "The Morning After" from the 1972 film The Poseidon Adventure; "We May Never Love Like This Again" from The Towering Inferno in 1974; and her No. 1 Billboard adult contemporary hit "Different Worlds", the theme song from the television series Angie. She performed on Broadway in The Pirates of Penzance, Nine, The Threepenny Opera, and Little Women.

Robert Rankin, English author and illustrator

Robert Fleming Rankin is a prolific British author of comedic fantasy novels. Born in Parsons Green, London, he started writing in the late 1970s, and first entered the bestsellers lists with Snuff Fiction in 1999, by which time his previous eighteen books had sold around one million copies. His books are a mix of science fiction, fantasy, the occult, urban legends, running gags, metafiction, steampunk and outrageous characters. According to the biography printed in some Corgi editions of his books, Rankin refers to his style as 'Far Fetched Fiction' in the hope that bookshops will let him have a section to himself. Many of Rankin's books are bestsellers.

27/07/1948

Peggy Fleming, American figure skater and sportscaster

Peggy Gale Fleming is a retired American figure skater. She is the 1968 Winter Olympic Champion in the ladies' singles, being the only American gold medalist at these Games, and a three-time World Champion (1966–1968) in the same event. Fleming has been a television commentator in figure skating for over 20 years, including at several Winter Olympic Games.

James Munby, English lawyer and judge

Sir James Lawrence Munby was an English judge who was President of the Family Division of the High Court of England and Wales. He was replaced by Sir Andrew McFarlane on reaching the mandatory retirement age.

Henny Vrienten, Dutch singer-songwriter and bass player (died 2022)

Henny Vrienten was a Dutch musician best known as the singer and bassist of the popular 1980s ska pop band Doe Maar. He also composed music for television and film.

27/07/1947

Kazuyoshi Miura, Japanese businessman (died 2008)

Kazuyoshi Miura was a Japanese businessman who was accused of being involved in the killing of his wife, Kazumi Miura. The prolonged legal battle, lasting decades, ended with his death, ruled a suicide, in October 2008.

Giora Spiegel, Israeli footballer and coach

Giora Spiegel is an Israeli former footballer and coach. As a footballer, he holds the record for the longest Israeli international career, spanning 14 years and 357 days.

Betty Thomas, American actress, director, and producer

Betty Thomas is an American director and actress. She is known for her role as Sergeant Lucy Bates on the television series Hill Street Blues, a role for which she was nominated for an Emmy award seven times, winning once. Her latest film, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, was at the time the highest-grossing film ever directed by a solo woman director

27/07/1946

Peter Reading, English poet and author (died 2011)

Peter Reading was an English poet and the author of 26 collections of poetry. He is known for his deep interest in nature and the use of classical metres. He was widely regarded as an influential alternative presence on the UK poetry scene, and The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Poetry describes his verse as "strongly anti-romantic, disenchanted and usually satirical". Interviewed by Robert Potts, he described his work as a combination of "painstaking care" and "misanthropy".

27/07/1944

Jean-Marie Leblanc, French cyclist and journalist

Jean-Marie Leblanc is a French retired professional road bicycle racer who was general director of the Tour de France from 1989 to 2007, when he reached pensionable age and was succeeded by Christian Prudhomme.

Barbara Thomson, English saxophonist and composer (died 2022)

Barbara Gracey Thompson MBE was an English jazz saxophonist, flautist and composer. She studied clarinet, flute, piano and classical composition at the Royal College of Music, but the music of Duke Ellington and John Coltrane made her shift her interests to jazz and saxophone. She was married to drummer Jon Hiseman of Colosseum from 1967 until his death in 2018.

Vito D'Amato, Italian footballer (died 2025)

Vito D'Amato was an Italian professional footballer who played as a forward.

27/07/1943

Jeremy Greenstock, English diplomat, British Ambassador to the United Nations

Sir Jeremy Quentin Greenstock is a British retired diplomat, active from 1969 to 2004.

27/07/1942

Édith Butler, Canadian singer-songwriter

Édith Butler is an Acadian-Canadian singer-songwriter and folklorist from New Brunswick’s Acadian Peninsula.

Bobbie Gentry, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

Bobbie Gentry is an American retired singer-songwriter. She was one of the first female artists in the United States to compose and produce her own material.

John Pleshette, American actor, director, and screenwriter

John Pleshette is an American actor and screenwriter, best known for his role as Richard Avery on the television drama Knots Landing, and for portraying Lee Harvey Oswald in the TV movie The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald. Pleshette also wrote several scripts for Knots Landing in the 1980s.

Dennis Ralston, American tennis player (died 2020)

Richard Dennis Ralston was an American professional tennis player whose active career spanned the 1960s and 1970s.

27/07/1941

Christian Boesch, Austrian opera singer

Christian Boesch is an Austrian operatic baritone. He is the son of the soprano Ruthilde Boesch, and studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, from 1959 to 1964. He was the pupil of Alfred Jerger, and made his official debut at the Stadttheater, Bern, in 1966. He joined the Vienna Volksoper in 1975.

Johannes Fritsch, German viola player and composer (died 2010)

Johannes Georg Fritsch was a German composer.

27/07/1940

Pina Bausch, German dancer and choreographer (died 2009)

Philippine "Pina" Bausch was a German dancer and choreographer who was a significant contributor to a neo-expressionist dance tradition now known as Tanztheater. Bausch's approach was noted for a stylised blend of dance movement, prominent sound design, and involved stage sets, as well as for engaging the dancers under her to help in the development of a piece, and her work had an influence on modern dance from the 1970s forward. She created the company Tanztheater Wuppertal, which performs internationally.

27/07/1939

William Eggleston, American photographer and academic

William Eggleston is an American photographer. He is widely credited with increasing recognition of color photography as a legitimate artistic medium. Eggleston's books include William Eggleston's Guide (1976) and The Democratic Forest (1989).

Michael Longley, Northern Irish poet and academic (died 2025)

Michael George Longley was a Northern Irish poet. In his later years Longley observed: "It's a mystery where poems come from. If I knew where poems came from I would go there ... When I write a poem I am moving into unknown territory and hoping to be surprised by some kind of redemptive eloquence to cast light into dark corners". Following his death, the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, called Longley "a peerless poet".

Paulo Silvino, Brazilian comedian, composer and actor (died 2017)

Paulo Ricardo Campos Silvino was a Brazilian comedian, composer and actor.

27/07/1938

Pierre Christin, French comics creator and writer (died 2024)

Pierre Christin was a French comics writer.

Gary Gygax, American game designer, co-created Dungeons & Dragons (died 2008)

Ernest Gary Gygax was an American game designer and author best known for co-creating the pioneering tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) with Dave Arneson.

27/07/1937

Anna Dawson, English actress and singer

Anna Dawson is an English actress and singer.

Don Galloway, American actor (died 2009)

Donald Poe Galloway was an American stage, film and television actor, best known for his role as Detective Sergeant Ed Brown in the series Ironside (1967–1975). He reprised the role for a TV film in 1993. He was also a politically active libertarian and columnist.

Robert Holmes à Court, South African-Australian businessman and lawyer (died 1990)

Michael Robert Hamilton Holmes à Court was a South African-born Australian businessman who became Australia's first billionaire. He died suddenly of heart failure in 1990 at the age of 53.

27/07/1936

J. Robert Hooper, American businessman and politician (died 2008)

James Robert Hooper was an American politician who served on the Maryland Senate from 1999 to 2007.

27/07/1935

Hillar Kärner, Estonian chess player (died 2017)

Hillar Kärner was an Estonian chess player who won the Estonian Chess Championship seven times. He received the FIDE title of International Master (IM) in 1980.

Billy McCullough, Northern Irish footballer

William James McCullough was a Northern Irish footballer who made more than 250 appearances for Arsenal in the Football League and was capped 10 times for Northern Ireland.

27/07/1933

Nick Reynolds, American singer and bongo player (died 2008)

Nicholas Wells Reynolds was an American folk musician and recording artist. Reynolds was one of the founding members of the Kingston Trio, whose folk and folk-style material captured international attention during the late Fifties and early Sixties.

Ted Whitten, Australian football player and journalist (died 1995)

Edward James Whitten Sr. OAM was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Footscray Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

27/07/1932

Forest Able, American basketball player

Forest Edward Able, nicknamed Frosty, was an American professional basketball player.

Diane Webber, American model, dancer and actress (died 2008)

Marguerite Diane Webber was an American model, dancer, actress and nudist.

27/07/1931

Khieu Samphan, Cambodian academic and politician, 28th Prime Minister of Cambodia

Khieu Samphan is a Cambodian former politician, economist, and revolutionary who was Chairman of the State Presidium of Democratic Kampuchea from 1976 until 1979. As such, he served as Cambodia's head of state and was one of the most powerful officials in the Khmer Rouge movement, although Pol Pot remained the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Kampuchea. On 7 August 2014, along with other members of the regime, he was convicted and received a life sentence for crimes against humanity during the Cambodian genocide, and a further trial found him guilty of genocide in 2018.

Jerry Van Dyke, American actor (died 2018)

Jerry McCord Van Dyke was an American actor and comedian. He was the younger brother of Dick Van Dyke.

27/07/1930

Joy Whitby, English director, producer, and screenwriter

Joy Whitby is an English television executive, television, and radio producer who specialises in children's programmes and animated films.

Shirley Williams, English academic and politician, Secretary of State for Education (died 2021)

Shirley Vivian Teresa Brittain Williams, Baroness Williams of Crosby was a British politician and academic. Originally a Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP), she served in the Labour cabinet from 1974 to 1979. She was one of the "Gang of Four" rebels who founded the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 1981 and, at the time of her retirement from politics, was a Liberal Democrat.

27/07/1929

Jean Baudrillard, French sociologist and philosopher (died 2007)

Jean Baudrillard was a French sociologist and philosopher with an interest in cultural studies. He is best known for his analyses of media, contemporary culture, and technological communication, as well as his formulation of concepts such as hyperreality. Baudrillard wrote about diverse subjects, including consumerism, critique of economy, social history, aesthetics, Western foreign policy, and popular culture. Among his best-known works are Forget Foucault (1977), Seduction (1978), Simulacra and Simulation (1981), America (1986), and The Gulf War Did Not Take Place (1991). His work is frequently associated with postmodernism and specifically post-structuralism. Nevertheless, Baudrillard had also opposed post-structuralism, and had distanced himself from postmodernism.

Harvey Fuqua, American singer-songwriter and producer (died 2010)

Harvey Fuqua was an American R&B singer, songwriter, record producer, and record label executive.

Jack Higgins, English author and academic (died 2022)

Henry Patterson, commonly known by his pen name Jack Higgins, was a British author. He was a best-selling author of popular thrillers and espionage novels. His novel The Eagle Has Landed (1975) sold more than 50 million copies and was adapted into a successful 1976 movie of the same title.

Marc Wilkinson, French-Australian composer and conductor (died 2022)

Marc Wilkinson was an Australian-British composer and conductor best known for his film scores, including Blood on Satan's Claw, and incidental music for the theatre, most notably for Peter Shaffer's The Royal Hunt of the Sun. His compositional approach has combined traditional techniques with elements of the avant-garde. After residing for most of his life in the United Kingdom, he retired from composition and lived in France.

27/07/1928

Joseph Kittinger, American colonel and pilot (died 2022)

Joseph William Kittinger II was an American military pilot who was an officer in the United States Air Force. He served from 1950 to 1978 and earned Command Pilot status before retiring with the rank of colonel. He held the world record for the highest skydive—102,800 feet (31.3 km)—from 1960 until 2012.

27/07/1927

Guy Carawan, American singer and musicologist (died 2015)

Guy Hughes Carawan Jr. was an American folk musician and musicologist. He served as music director and song leader for the Highlander Research and Education Center in New Market, Tennessee.

Pierre Granier-Deferre, French director and screenwriter (died 2007)

Pierre Granier-Deferre was a French film director and screenwriter.

Will Jordan, American comedian and actor (died 2018)

Will Jordan was an American character actor and stand-up comedian best known for his resemblance to, and impressions of, television host and newspaper columnist Ed Sullivan.

C. Rajadurai, Sri Lankan journalist and politician, 1st Mayor of Batticaloa

Chelliah Rajadurai was a Sri Lankan Tamil politician, government minister, and Member of Parliament. He served as the 1st Mayor of Batticaloa from 1967 to 1968.

John Seigenthaler, American journalist and academic (died 2014)

John Lawrence Seigenthaler was an American journalist, writer, and political figure. He was known as a prominent defender of First Amendment rights.

27/07/1924

Vincent Canby, American historian and critic (died 2000)

Vincent Canby was an American film and theatre critic who was the chief film critic for The New York Times from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in 2000. He reviewed more than one thousand films during his tenure there.

Otar Taktakishvili, Georgian composer and conductor (died 1989)

Otar Vasilisdze Taktakishvili was a prominent Georgian composer, teacher, conductor, and musicologist of the Soviet period. Although in the West Taktakishvili is perhaps best known for his 1968 Sonata for Flute and Piano, his works include two symphonies, four piano concertos, two violin concertos, two cello concertos, and operas. He also wrote several symphonic poems and oratorios, as well as adaptations of Georgian folk songs and a multitude of compositions for instruments and voice.

27/07/1923

Mas Oyama, South Korean-Japanese martial artist (died 1994)

Masutatsu Ōyama, commonly known outside Japan as Mas Oyama, was a Korean-Japanese karateka. He was the founder of Kyokushin Karate, considered the first and most influential style of full contact karate.

27/07/1922

Adolfo Celi, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter (died 1986)

Adolfo Celi was an Italian film actor and director. Born in Curcuraci, Messina, Sicily, Celi appeared in nearly 100 films. Although a prominent actor in Italian cinema and famed for many roles, he is best remembered internationally for his portrayal of Emilio Largo in the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball. Celi later spoofed his Thunderball role in the film OK Connery opposite Sean Connery's brother, Neil Connery.

Norman Lear, American screenwriter and producer (died 2023)

Norman Milton Lear was an American screenwriter and producer who wrote and produced more than 100 television shows during a career that lasted over 70 years. Lear created and produced numerous popular 1970s sitcoms, including All in the Family (1971–1979), Maude (1972–1978), Sanford and Son (1972–1977), One Day at a Time (1975–1984), The Jeffersons (1975–1985), and Good Times (1974–1979). His works introduced political and social themes to the sitcom format.

27/07/1921

Garry Davis, American pilot and activist, created the World Passport (died 2013)

Sol Gareth "Garry" Davis was an international peace activist best known for renouncing his American citizenship and interrupting the United Nations in 1948 to advocate for world government as a way to end nationalistic wars.

Émile Genest, Canadian-American actor (died 2003)

Émile Genest was a Canadian actor.

27/07/1920

Henry D. "Homer" Haynes, American comedian and musician (died 1971)

Henry Doyle Haynes was an American comedy entertainer and musician who gained fame on radio and television as a country and jazz guitarist and as the character Homer of the country music comedy and parody duo Homer and Jethro with Kenneth C. Burns for 35 years beginning in 1936.

27/07/1918

Leonard Rose, American cellist and educator (died 1984)

Leonard Joseph Rose was an American cellist and pedagogue.

27/07/1916

Elizabeth Hardwick, American literary critic, novelist, and short story writer (died 2007)

Elizabeth Bruce Hardwick was an American literary critic, novelist, and short story writer.

Skippy Williams, American saxophonist and arranger (died 1994)

Elmer, or Elbert, "Skippy" Williams was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and musical arranger.

Keenan Wynn, American actor (died 1986)

Francis Xavier Aloysius James Jeremiah Keenan Wynn was an American character actor. His expressive face was his stock-in-trade. Though he rarely had a lead role, he had prominent billing in most of his film and television roles.

27/07/1915

Mario Del Monaco, Italian tenor (died 1982)

Mario Del Monaco was an Italian operatic tenor.

Josef Priller, German colonel and pilot (died 1961)

Josef "Pips" Priller was a German military aviator and wing commander in the Luftwaffe during World War II. As a fighter ace, he was credited with 101 enemy aircraft shot down in 307 combat missions. All of his victories were claimed over the Western Front, including 11 four-engine bombers and at least 68 Supermarine Spitfire fighters.

27/07/1914

August Sang, Estonian poet and translator (died 1969)

August Sang was an Estonian poet and literary translator. Sang was a member of the Arbujad literary group, which represented a new direction in Estonian poetry before the outbreak of World War II. He was known as a translator of poetry from German, Russian, French and Czech languages.

27/07/1913

George L. Street III, American Navy captain, Medal of Honor recipient (died 2000)

George Levick Street III was a submariner in the United States Navy. He received the Medal of Honor during World War II.

27/07/1912

Vernon Elliott, English bassoon player, composer, and conductor (died 1996)

Vernon Pelling Elliott was a British bassoonist, conductor and composer. He was an influential teacher of the bassoon for over 40 years. From the 1960s he became more widely known as the composer of music for short animated television films for children, including the Ivor the Engine series (1959-1977).

27/07/1911

Rayner Heppenstall, English author and poet (died 1981)

John Rayner Heppenstall was a British novelist, poet, diarist, and a BBC radio producer.

27/07/1910

Julien Gracq, French author and critic (died 2007)

Julien Gracq was a French writer. He wrote novels, critiques, a play, and poetry. His literary works were noted for their dreamlike abstraction, elegant style and refined vocabulary. He was close to the surrealist movement, in particular its leader André Breton.

Lupita Tovar, Mexican-American actress (died 2016)

Guadalupe Natalia Tovar Sullivan, known professionally as Lupita Tovar, was a Mexican-American actress best known for her starring role in the 1931 Spanish-language version of Drácula. It was filmed in Los Angeles by Universal Pictures at night using the same sets as the Bela Lugosi version, but with a different cast and director.

27/07/1908

Joseph Mitchell, American journalist and author (died 1996)

Joseph Quincy Mitchell was an American writer best known for the work he published in The New Yorker. He is known for his carefully written portraits of eccentrics and people on the fringes of society, especially in and around New York City. He is also known for suffering from writer's block for several decades.

27/07/1907

Ross Alexander, American stage and film actor (died 1937)

Ross Alexander was an American stage and film actor.

Carl McClellan Hill, American educator and academic administrator (died 1995)

Carl McClellan Hill was an American educator and academic administrator who served as president of Kentucky State University from 1962 to 1975, and as the 11th president of Hampton University from 1976 to 1978.

Irene Fischer, Austrian-American geodesist and mathematician (died 2009)

Irene Kaminka Fischer was an Austrian-American mathematician and geodesist. She was a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, and inductee of the National Imagery and Mapping Agency Hall of Fame. Fischer became one of two internationally known women scientists in the field of geodesy during the golden age of the Project Mercury and the Apollo program. Her Mercury datum, as well as her work on the lunar parallax, were instrumental in conducting these missions. "In his preface to the ACSM publication, Fischer's former colleague, Bernard Chovitz, referred to her as one of the most renowned geodesists of the third quarter of the twentieth century. Yet this fact alone makes her one of the most renowned geodesists of all times, because, according to Chovitz, the third quarter of the twentieth century witnessed "the transition of geodesy from a regional to a global enterprise."

27/07/1906

Jerzy Giedroyc, Polish author and activist (died 2000)

Jerzy Władysław Giedroyć was a Polish writer, lawyer, publicist and political activist. For many years, he worked as editor of the highly influential Paris-based periodical, Kultura.

Herbert Jasper, Canadian psychologist and neurologist (died 1999)

Herbert Henri Jasper was a Canadian psychologist, physiologist, neurologist, and epileptologist.

27/07/1905

Leo Durocher, American baseball player and manager (died 1991)

Leo Ernest Durocher, nicknamed "Leo the Lip" and "Lippy", was an American professional baseball player, manager, and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an infielder. Upon his retirement, he ranked fifth all-time among managers with 2,008 career victories, second only to John McGraw in National League history. Durocher still ranks thirteenth in career wins by a manager. A controversial and outspoken character, Durocher's half-century in baseball was dogged by clashes with authority, the baseball commissioner, the press, and umpires; his 100 career ejections as a manager trailed only McGraw when he retired, and he still ranks third on the all-time list. He won three National League pennants and one world championship. In 25 years as a manager, Durocher had only 4 losing seasons.

27/07/1904

Lyudmila Rudenko, Soviet chess player (died 1986)

Lyudmila Vladimirovna Rudenko was a Soviet chess player and the second women's world chess champion, from 1950 until 1953.

27/07/1903

Nikolay Cherkasov, Russian actor (died 1966)

Nikolay Konstantinovich Cherkasov was a Soviet and Russian actor. He was named People's Artist of the USSR in 1947.

Michail Stasinopoulos, Greek jurist and politician, President of Greece (died 2002)

Michail Stasinopoulos was a Greek jurist and politician who served as the President of Greece from 18 December 1974 to 19 July 1975. A member of New Democracy, he was the first officeholder under the Third Hellenic Republic.

Mārtiņš Zīverts, Latvian playwright (died 1990)

Mārtiņš Zīverts was a Latvian playwright.

27/07/1902

Yaroslav Halan, Ukrainian playwright and publicist (died 1949)

Yaroslav Oleksandrovych Halan was a Soviet Ukrainian writer, playwright, and publicist.

27/07/1899

Percy Hornibrook, Australian cricketer (died 1976)

Percival Mitchell Hornibrook was an Australian cricketer who played in six Test matches from 1929 to 1930. He played first-class cricket for Queensland from 1919–20 to 1933–34.

27/07/1896

Robert George, Scottish air marshal and politician, 24th Governor of South Australia (died 1967)

Air Vice Marshal Sir Robert Allingham George, was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force and Governor of South Australia from 23 February 1953 until 7 March 1960. He was born in the County of Ross and Cromarty, Scotland, on 27 July 1896, and educated at Invergordon and Inverness. In May 1927, he married Sybil Elizabeth Baldwin.

Henri Longchambon, French lawyer and politician (died 1969)

Marie François Henri Longchambon was a French scientist and politician known for his work in geology, particularly on clay minerals, and his role in the French Resistance during World War II. He was awarded the Prix Raulin in 1936 for his scientific contributions.

27/07/1894

Mientje Kling, Dutch actress (died 1966)

Mientje Kling was a Dutch theatre and film actress and radio personality.

27/07/1893

Ugo Agostoni, Italian cyclist (died 1941)

Ugo Agostoni was an Italian professional road bicycle racer. Agostoni was professional from 1911 to 1924 during which time he won the Giro dell'Emilia, and a stage in the 1920 Giro d'Italia. Agostoni's greatest win was in Milan–San Remo in 1914. Agostoni died during a surgery in the hospital in Desio. From 1946 onwards, a race has been organized in his honor called the Coppa Ugo Agostoni which has been won by several great cycling champions such as Felice Gimondi, Franco Bitossi, Eddy Merckx, Roger De Vlaeminck, Francesco Moser, Jan Ullrich and Gianni Bugno.

27/07/1891

Jacob van der Hoeden, Dutch-Israeli veterinarian and academic (died 1968)

Jacob van der Hoeden was a Dutch-born Israeli veterinary research scientist.

Ruby McKim, American quilter (died 1976)

Ruby Short McKim was an American quilt designer, entrepreneur, teacher, writer and magazine editor. She developed an early interest in drawing, and graduated from the New York School of Fine and Applied Art in 1912. McKim taught drawing in the Missouri public school system, and became a contributor to The Kansas City Star, from which her quilt works was first published.

27/07/1890

Benjamin Miessner, American radio engineer and inventor (died 1976)

Benjamin Franklin Miessner was an American radio engineer and inventor. He is most known for his electronic organ, electronic piano, and other musical instruments. He was the inventor of the Cat's whisker detector.

Armas Taipale, Finnish discus thrower and shot putter (died 1976)

Armas Rudolf Taipale was a Finnish athlete, who competed at three Olympic Games in 1912, 1920 and 1924 and won two gold medals and a silver medal.

27/07/1889

Vera Karalli, Russian ballerina, choreographer, and actress (died 1972)

Vera Alexeyevna Karalli was a Russian ballet dancer, choreographer and silent film actress during the early years of the 20th century.

27/07/1886

Ernst May, German architect and urban planner (died 1970)

Ernst Georg May was a German architect and city planner.

27/07/1882

Geoffrey de Havilland, English pilot and engineer, founded the de Havilland Aircraft Company (died 1965)

Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, was an English aviation pioneer and aerospace engineer who founded the aircraft company de Havilland. The company produced the Mosquito, which has been considered the most versatile warplane ever built, and his Comet was the first jet airliner to go into production.

27/07/1881

Hans Fischer, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1945)

Hans Fischer was a German organic chemist and the recipient of the 1930 Nobel Prize for Chemistry "for his researches into the constitution of haemin and chlorophyll and especially for his synthesis of haemin."

27/07/1879

Francesco Gaeta, Italian poet (died 1927)

Francesco Gaeta was an Italian poet, writer and a journalist for Italian newspapers.

27/07/1877

Ernő Dohnányi, Hungarian pianist, composer, and conductor (died 1960)

Ernst von Dohnányi was a Hungarian composer, pianist and conductor. He used the German form of his name on most published compositions.

27/07/1872

Stanislav Binički, Serbian composer, conductor, and pedagogue. (died 1942)

Stanislav Binički was a Serbian composer, conductor, and pedagogue. A student of German composer Josef Rheinberger, he became the first director of the Opera Sector of the National Theatre in Belgrade in 1889 and began working with the Belgrade Military Orchestra a decade later. He composed the first Serbian opera, At Dawn, in 1903. In 1911, Binički established the second Serbian Music School. He joined the Serbian Army following the outbreak of World War I and composed one of his most famous works, March on the Drina, following the Serbian victory at the Battle of Cer. He retired as head of the Opera Sector of the National Theatre in 1920 and died in Belgrade in 1942. He is considered one of the leading Serbian composers of the Generation of the 1870s.

27/07/1870

Hilaire Belloc, French-born British writer and historian (died 1953)

Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc was a French-English writer and political activist. Belloc was considered one of the most versatile authors of the 20th century, producing essays on history, politics and economics as well as poetry, travelogues and satire. His Catholicism had a strong effect on his works.

27/07/1867

Enrique Granados, Spanish pianist and composer (died 1916)

Enric Granados i Campiña, born Pantaleón Enrique Joaquín Granados Campiña was a Spanish and Catalan composer and pianist. Along with Isaac Albéniz, Joaquin Malats and other pianists, he was part of the modern Catalan school of piano, initiated by Pere Tintorer.

27/07/1866

António José de Almeida, Portuguese physician and politician, 6th President of Portugal (died 1929)

António José de Almeida was a Portuguese politician who served as the president of Portugal from 1919 to 1923. António José de Almeida also served as prime minister from 1916 to 1917. He was the only president of the First Portuguese Republic to serve the entire term.

27/07/1858

George Lyon, Canadian golfer and cricketer (died 1938)

George Seymour Lyon was a Canadian golfer, an Olympic gold medalist in golf, an eight-time Canadian Amateur Championship winner, and a member of Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. He worked in the insurance industry.

27/07/1857

José Celso Barbosa, Puerto Rican physician, sociologist, and politician (died 1921)

José Celso Barbosa Alcala was a Puerto Rican physician, sociologist and political leader. Known as the father of the statehood movement in Puerto Rico, Barbosa was the first Puerto Rican, and one of the first people of African descent, to earn a medical degree in the United States.

Ernest Alfred Thompson Wallis Budge, English Egyptologist, Orientalist, and philologist (died 1934)

Sir Ernest Alfred Thompson Wallis Budge was an English Egyptologist, Orientalist, and philologist who worked for the British Museum and published numerous works on the ancient Near East. He made numerous trips to Egypt and Anglo-Egyptian Sudan on behalf of the British Museum to buy antiquities, and helped it build its collection of cuneiform tablets, manuscripts, and papyri. He published many books on Egyptology, helping to bring the findings to larger audiences. In 1920, he was knighted for his service to Egyptology and the British Museum.

27/07/1854

Takahashi Korekiyo, Japanese accountant and politician, 20th Prime Minister of Japan (died 1936)

Viscount Takahashi Korekiyo was a Japanese politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1921 to 1922 and Minister of Finance when he was assassinated. He was also a member of the House of Peers and head of the Bank of Japan.

27/07/1853

Vladimir Korolenko, Ukrainian journalist, author, and activist (died 1921)

Vladimir Galaktionovich Korolenko was a Russian writer, journalist and humanitarian of Ukrainian origin. His best-known work includes the short novel The Blind Musician (1886), as well as numerous short stories based upon his experience of exile in Siberia. Korolenko was a strong critic of the Tsarist regime and in his final years of the Bolsheviks.

Elizabeth Plankinton, American philanthropist (died 1923)

Elizabeth Ann or Anne Plankinton was an American philanthropist in the early 20th century, the daughter of Milwaukee businessman John Plankinton. She was also known as "Miss Lizzie" and the people of Milwaukee called Plankinton the "municipal patroness" because of her generosity. She made a large donation that built the first YWCA in Milwaukee. She also purchased an elaborate large-scale pipe organ for the newly constructed city auditorium.

27/07/1848

Loránd Eötvös, Hungarian physicist and politician, Minister of Education of Hungary (died 1919)

Baron Loránd Eötvös de Vásárosnamény, also called Baron Roland von Eötvös in English literature, was a Hungarian physicist. He is remembered today largely for his work on gravitation and surface tension, and the invention of the torsion pendulum.

Friedrich Ernst Dorn, German physicist (died 1916)

Friedrich Ernst Dorn was a German physicist. He is best remembered for his discovery that radium emits a radioactive substance, later named radon.

27/07/1835

Giosuè Carducci, Italian poet and educator, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1907)

Giosuè Alessandro Giuseppe Carducci was an Italian poet, writer, literary critic and teacher. He was noticeably influential, and was regarded as the official national poet of modern Italy. In 1906, he became the first Italian to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. The Swedish Academy awarded him the prize "not only in consideration of his deep learning and critical research, but above all as a tribute to the creative energy, freshness of style, and lyrical force which characterize his poetic masterpieces."

27/07/1834

Miguel Grau Seminario, Peruvian admiral (died 1879)

Miguel María Grau Seminario was a Peruvian Navy officer and politician renowned for his role in the War of the Pacific. He earned the nickname "Gentleman of the Seas" for his kind and chivalrous treatment of defeated enemies and remains highly respected by both Peruvians and Chileans. Grau is an iconic figure for the Peruvian navy, and one of the most famous naval officers from the Americas. He commanded the Peruvian ironclad Huascar during the War of the Pacific. Known for his skillful naval tactics, Grau repeatedly evaded Chilean pursuers and harassed the Chilean coast.

27/07/1833

Thomas George Bonney, English geologist, mountaineer, and academic (died 1923)

Thomas George Bonney was an English geologist, president of the Geological Society of London.

27/07/1824

Alexandre Dumas, fils, French novelist and playwright (died 1895)

Alexandre Dumas fils was a French author and playwright, best known for the romantic novel La Dame aux Camélias, published in 1848, which was adapted into Giuseppe Verdi's 1853 opera La traviata, as well as numerous stage and film productions.

27/07/1818

Agostino Roscelli, Italian priest and saint (died 1902)

Agostino Roscelli, also known as Augustine Roscelli, and Augustin Roscelli, was an Italian priest who inspired social change in Genoa, Italy for children and disadvantaged women. He was canonized a saint in the Catholic Church in 2001 by Pope John Paul II.

27/07/1812

Thomas Lanier Clingman, American general and politician (died 1897)

Thomas Lanier Clingman, known as the "Prince of Politicians," was an American politician who was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1843 to 1845 and from 1847 to 1858, and U.S. senator from the state of North Carolina between 1858 and 1861. During the Civil War, he refused to resign his Senate seat and was one of the many southern senators subsequently expelled from the Senate in absentia. He then served as a general in the Confederate States Army.

27/07/1784

Denis Davydov, Russian general and poet (died 1839)

Denis Vasilyevich Davydov was a Russian soldier-poet of the Napoleonic Wars who invented the genre of hussar poetry, characterised by hedonism and bravado. He used events from his own life to illustrate such poetry. He suggested and successfully pioneered guerrilla warfare in the Patriotic War of 1812 against Napoleon.

27/07/1781

Mauro Giuliani, Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1828)

Mauro Giuseppe Sergio Pantaleo Giuliani was an Italian guitarist, cellist, singer, and composer. He was a leading guitar virtuoso of the early 19th century. One of his best known works is his Grand Overture, which has become standard early Romantic classical guitar repertoire.

27/07/1777

Thomas Campbell, Scottish-French poet and academic (died 1844)

Thomas Campbell was a Scottish poet at the intersection of the neoclassical with the Romantic style of British poetry.

Henry Trevor, 21st Baron Dacre, English general (died 1853)

General Henry Otway Trevor, 21st Baron Dacre, CB was a peer and British Army officer.

27/07/1773

Jacob Aall, Norwegian economist and politician (died 1844)

Jacob Aall was a Norwegian politician, historian, landowner and government economist.

27/07/1768

Charlotte Corday, French assassin of Jean-Paul Marat (died 1793)

Marie-Anne Charlotte de Corday d'Armont, known as Charlotte Corday, was a figure of the French Revolution who assassinated revolutionary and Jacobin leader Jean-Paul Marat on 13 July 1793. Corday was a sympathiser of the Girondins, a moderate faction of French revolutionaries in opposition to the Jacobins. She held Marat responsible for the September Massacres of 1792 and, believing that the Revolution was in jeopardy from the more radical course the Jacobins had taken, she decided to assassinate Marat.

Joseph Anton Koch, Austrian painter (died 1839)

Joseph Anton Koch was an Austrian painter of Neoclassicism and later the German Romantic movement; he is perhaps the most significant neoclassical landscape painter.

27/07/1752

Samuel Smith, American general and politician (died 1839)

Samuel Smith was an American Senator and Representative from Maryland, a mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, and a general in the Maryland militia. He was the older brother of cabinet secretary Robert Smith.

27/07/1741

François-Hippolyte Barthélémon, French-English violinist and composer (died 1808)

François Hippolyte Barthélemon was a French violinist, pedagogue, and composer active in England.

27/07/1740

Jeanne Baré, French explorer (died 1803)

Jeanne Baret was a French explorer, naturalist, and botanist who is recognised as the first woman to have completed a voyage of circumnavigation of the globe, which she did via boat. A key part of her journey was as a member of Louis Antoine de Bougainville's expedition on the ships Boudeuse and Étoile in 1766–1769.

27/07/1733

Jeremiah Dixon, English surveyor and astronomer (died 1779)

Jeremiah Dixon was an English surveyor and astronomer best known for surveying the Mason–Dixon line with Charles Mason from 1763 to 1767. The line came to mark the borders between Maryland, Pennsylvania and Delaware. Dixon's name may be the origin for the nickname Dixie used in reference to the Southern United States.

27/07/1667

Johann Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician and academic (died 1748)

Johann Bernoulli was a Swiss mathematician and was one of the many prominent mathematicians in the Bernoulli family. He is known for his contributions to infinitesimal calculus and educating Leonhard Euler in the pupil's youth.

27/07/1625

Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich (died 1672)

Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich, was an English military officer, politician and diplomat from Barnwell, Northamptonshire. During the First English Civil War he served with the Parliamentarian army, and was a member of the Parliament of England at various times between 1645 and 1660. Under the Protectorate, he was also a member of the English Council of State and General at sea.

27/07/1612

Murad IV, Ottoman Sultan (died 1640)

Murad IV was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1623 to 1640, known both for restoring the authority of the state and for the brutality of his methods. Murad IV was born in Constantinople, the son of Sultan Ahmed I and Kösem Sultan. He was brought to power by a palace conspiracy when he was just 11 years old, and he succeeded his uncle, Mustafa I. Until he assumed absolute power on 18 May 1632, the empire was ruled by his mother, Kösem Sultan, as nāʾib-i salṭanat (regent). His reign is most notable for the Ottoman–Safavid War, of which the outcome would partition the Caucasus between the two Imperial powers for around two centuries, while it also roughly laid the foundation for the current Turkey–Iran–Iraq borders.

27/07/1578

Frances Howard, Duchess of Richmond (died 1639)

Frances Stewart (née Howard), Duchess of Lennox and Richmond, Countess of Hertford was the daughter of a younger son of the Duke of Norfolk. An orphan of small fortune, she rose to be the only duchess at the court of James I of England. She married the son of a London alderman who died in 1599, leaving her a wealthy widow at a young age. She became, for 20 years, the third wife of the ageing Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford, nephew of Jane Seymour, third queen consort of Henry VIII. Within months of Edward's death she married a cousin of James I, Ludovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of Lennox and 1st Duke of Richmond. One of the great beauties of the Jacobean court, she was also the patron of Captain John Smith of the Virginia Colony.

27/07/1502

Francesco Corteccia, Italian composer (died 1571)

Francesco Corteccia was an Italian composer, organist, and teacher of the Renaissance. Not only was he one of the best known of the early composers of madrigals, and an important native Italian composer during a period of domination by composers from the Low Countries, but he was the most prominent musician in Florence for several decades during the reign of Cosimo I de' Medici.

27/07/1452

Ludovico Sforza, Italian son of Francesco I Sforza (died 1508)

Ludovico Maria Sforza, also known as Ludovico il Moro, and called the "arbiter of Italy" by historian Francesco Guicciardini, was an Italian nobleman who ruled as the Duke of Milan from 1494 to 1499.

Lucrezia Crivelli, mistress of Ludovico Sforza (died 1508)

Lucrezia Crivelli (1464-1534), was an Italian noblewoman and lady-in-waiting. She was a mistress of Ludovico Sforza "il Moro", Duke of Milan. She was the mother of Sforza's son, Giovanni Paolo I Sforza, Marquess of Caravaggio. Crivelli has been thought to be the subject of Leonardo da Vinci's painting, La belle ferronnière.

27/07/0774

Kūkai, Japanese Buddhist monk, founder of Esoteric (Shingon) Buddhism (died 835)

Kūkai , born Saeki no Mao posthumously called Kōbō Daishi , was a Japanese Buddhist monk, calligrapher, and poet who founded the esoteric Shingon school of Buddhism. He travelled to China, where he studied Tangmi under the monk Huiguo. Upon returning to Japan, he founded Shingon—the Japanese branch of Vajrayana Buddhism. With the blessing of several Emperors, Kūkai was able to preach Shingon teachings and found Shingon temples. Like other influential monks, Kūkai oversaw public works and constructions. Mount Kōya was chosen by him as a holy site, and he spent his later years there until his death in 835 CE.

Lives Remembered on 27th July

On 27th July, 117 remarkable people passed away — from 903 to 2024. Remember the lives and legacies of those we lost on this day.

27/07/2024

Edna O'Brien, Irish novelist, playwright, poet and short story writer (born 1930)

Josephine Edna O'Brien was an Irish novelist, memoirist, playwright, poet and short-story writer.

Pavel Kushnir, Russian pianist, writer, activist and political prisoner (born 1984)

Pavel Mikhailovich Kushnir was a Russian pianist, writer, and political activist, who became the first political prisoner in modern Russia to die during a hunger strike. Born into a musical family in Tambov, Kushnir displayed exceptional talent as a pianist from an early age, performing at 17 the complete cycle of 24 Preludes and Fugues by Shostakovich. After graduating from the Moscow Conservatory in 2007, he worked as a pianist and accompanist in various Russian cities, eventually becoming a soloist with the Birobidzhan Regional Philharmonia in 2023.

27/07/2022

Tony Dow, American actor, film producer, director, and sculptor (born 1945)

Anthony Lee Dow was an American actor. He portrayed Wally Cleaver in the iconic television sitcom Leave It to Beaver from 1957 to 1963. From 1983 to 1989, Dow reprised his role as Wally in a television movie and in The New Leave It to Beaver.

27/07/2018

Marco Aurelio Denegri, Peruvian literature critic, television host and sexologist

Marco Aurelio Denegri Santa Gadea was a Peruvian intellectual, literary critic, television host and sexologist.

27/07/2017

Sam Shepard, American playwright, actor, author, screenwriter, and director (born 1943)

Samuel Shepard Rogers III was an American playwright, actor, director, screenwriter, author and musician whose career spanned half a century. He wrote 58 plays and several books of short stories, essays, and memoirs. His accolades include the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Drama Desk Award, the PEN/Laura Pels Theater Award, and a record 10 Obie Awards. He was nominated for two Tony Awards, an Academy Award, an Emmy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Golden Globe. He was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1994. The New York magazine described Shepard as "the greatest American playwright of his generation."

27/07/2016

Einojuhani Rautavaara, Finnish composer (born 1928)

Einojuhani Rautavaara was a Finnish composer of classical music. Among the most notable Finnish composers since Jean Sibelius (1865–1957), Rautavaara wrote a great number of works spanning various styles. These include eight symphonies, nine operas and fifteen concertos, as well as numerous vocal and chamber works. Having written early works using 12-tone serial techniques, his later music may be described as neo-romantic and mystical. His major works include his first piano concerto (1969), Cantus Arcticus (1972) and his seventh symphony, Angel of Light (1994).

James Alan McPherson, American short story writer and essayist (born 1943)

James Alan McPherson was an American essayist and short-story writer. He was the first African-American writer to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and was included among the first group of artists who received a MacArthur Fellowship. At the time of his death, McPherson was a professor emeritus of fiction at the Iowa Writers' Workshop.

Jerry Doyle, American actor and talk show host (born 1956)

Jerry Doyle was an American talk radio host, political commentator, television actor and founder of the content platform EpicTimes. His nationally syndicated talk show, The Jerry Doyle Show, aired throughout the United States on Talk Radio Network. As an actor, Doyle was best known as security chief Michael Garibaldi in the science fiction series Babylon 5 (1994–1998).

Piet de Jong, Dutch politician and naval officer, Minister of Defence, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (born 1915)

Petrus Jozef Sietse "Piet" de Jong was a Dutch politician and naval officer who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1967 to 1971. He was a member of the Catholic People's Party (KVP), later merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA).

27/07/2015

Rickey Grundy, American singer-songwriter (born 1959)

Ricky R. Grundy, who went by the stage name Rickey Grundy, was an American gospel musician and leader of The Rickey Grundy Chorale. He started his music career in 1988, with Sparrow Records releasing Spirit Come Down, and they released two albums that placed on the Billboard magazine Gospel Albums chart. Grundy died on July 27, 2015, after a season of health complications.

A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Indian engineer, academic, and politician, 11th President of India (born 1931)

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam was an Indian aerospace scientist and statesman who served as the president of India from 2002 to 2007.

Samuel Pisar, Polish-born American lawyer and author (born 1929)

Samuel Pisar was a Polish-American lawyer, author, and Holocaust survivor.

Anthony Shaw, English general (born 1930)

Major-General Anthony John Shaw was a senior British Army officer, who was Director General of the Army Medical Services from 1988 to 1990.

27/07/2014

Richard Bolt, New Zealand air marshal and pilot (born 1923)

Air Marshal Sir Richard Bruce Bolt, was a bomber pilot in the Second World War and a senior Royal New Zealand Air Force officer in the post-war years. He was Chief of the Air Staff from 1974 to 1976 and Chief of the Defence Staff from 1976 to 1980, when he retired from the military.

George Freese, American baseball player and coach (born 1926)

George Walter Freese was an American third baseman in Major League Baseball. He played for the Detroit Tigers in 1953, Pittsburgh Pirates in 1955 and Chicago Cubs in 1961. Freese attended West Virginia University, where he played college baseball for the Mountaineers in 1947. While at West Virginia he was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity.

Wallace Jones, American basketball player and coach (born 1926)

Wallace Clayton "Wah Wah" Jones was an American professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1949 to 1952 with the Indianapolis Olympians.

Francesco Marchisano, Italian cardinal (born 1929)

Francesco Marchisano was an Italian Cardinal who worked in the Roman Curia from 1956 until his death.

Paul Schell, American lawyer and politician, 50th Mayor of Seattle (born 1937)

Paul Schell was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 50th mayor of Seattle, Washington, from 1998 to 2002.

27/07/2013

Fernando Alonso, Cuban dancer, co-founded the Cuban National Ballet (born 1914)

Fernando Alonso was a Cuban ballet dancer. He is a co-founder of the Cuban National Ballet and was part of the American Ballet Theatre company between 1940 until 1948. He received the Prix Benois de la Danse for lifetime achievement in 2008.

Lindy Boggs, American politician and diplomat, 5th United States Ambassador to the Holy See (born 1916)

Marie Corinne Morrison Claiborne Boggs was a politician who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and later as United States Ambassador to the Holy See. She was the first woman elected to Congress from Louisiana. She was also a permanent chairwoman of the 1976 Democratic National Convention, which met in New York City to nominate the Carter-Mondale ticket. She was the first woman to preside over a major party convention.

Bud Day, American colonel and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (born 1925)

George Everette "Bud" Day was a United States Air Force officer, aviator, and veteran of World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War. He was also a prisoner of war, and recipient of the Medal of Honor and Air Force Cross. As of 2025, he is the only person to be awarded both the Medal of Honor and Air Force Cross. He was posthumously advanced to the rank of brigadier general effective March 27, 2018, as directed by the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act.

Kidd Kraddick, American radio host (born 1959)

David Peter Cradick was an American radio host and television personality, known as Kidd Kraddick. His nationally syndicated morning radio show, The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show, is based in Irving, Texas, and aired throughout the United States, syndicated by Kraddick's company, YEA Media Group. He was also seen on the nationally syndicated Dish Nation television show weeknights around the United States.

Ilya Segalovich, Russian businessman, co-founded Yandex (born 1964)

Ilya Valentinovich Segalovich was a co-founder of Russian company Yandex. He was CTO and director of Yandex since 2000 until his death in 2013. Segalovich proposed the name “Yandex” for the search engine, derived from the idea of “Yet Another iNDEX”.

27/07/2012

Norman Alden, American actor (born 1924)

Norman Alden was an American character actor who performed in television programs and motion pictures. He first appeared on television on The 20th Century Fox Hour in 1957. He provided the voice of Sir Kay in The Sword in the Stone (1963), and had a notable role in I Never Promised You a Rose Garden. His acting career began in 1957 and lasted nearly 50 years. He is also known for playing Kranix in The Transformers: The Movie (1986). He retired from acting in 2006. He died on July 27, 2012, at the age of 87.

R. G. Armstrong, American actor and playwright (born 1917)

Robert Golden Armstrong Jr. was an American character actor and playwright. A veteran performer who appeared in dozens of Westerns during his 40-year career, he may be best remembered for his work with director Sam Peckinpah.

Darryl Cotton, Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (born 1949)

Darryl Grant Cotton was an Australian pop, rock singer-songwriter, television presenter and actor. He was a founding member of Australian rock group Zoot in 1965, with Beeb Birtles, and were later joined by Rick Brewer and Rick Springfield. As a solo artist Cotton released the albums, Best Seat in the House (1980), It's Rock 'n' Good Fun (1984) and Let the Children Sing (1994). In April 1980 his biggest solo hit, "Same Old Girl", which was co-written by Cotton, peaked at No. 6 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart. He acted in the TV soap opera, The Young Doctors (1979), and on stage as Joseph in the theatre production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (1983).

Geoffrey Hughes, English actor (born 1944)

Geoffrey William Hughes DL was an English actor. Hughes provided the voice of Paul McCartney in the animated film Yellow Submarine (1968), and rose to fame for portraying bin man Eddie Yeats in the long-running British soap opera Coronation Street from 1974 to 1983, making a return to the show in 1987. He is well known for playing loveable slob Onslow in the British sitcom Keeping Up Appearances (1990–1995) and "Twiggy" in the sitcom The Royle Family, playing the part from 1998 to 2008.

Tony Martin, American actor and singer (born 1913)

Alvin Morris, known professionally as Tony Martin, was an American actor and singer of popular music.

Jack Taylor, English footballer and referee (born 1930)

John Keith Taylor was an English football referee. Later described by the Football League as "perhaps the finest English referee of all time", Taylor was famous for officiating in the 1974 FIFA World Cup Final during which he awarded two penalties in the first 30 minutes. The first of these penalties, awarded after just a minute of play, was the first penalty kick awarded in a World Cup final.

27/07/2010

Maury Chaykin, American-Canadian actor (born 1949)

Maury Alan Chaykin was an American-Canadian actor. Described as "one of the most recognizable faces in Canadian cinema," he was best known for his portrayal of Rex Stout's detective Nero Wolfe on the television series A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001–2002), as well as for his work as a character actor in many films and television programs.

Jack Tatum, American football player (born 1948)

John David Tatum was an American professional football safety who played 10 seasons from 1971 through 1980 with the Oakland Raiders and the Houston Oilers in the National Football League (NFL). He was popularly nicknamed as "the Assassin" because of his playing style. Tatum was voted to three consecutive Pro Bowls (1973–1975) and played on one Super Bowl-winning team in nine seasons with the Raiders. He is also known for a hit he made against New England Patriots wide receiver Darryl Stingley in a 1978 preseason game that paralyzed Stingley from the neck down. He won a national championship at Ohio State.

27/07/2008

Youssef Chahine, Egyptian director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1926)

Youssef Chahine was an Egyptian film director. He was active in the Egyptian film industry from 1950 until his death in 2008. He directed twelve films included in a list of Top 100 Egyptian films published by the Cairo International Film Festival. As a winner of the Cannes 50th Anniversary Award, Chahine was credited with launching the career of actor Omar Sharif. A well-regarded director with critics, he was often present at film festivals during the earlier decades of his work. Chahine gained his largest international audience as one of the co-directors of 11'9"01 September 11 (2002).

Horst Stein, German-born Swiss conductor (born 1928)

Horst Walter Stein was a German conductor.

Isaac Saba Raffoul, Mexican businessman (born 1923)

Isaac Saba Raffoul was a Mexican businessman of Syrian Jewish descent; his father emigrated from Aleppo, Syria to Veracruz, Mexico where he started a rag business which the family built on. Isaac Saba Raffoul was one of the wealthiest persons in the world according to Forbes magazine, with a net worth of $2.1 billion. He had been married to wife Rebecca for over 40 years and had three sons: Moises, Manuel and Alberto.

27/07/2007

James Oyebola, Nigerian-English boxer (born 1961)

James Oyebola was a Nigerian and British heavyweight boxer who won a bronze medal at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in the super heavyweight division. Oyebola was the British heavyweight champion from 1994 to 1996.

27/07/2006

Maryann Mahaffey, American academic and politician (born 1925)

Maryann Mahaffey was an American politician and activist.

27/07/2005

Al Held, American painter and academic (born 1928)

Al Held was an American Abstract expressionist painter. He was particularly well known for his large scale Hard-edge paintings. As an artist, multiple stylistic changes occurred throughout his career, however, none of these occurred at the same time as any popular emerging style or acted against a particular art form. In the 1950s his style reflected the abstract expressionist tone and then transitioned to a geometric style in the 1960s. During the 1980s, there was a shift into painting that emphasized bright geometric space the deepness of which reflected infinity. From 1963 to 1980 he was a professor of art at Yale University.

Marten Toonder, Dutch author and illustrator (born 1912)

Marten Toonder was a Dutch comic strip creator. He was probably the most successful comic artist in the Netherlands and had a great influence on the Dutch language by introducing new words and expressions. He is most famous for his series Tom Puss and Panda.

27/07/2003

Vance Hartke, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician (born 1919)

Rupert Vance Hartke was an American politician who served as a Democratic United States senator from Indiana from 1959 until 1977. Hartke was elected to the Senate after serving as the mayor of Evansville, Indiana. In the Senate, he supported the Great Society and became a prominent opponent of the Vietnam War. Hartke ran for president in the 1972 Democratic primaries but withdrew after the first set of primaries. He left the Senate after losing his 1976 reelection campaign to Richard Lugar.

Bob Hope, English-American actor, comedian, television personality, and businessman (born 1903)

Lester Townes "Bob" Hope was a British-born American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, starring in 54, including a series of seven Road to ... musical comedy films with Bing Crosby as his partner. He reached his 100th birthday 59 days before he died in 2003.

27/07/2001

Rhonda Sing, Canadian wrestler (born 1961)

Rhonda Ann Sing was a Canadian professional wrestler. After training with Mildred Burke, she wrestled in All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling under the ring name Monster Ripper. In 1987, she returned to Canada and began working with Stampede Wrestling, where she was their first Stampede Women's Champion. In 1995, she worked in the World Wrestling Federation as the comedic character Bertha Faye, winning the WWF Women's Championship. She also wrestled in World Championship Wrestling to help generate interest in their women's division.

Leon Wilkeson, American bass player and songwriter (born 1952)

Leon Russell Wilkeson was an American musician. He was the bassist of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1972 until his death in 2001.

27/07/2000

Gordon Solie, American sportscaster (born 1929)

Gordon Solie was an American professional wrestling play-by-play announcer. He is best known for working for Georgia Championship Wrestling, Championship Wrestling from Florida, USA Championship Wrestling, Continental Championship Wrestling, and World Championship Wrestling. He is regarded by many as one of the greatest and most influential wrestling announcers.

27/07/1999

Aleksandr Danilovich Aleksandrov, Russian mathematician, physicist, and mountaineer (born 1912)

Aleksandr Danilovich Aleksandrov was a Soviet and Russian mathematician, physicist, philosopher and mountaineer.

Harry Edison, American trumpet player (born 1915)

Harry "Sweets" Edison was an American jazz trumpeter and a member of the Count Basie Orchestra. His most important contribution was as a Hollywood studio musician, whose muted trumpet can be heard backing singers, most notably Frank Sinatra.

27/07/1998

Binnie Barnes, English-American actress (born 1903)

Gertrude Maud Barnes, known professionally as Binnie Barnes, was an English actress whose career in films spanned from 1923 to 1973. She was known as a leading lady in films such as The Private Life of Henry VIII, The Last of the Mohicans, and In Old California.

27/07/1995

Melih Esenbel, Turkish politician and diplomat, 20th Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs (born 1915)

Melih Rauf Esenbel was a Turkish diplomat and former Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Rick Ferrell, American baseball player and coach (born 1905)

Richard Benjamin Ferrell was an American professional baseball player, coach, scout, and executive. He played for 18 seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1929 through 1947 for the St. Louis Browns, Boston Red Sox, and Washington Senators. His brother, Wes Ferrell, was a major league pitcher for 15 seasons, and they were teammates from 1933 through part of 1938 on the Red Sox and Senators. Following his three seasons in minor league baseball, he appealed to the Commissioner of Baseball to become a free agent, claiming that he was being held in the minors though he deserved promotion. The Commissioner agreed, and he was granted free agency; he signed with the St. Louis Browns.

Miklós Rózsa, Hungarian-American composer and conductor (born 1907)

Miklós Rózsa was a Hungarian-American composer trained in Germany (1925–1931) and active in France (1931–1935), the United Kingdom (1935–1940), and the United States (1940–1995), with extensive sojourns in Italy from 1953 onward. Best known for his nearly one hundred film scores, he nevertheless maintained a steadfast allegiance to absolute concert music throughout what he called his "double life".

27/07/1994

Kevin Carter, South African photographer and journalist (born 1960)

Kevin Carter was a South African photojournalist and member of the Bang-Bang Club. He was the recipient in 1994 of a Pulitzer Prize for his photograph depicting the 1993 famine in Sudan; he died by suicide less than four months afterwards, at the age of 33. His story is depicted in the book The Bang-Bang Club, written by Greg Marinovich and João Silva and published in 2000.

27/07/1993

Reggie Lewis, American basketball player (born 1965)

Reginald C. Lewis was an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's Boston Celtics from 1987 to 1993. Lewis died at the age of 27, and his number was posthumously retired by the team.

27/07/1992

Max Dupain, Australian photographer and educator (born 1911)

Maxwell Spencer Dupain AC OBE was an Australian modernist photographer.

Tzeni Karezi, Greek actress and screenwriter

Tzeni Karezi also known as Jenny Karezi, was a Greek film and stage actress.

27/07/1991

John Friedrich, German-Australian engineer and conman (born 1950)

Johann Friedrich Hohenberger OAM, also known as John Friedrich, was executive director of the National Safety Council of Australia during the 1980s. He was the subject of Victoria's biggest fraud case and known as "Australia's greatest conman".

27/07/1990

Bobby Day, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (born 1928)

Robert James Byrd, known by the stage name Bobby Day, was an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, music producer, and songwriter. He is best known for his hit record "Rockin' Robin", written by Leon René under the pseudonym Jimmie Thomas. Day also wrote the top-10 Billboard hits "Little Bitty Pretty One" and "Over and Over".

René Toribio, Guadeloupean politician (born 1912)

René Toribio was a French politician and was a member of the French Senate representing Guadeloupe from 1959 to 1968.

27/07/1988

Frank Zamboni, American inventor and businessman, founded the Zamboni Company (born 1901)

Frank Joseph Zamboni Jr. was an American businessman and inventor whose most famous invention is the modern ice resurfacer, with his surname being registered as a trademark for these devices.

27/07/1987

Travis Jackson, American baseball player, coach, and manager (born 1903)

Travis Calvin Jackson was an American baseball shortstop. In Major League Baseball (MLB), Jackson played for the New York Giants from 1922 through 1936, winning the 1933 World Series, and representing the Giants in the MLB All-Star Game in 1934. After his retirement as a player, Jackson managed in minor league baseball through to the 1960 season.

27/07/1985

Smoky Joe Wood, American baseball player and coach (born 1889)

Howard Ellsworth "Smoky Joe" Wood was an American professional baseball player for 14 years. He played for the Boston Red Sox from 1908 to 1915, where he was primarily a pitcher, and for the Cleveland Indians from 1917 to 1922, where he was primarily an outfielder. Wood is one of only 13 pitchers to win 30 or more games in one season since 1900.

27/07/1984

James Mason, English actor (born 1909)

James Neville Mason was an English actor. He achieved considerable success in British cinema before becoming a star in Hollywood. He was nominated for three Academy Awards, three Golden Globes and two BAFTA Awards in his career.

27/07/1981

William Wyler, American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1902)

William Wyler was a German-born American film director and producer. Known for his work in numerous genres over five decades, he received numerous accolades, including the most nominations for the Academy Award for Best Director (12). In addition to three Academy Awards, he also received two BAFTA Awards and one Golden Globe Award. For his oeuvre of work, Wyler was awarded the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, the Directors Guild of America Lifetime Achievement Award, and the American Film Institute Life Achievement Award.

Elizabeth Rona, Hungarian American nuclear chemist (born 1890)

Elizabeth Rona was a Hungarian nuclear chemist, known for her work with radioactive isotopes. After developing an enhanced method of preparing polonium samples, she was recognized internationally as the leading expert in isotope separation and polonium preparation. Between 1914 and 1918, during her postdoctoral study with George de Hevesy, she developed a theory that the velocity of diffusion depended on the mass of the nuclides. As only a few atomic elements had been identified, her confirmation of the existence of "Uranium-Y" was a major contribution to nuclear chemistry. She was awarded the Haitinger Prize by the Austrian Academy of Sciences in 1933.

27/07/1980

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Iranian Shah (born 1919)

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was the last Shah of Iran from 1941 to 1979. He succeeded his father Reza Shah and ruled the Imperial State of Iran until he was overthrown in the Islamic Revolution led by Ruhollah Khomeini, which abolished the Iranian monarchy to establish the Islamic Republic of Iran. In 1967, he took the title Shahanshah, and held several others, including Aryamehr and Bozorg Arteshtaran. He was the second and last ruling monarch of the Pahlavi dynasty.

Rushdy Abaza, Egyptian actor (born 1926)

Rushdy Saeed Baghdadi Abaza was an Egyptian film and television actor. He was considered one of the most charming actors in the Egyptian film industry and is one of the most famous. He died of brain cancer at the age of 53.

27/07/1978

Bob Heffron, New Zealand-Australian miner and politician, 30th Premier of New South Wales (born 1890)

Robert James Heffron, also known as Bob Heffron or R. J. Heffron, was a long-serving New South Wales politician, union organiser and Australian Labor Party (ALP) Premier of New South Wales from 1959 to 1964. Born in New Zealand, Heffron became involved in various Socialist and labour movements in New Zealand and later Australia before joining the Australian Labor Party. A prominent unionist organiser, he was gaoled for "conspiracy to strike action". He was later elected to the Parliament of New South Wales for Botany in 1930. However his disputes with party leader Jack Lang led to his expulsion from the ALP in 1936 and Heffron formed his own party from disgruntled Labor MPs known as the Industrial Labor Party. The success of his party enabled his readmission to the party and his prominence in a post-Lang NSW Branch which won office in 1941.

Willem van Otterloo, Dutch cellist, composer, and conductor (born 1907)

Jan Willem van Otterloo was a Dutch conductor, cellist and composer.

27/07/1975

Alfred Duraiappah, Sri Lankan Tamil lawyer and politician (born 1926)

Alfred Thangarajah Duraiappah was a Sri Lankan lawyer who served as Mayor of Jaffna from 1970 until his assassination. He was also a Member of Parliament for Jaffna from 1960 to 1965. Duraiappah was killed by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Kristian Welhaven, Norwegian police officer (born 1883)

Kristian Welhaven was a Norwegian police officer. He was chief of police of Oslo for 27 years, from 1927 to 1954. He was a leading force in establishing an organized Norwegian intelligence service before World War II, and in re-establishing it after the war. During the war years Welhaven was arrested by the Germans and imprisoned in both Norway and Germany, before spending the remainder of the war as a civilian internee in Bavaria.

27/07/1971

Charlie Tully, Irish footballer and manager (born 1924)

Charles Patrick Tully was a Northern Irish football player and manager who played for Celtic.

27/07/1970

António de Oliveira Salazar, Portuguese economist and politician, 100th Prime Minister of Portugal (born 1889)

António de Oliveira Salazar was a Portuguese dictator, academic, and economist who served as President of the Council of Ministers of Portugal from 1932 to 1968. Having come to power under the Ditadura Nacional, he reframed the regime as the corporatist Estado Novo, with himself as dictator. The regime he created lasted until 1974, making it one of the longest-lived authoritarian dictatorships in modern Europe.

27/07/1968

Babe Adams, American baseball player and manager (born 1882)

Charles Benjamin "Babe" Adams was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1906 to 1926 who spent nearly his entire career with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Noted for his outstanding control, his career average of 1.29 walks per 9 innings pitched was the second lowest of the 20th century; his 1920 mark of 1 walk per 14.6 innings was a modern record until 2005. He shares the Pirates' franchise record for career victories by a right-hander (194), and holds the team mark for career shutouts (47); from 1926 to 1962, he held the team record for career games pitched (481).

27/07/1967

Tone Peruško, Croatian educator and social worker (born 1905)

Tone Peruško, was a Croatian educator, social worker and writer.

27/07/1965

Daniel-Rops, French historian and author (born 1901)

Henri Jules Charles Petiot, known by the pen name Henri Daniel-Rops, was a French Catholic writer and historian.

27/07/1964

Winifred Lenihan, American actress, writer, and director (born 1898)

Winifred Lenihan was an American actress, writer, and director. She studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts before making her debut in 1918. Although she portrayed the would-be eloper Anne in The Dover Road (1921), Anne Hathaway in Will Shakespeare (1923), and the resourceful Mary Todd in White Wings (1926), she is recalled mostly as Joan of Arc in the original American production of Saint Joan (1923).

27/07/1963

Hooks Dauss, American baseball player (born 1889)

George August "Hooks" Dauss was an American professional baseball player from 1909 to 1926. He played 15 seasons of Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher for the Detroit Tigers from 1912 to 1926. He was given the nickname "Hooks", because his curveball was hard to hit. He compiled a career record of 223–182 with a 3.30 earned run average (ERA). His best years were 1915 when he had a 24–13 record, 1919 with a 21–9 record, and 1923 with a 21–13 record. Dauss's 223 wins are still the most for a pitcher in Tigers franchise history, and he is one of only 14 pitchers to record at least 200 wins all with one team.

Garrett Morgan, American inventor (born 1877)

Garrett Augustus Morgan Sr. was an American inventor, businessman, and community leader. His most notable inventions were a protective 'smoke hood' that he notably used in a 1916 tunnel construction disaster rescue, a type of three-way traffic light invented in 1923, a hair-straightening cream, and other hair-care products. Morgan created a successful company called "G. A. Morgan Hair Refining Company" based on his hair product inventions. He was involved in African Americans' civic and political advancement, especially in and around Cleveland, Ohio.

27/07/1962

Richard Aldington, English poet and author (born 1892)

Richard Aldington was an English writer and poet. He was an early associate of the Imagist movement. His 50-year writing career produced "143 separate titles, including poetry, literary criticism, fiction, essays, anthologies, biographies, translations, and introductions. In addition, he published reviews of over 1,350 separate books, published hundreds of other articles, and wrote an immense quantity of letters, of which approximately 8,000 have been located since his death." He edited The Egoist, a literary journal, and wrote for The Times Literary Supplement, Vogue, The Criterion, and Poetry. His biography, Wellington (1946), won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize.

James H. Kindelberger, American pilot and businessman (born 1895)

James Howard "Dutch" Kindelberger was an American aviation pioneer. He led North American Aviation from 1934 until 1960. An extroverted character, Kindelberger was famed for his emphasis on hard work, orderliness and punctuality.

27/07/1960

Julie Vinter Hansen, Danish-Swiss astronomer and academic (born 1890)

Julie Marie Vinter Hansen was a Danish astronomer. She was the first woman in Denmark to earn an academic degree in astronomy.

27/07/1958

Claire Lee Chennault, American general and pilot (born 1893)

Claire Lee Chennault was an American military aviator best known for his leadership of the "Flying Tigers" and the Chinese Nationalist Air Force in World War II.

27/07/1951

Paul Kogerman, Estonian chemist and politician, 22nd Estonian Minister of Education (born 1891)

Paul Nikolai Kogerman was an Estonian chemist and founder of modern research in oil shale.

27/07/1948

Woolf Barnato, English race car driver and businessman (born 1898)

Joel Woolf Barnato was a British financier and racing driver, one of the "Bentley Boys" of the 1920s. He achieved three consecutive wins out of three entries in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

Joe Tinker, American baseball player and manager (born 1880)

Joseph Bert Tinker was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played from 1902 through 1916 for the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Chicago Whales of the Federal League.

27/07/1946

Gertrude Stein, American novelist, poet, and playwright (born 1874)

Gertrude Stein was an American novelist, poet, playwright, and art collector. Born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, and raised in Oakland, California, Stein moved to Paris in 1903, and made France her home for the remainder of her life. She hosted a Paris salon, where the leading figures of modernism in literature and art, such as Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Sinclair Lewis, Ezra Pound, Sherwood Anderson and Henri Matisse, would meet.

27/07/1942

Karl Pärsimägi, Estonian painter (born 1902)

Karl Pärsimägi was an Estonian Fauvist painter. He was murdered in Auschwitz concentration camp after being arrested in Paris.

Hermann Brauneck, German physician and SA general (born 1894)

Hermann Max-Gustav Brauneck was a German naval officer, physician and member of the paramilitary Sturmabteilung who rose to the rank of SA-Obergruppenführer. He held several high-level medical staff positions in the Supreme SA Leadership (OSAF) and in the Nazi Party. He was involved in administering the Nazi racial policies and served as a judge on the Hereditary Health Court, deciding whether people considered to have genetic disorders should be forcibly sterilized. Serving as a military doctor in the Kriegsmarine during the Second World War, he was killed in a Russian airstrike on the eastern front.

27/07/1941

Alfred Henry O'Keeffe, New Zealand painter and educator (born 1858)

Alfred Henry O'Keeffe, was a New Zealand artist and art teacher, who spent the majority of his life in Dunedin. During the first quarter of the twentieth century, he was one of the few New Zealand artists to engage with new ideas while staying in New Zealand. At this time most adventurous New Zealand painters, such as Frances Hodgkins, went overseas. He has sometimes been described as a Vasari - a recorder of artists and their doings - based upon his published recollections, which are the only first hand published account of that milieu.

27/07/1938

Tom Crean, Irish seaman and explorer (born 1877)

Thomas Crean was an Irish seaman and Antarctic explorer who was awarded the Albert Medal for Lifesaving (AM).

27/07/1931

Auguste Forel, Swiss neuroanatomist and psychiatrist (born 1848)

Auguste-Henri Forel was a Swiss myrmecologist, neuroanatomist, psychiatrist and former eugenicist, notable for his investigations into the structure of the human brain and that of ants. He is considered a co-founder of the neuron theory. Forel is also known for his early contributions to sexology and psychology. From 1978 until 2000 Forel's image appeared on the 1000 Swiss franc banknote.

27/07/1924

Ferruccio Busoni, Italian pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1866)

Ferruccio Dante Michelangiolo Benvenuto Busoni was an Italian composer, pianist, conductor, editor, writer, and teacher. His international career and reputation led him to work closely with many of the leading musicians, artists and literary figures of his time, and he was a sought-after keyboard instructor and a teacher of composition.

27/07/1921

Myrddin Fardd, Welsh writer and antiquarian scholar (born 1836)

John Jones, better known under his nom de plume Myrddin Fardd, was a Welsh writer and antiquarian scholar born at Tan-y-Ffordd in the village of Mynytho, Llangian, Caernarfonshire. He was a translator and a collector of folklore.

27/07/1917

Emil Theodor Kocher, Swiss physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1841)

Emil Theodor Kocher was a Swiss physician and medical researcher who received the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work in the physiology, pathology and surgery of the thyroid. Among his many accomplishments are the introduction and promotion of aseptic surgery and scientific methods in surgery, specifically reducing the mortality of thyroidectomies below 1% in his operations.

27/07/1916

Charles Fryatt, English captain (born 1872)

Charles Algernon Fryatt was a British merchant seaman who was court martialled by the Imperial German Navy for attempting to ram a German U-boat in 1915. When his ship, the SS Brussels, was captured by the Germans off occupied Belgium in 1916, Captain Fryatt was court-martialled under German military law and sentenced to death for "illegal civilian warfare". He was executed by firing squad near Bruges, Belgium. In 1919, his body was reburied with honours in the United Kingdom.

William Jonas, English footballer (born 1890)

William Jonas, usually known as Billy or Willie, was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Clapton Orient.

27/07/1883

Montgomery Blair, American lieutenant and politician, 20th United States Postmaster General (born 1813)

Montgomery Blair was an American politician and lawyer from Maryland. He served in the Lincoln administration cabinet as Postmaster-General from 1861 to 1864, during the Civil War. He was the son of Francis Preston Blair, elder brother of Francis Preston Blair Jr. and cousin of B. Gratz Brown.

27/07/1876

Albertus van Raalte, Dutch-born American minister and author (born 1811)

Albertus Christiaan van Raalte was a Dutch Reformed clergyman who moved to the United States with a group of Dutch emigrants and founded the city of Holland, Michigan, in 1846. In 1851, he was involved in founding the school that would become Hope College.

27/07/1875

Aleksander Kunileid, Estonian composer and educator (born 1845)

Aleksander Kunileid, was an Estonian composer. He is one of the founding figures of Estonian choral music.

27/07/1865

Jean-Joseph Dassy, French painter and lithographer (born 1791)

Jean-Joseph Dassy, a French historical and portrait painter, and lithographer, was born at Marseilles on 27 December 1791, and died in the same city on 27 July 1865.

27/07/1863

William Lowndes Yancey, American journalist and politician (born 1813)

William Lowndes Yancey was an American politician in the Antebellum South. As an influential "Fire-Eater", he defended slavery and urged Southerners to secede from the Union in response to Northern antislavery agitation.

27/07/1844

John Dalton, English physicist, meteorologist, and chemist (born 1776)

John Dalton was an English chemist, physicist, and meteorologist whose work laid the foundations of modern atomic theory and stoichiometric chemistry. Building on earlier ideas about the indivisibility of matter and his own precise measurements of combining ratios, Dalton proposed that each chemical element consists of identical atoms of characteristic weight, and that compounds are formed when atoms of different elements combine in fixed whole-number proportions. His A New System of Chemical Philosophy (1808) presented a coherent atomic model, supplied relative atomic weights and symbolic notation, and established the quantitative framework that shaped nineteenth-century chemistry and remains the basis of modern chemical thought.

27/07/1841

Mikhail Lermontov, Russian poet and painter (born 1814)

Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov was a Russian Romantic writer, poet and painter, sometimes called "the poet of the Caucasus", the most important Russian poet after Alexander Pushkin's death in 1837 and the greatest figure in Russian Romanticism. His influence on Russian literature is felt in modern times, through his poetry, but also his prose, which founded the tradition of the Russian psychological novel.

27/07/1770

Robert Dinwiddie, Scottish merchant and politician, Colonial Governor of Virginia (born 1693)

Robert Dinwiddie was a Scottish colonial administrator who served as the lieutenant governor of Virginia from 1751 to 1758. Since the governors of Virginia remained in Great Britain, he served as the de facto head of the colony of Virginia. Dinwiddie is credited for starting the military career of George Washington.

27/07/1759

Pierre Louis Maupertuis, French mathematician and philosopher (born 1698)

Pierre Louis Moreau de Maupertuis was a French mathematician, philosopher and man of letters. He became the director of the Académie des Sciences and the first president of the Prussian Academy of Science, at the invitation of Frederick the Great.

27/07/1689

John Graham, 1st Viscount Dundee, Scottish general (born c. 1648)

Major-General John Graham of Claverhouse, 1st Viscount Dundee was a Scottish army officer. A Tory and Episcopalian, he was responsible for policing southwest Scotland to suppress religious unrest and rebellion of Covenanters during the late 17th century. His allegedly brutal conduct during this period led him to be nicknamed "Bluidy Clavers".

27/07/1675

Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne, Vicomte de Turenne, French general (born 1611)

Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, vicomte de Turenne, commonly known as Turenne, was a French general and one of only six marshals to have been promoted Marshal General of France. The most illustrious member of the La Tour d'Auvergne family, his military exploits over his five-decade career earned him a reputation as one of the greatest military commanders in history.

27/07/1656

Salomo Glassius, German theologian and critic (born 1593)

Salomo Glassius was a German theologian and biblical critic born at Sondershausen, in the principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen.

27/07/1469

William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (born 1423)

William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke KG, known as "Black William", was a Welsh nobleman, soldier, politician, and courtier.

27/07/1382

Joanna I of Naples (born 1326)

Joanna I of Naples, also known as Johanna I, was Queen of Naples, and Countess of Provence and Forcalquier from 1343 to 1381; she was also Princess of Achaea from 1373 to 1381.

27/07/1365

Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria (born 1339)

Rudolf IV, also called Rudolf the Founder, was a scion of the House of Habsburg who ruled as duke of Austria, Styria and Carinthia from 1358, as well as count of Tyrol from 1363 and as the first duke of Carniola from 1364 until his death. He succeeded his father Albert II, Duke of Austria, who was not included among the seven imperial prince-electors by the Golden Bull of 1356. In order to acquire titles and honors higher than ducal, Rudolf commissioned the "Privilegium Maius", a forged document accompanied by several other forgeries, that were divised in order to elevate Austrian dukes to various titles, rights and privileges. The Emperor Charles IV refused to recognize and confirm the validity of those claims, but in spite of that, Rudolf started to use the archducal title by the middle of 1359, and continued to assert those claims until his death.

27/07/1276

James I of Aragon (born 1208)

James I the Conqueror was King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276; King of Majorca from 1231 to 1276; and King of Valencia from 1238 to 1276. His long reign of 62 years is not only the longest of any Iberian monarch, but one of the longest monarchical reigns in history, ahead of Hirohito of Japan but remaining behind Elizabeth II of Britain, Queen Victoria of Britain, Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies, Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, and King Louis XIV of France.

27/07/1158

Geoffrey VI, Count of Anjou (born 1134)

Geoffrey VI was Count of Nantes from 1156 to 1158. He was also known as Geoffrey of Anjou and Geoffrey FitzEmpress. He was the son of Geoffrey Plantagenet and Empress Matilda. His brothers were Henry II of England and William FitzEmpress.

27/07/1144

Salomea of Berg, High Duchess consort of Poland

Salomea of Berg was a noblewoman of Berg and, by marriage with Prince Bolesław III Wrymouth in 1115, High Duchess of Poland until her husband's death in 1138.

27/07/1101

Conrad II, king of Italy (born 1074)

Conrad II of Italy, also known as Conrad (III) (12 February 1074 – 27 July 1101), was the Duke of Lower Lorraine (1076–1087), King of Germany (1087–1098) and King of Italy (1093–1098). He was the second son of Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV and Bertha of Savoy, and their eldest son to reach adulthood, his older brother Henry having been born and died in the same month of August 1071. Conrad's rule in Lorraine and Germany was nominal. He spent most of his life in Italy and there he was king in fact as well as in name.

Hugh d'Avranches, Earl of Chester (born c. 1047)

Hugh d'Avranches, nicknamed le Gros or Lupus, was from 1071 the second Norman Earl of Chester and one of the great magnates of early Norman England.

27/07/1061

Nicholas II, pope of the Catholic Church

Pope Nicholas II, otherwise known as Gerard of Burgundy, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 January 1059 until his death in 27 July 1061. At the time of his election, he was bishop of Florence. During his Papacy, Nicholas II successfully expanded the influence of the papacy in Milan and southern Italy. He was also responsible for passing papal election reforms, the most significant of which restricted the deliberation of candidates to the Cardinal Bishops, thus beginning the process of removing the lesser clergy, religious and nobility of the City from the process.

27/07/0959

Chai Rong, emperor of Later Zhou

Chai Rong, later known as Guo Rong (郭榮), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou, was the second emperor of the Later Zhou dynasty of China, during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. He reigned from 954 until his death in 959. He succeeded his uncle-in-law Guo Wei, whose surname he had adopted.

27/07/0903

Abdallah II of Ifriqiya, Aghlabid emir

Abu 'l-Abbas Abdallah II was the Emir of Ifriqiya from 902 to 903.

Celebrations & Special Days Worldwide on 27th July

Christian feast day: Arethas (Western Christianity)

Arethas or Aretas, also known as Ḥārith ibn Kaʿb, was the leader of the Miaphysite Christian community of Najran in the early 6th century; he was executed during the persecution of Christians by the king of Yemen, Dhu Nuwas, in 523. News of this tragic story among the rest of the Christian persecutions quickly spread the surrounding areas until it reached the ears of Emperor Justin I of the Byzantine Empire and the Christian Kingdom of Aksum in Ethiopia, who sent in troops to depose Dhu Nuwas and end the persecution.

Christian feast day: Aurelius and Natalia and companions of the Martyrs of Córdoba.

Aurelius and Natalia were a married Christian couple who were executed by Abd ar-Rahman II, the Emir of Córdoba for refusing to renounce their faith. They are considered martyrs and saints by the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Christian feast day: Maurus, Pantalemon, and Sergius

Maurus, Pantelemon and Sergius are 2nd century Christian martyrs venerated at Bisceglie on the Adriatic. Tradition holds that Maurus was from Bethlehem and was sent to be the first bishop of Bisceglie by Peter. They were killed during the persecutions of Christians under the Roman emperor Trajan.

Christian feast day: Pantaleon

Saint Pantaleon, counted in Western Christianity as among the Fourteen Holy Helpers of the Late Middle Ages, and in Eastern Christianity as one of the Holy Unmercenary Healers, was a martyr of Nicomedia in Bithynia during the Diocletianic Persecution of 305 AD.

Christian feast day: Seven Sleepers of Ephesus (Roman Martyrology) National Sleepy Head Day (Finland)

National Sleepy Head Day is a yearly celebration in Finland observed 27 July. This holiday is related to the legend of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus, but rather than a religious festival, it is more of an informal celebration. The tradition of the Sleepy Head Day traces back to the Middle Ages, when the belief was that the person in the household who slept late on this day would be lazy and non-productive for the rest of the year. In the old days, the last person sleeping in the house could be woken up by using water, either by being thrown into a lake or the sea, or by having water thrown on them.

Christian feast day: Theobald of Marly

Theobald of Marly was a French abbot and saint. He was born at the castle of Marly, Montmorency, and was trained as a knight. He served as a knight at the court of Philip Augustus, though he later entered the Cistercian monastery of Vaux-de-Cernay in 1220. He was elected prior in 1230 and ninth abbot in 1235.

Christian feast day: Titus Brandsma, O.Carm.

Titus Brandsma was a Dutch Carmelite priest and a professor of philosophy. Brandsma was vehemently opposed to Nazi ideology and spoke out against it many times before World War II. He was imprisoned at the Dachau concentration camp, where he was murdered in 1942.

Christian feast day: July 27 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

July 26 - Eastern Orthodox Church calendar - July 28

Day of Victory in the Great Fatherland Liberation War (North Korea)

The Day of Victory in the Great Fatherland Liberation War is a national holiday in North Korea celebrated on July 27 to mark the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement which brought a cease fire to the Fatherland Liberation War that took place in 1950–53; it is referred to as "Victory Day" as a form of government propaganda to boost the morale of the army and the people, despite the fact that the war is generally regarded as having ended in a stalemate. On this day ceremonies are held at the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Memorial.

Iglesia ni Cristo Day (the Philippines)

Public holidays in the Philippines are of two types: regular holidays and special non-working days.

José Celso Barbosa Day (Puerto Rico)

Puerto Rico celebrates all official U.S. holidays, and other official holidays established by the Commonwealth government. Additionally, many municipalities celebrate their own Patron Saint Festivals, as well as festivals honoring cultural icons like bomba y plena, danza, salsa, hamacas (hammocks), and popular crops such as plantains and coffee.

Medical Workers Day (Ukraine)

Medical Workers Day is a professional holiday for healthcare workers in Ukraine. According to Decree of the President of Ukraine of June 13, 2023, No. 327/2023 "On Medical Workers Day", it is celebrated annually on July 27.

Martyrs and Wounded Soldiers Day (Vietnam)

Public holidays in Vietnam are days when workers get the day off work. Prior to 2007, Vietnamese workers observed 8 days of public holiday a year, among the lowest in the region. On 28 March 2007 the government added the traditional holiday commemorating the mythical Hùng kings to its list of public holidays, increasing the number of days to 10. From 2019, Vietnamese workers have 13 public holidays a year. As in most other nations, if a holiday falls during the weekend, it is observed on the following Monday.

What Happened on 27th July?

47 significant events took place on Thursday, 27th July — stretching from 1054 to 2015. Explore the moments that shaped history on this day.

27/07/2015

Seven people are killed and many injured after gunmen attack an Indian police station in Punjab.

On 27 July 2015, three Lashkar-e-Taiba militants dressed in army uniforms opened fire on a bus and then attacked the Dina Nagar police station in Gurdaspur district of Punjab, India. The attack resulted in the death of three civilians and four policemen, including a superintendent of police; fifteen others were injured. In addition, five bombs were found planted on the Amritsar–Pathankot line on a rail-bridge near Parmanand railway station, five kilometers from the site of the attack. All three attackers were killed in the operation, which lasted almost 12 hours.

27/07/2002

Ukraine airshow disaster: A Sukhoi Su-27 fighter crashes during an air show at Lviv, Ukraine killing 77 and injuring more than 500 others, making it the deadliest air show disaster in history.

The Sknyliv air show disaster occurred on 27 July 2002, when a Ukrainian Air Force Sukhoi Su-27UB aircraft, piloted by Volodymyr Toponar and co-piloted by Yuriy Yegorov, crashed into spectators during an aerobatics presentation at Sknyliv airfield near Lviv, Ukraine. The accident killed 77 people and injured 543. It is the deadliest air show accident in history.

27/07/1997

About 50 people are killed in the Si Zerrouk massacre in Algeria.

The Si Zerrouk massacre took place in the Si Zerrouk neighborhood in the south of Larbaa in Algeria on 27 July 1997. About 50 people were killed.

27/07/1996

In Atlanta, United States, a pipe bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park during the 1996 Summer Olympics.

Atlanta is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the county seat of Fulton County and extends into neighboring DeKalb County. With a population of 498,715 at the 2020 census and an estimated 529,110 in 2025, Atlanta is the eighth-most populous city in the Southeast and the 36th-most populous city in the United States. Atlanta is classified as a Beta+ global city. The Atlanta metropolitan area has an estimated population of over 6.4 million and is the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the United States. Situated among the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains at an elevation of just over 1,000 feet (300 m) above sea level, Atlanta features a unique topography that includes rolling hills, lush greenery, and the densest urban tree coverage of any major city in the United States.

27/07/1995

The Korean War Veterans Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C.

The Korean War Veterans Memorial is located in Washington, D.C.'s West Potomac Park, southeast of the Lincoln Memorial and just south of the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall. It memorializes those who served in the Korean War (1950–1953). The national memorial was dedicated in 1995. It includes 19 statues representing U.S. military personnel in action. In 2022, the memorial was expanded to include a granite memorial wall, engraved with the names of U.S. military personnel who died in the war.

27/07/1990

The Jamaat al Muslimeen attempt a coup d'état in Trinidad and Tobago.

The Jammat-al-Muslimeen is an Islamist fundamentalist group in Trinidad and Tobago.

27/07/1989

While attempting to land at Tripoli International Airport in Libya, Korean Air Flight 803 crashes just short of the runway. Seventy-five of the 199 passengers and crew and four people on the ground are killed, in the second accident involving a DC-10 in less than two weeks, the first being United Airlines Flight 232.

Tripoli International Airport is a closed international airport built to serve Tripoli, the capital city of Libya. The airport is located in the area of Qasr bin Ghashir, 24 kilometres (15 mi) from central Tripoli. It used to be the hub for Libyan Airlines, Afriqiyah Airways, and Buraq Air.

27/07/1983

Black July: Eighteen Tamil political prisoners at the Welikada high security prison in Colombo are massacred by Sinhalese prisoners, the second such massacre in two days.

Black July was an anti-Tamil pogrom that occurred in Sri Lanka during July 1983. The pogrom was premeditated, and was finally triggered by a deadly ambush on a Sri Lankan Army patrol by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on 23 July 1983, which killed 13 soldiers. Although initially orchestrated by members of the ruling UNP, the pogrom soon escalated into mass violence with significant public participation.

27/07/1981

While landing at Chihuahua International Airport, Aeromexico Flight 230 overshoots the runway. Thirty-two of the 66 passengers and crew on board the DC-9 are killed.

Chihuahua International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de Chihuahua); officially Aeropuerto Internacional General Roberto Fierro Villalobos (General Roberto Fierro Villalobos International Airport) (IATA: CUU, ICAO: MMCU) is an international airport located in Chihuahua, Mexico. It handles both national and international air traffic for the city of Chihuahua and is operated by Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte. The airport was named after Roberto Fierro Villalobos, an aviator pilot of the Mexican Air Force known for his role during the Mexican Revolution. In addition to serving national and international passengers, Chihuahua Airport accommodates military facilities for the Mexican Army and supports logistics and cargo airlines. It also facilitates various tourism, flight training, and general aviation activities.

27/07/1975

Mayor of Jaffna and former MP Alfred Duraiappah is shot dead.

The Mayor of Jaffna is the head of the Jaffna Municipal Council, the local authority for the city of Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka. The seat is currently vacant.

27/07/1974

Watergate scandal: The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee votes 27 to 11 to recommend the first article of impeachment (for obstruction of justice) against President Richard Nixon.

The Watergate scandal, or simply Watergate, was a political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon. On June 17, 1972, operatives associated with Nixon's 1972 re-election campaign were caught burglarizing and planting listening devices in the Democratic National Committee headquarters at Washington, D.C.'s Watergate complex. Nixon's efforts to conceal his administration's involvement led to an impeachment process and his resignation in August 1974.

27/07/1964

Vietnam War: Five thousand more American military advisers are sent to South Vietnam bringing the total number of United States forces in Vietnam to 21,000.

The Vietnam War was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam and their allies. North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Union and China, while South Vietnam was supported by the United States and other anti-communist nations. The conflict was the second of the Indochina wars and a proxy war of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and US. The Vietnam War was one of the postcolonial wars of national liberation, a theater in the Cold War, and a civil war, with civil warfare a defining feature from the outset. Direct US military involvement escalated from 1965 until US forces were withdrawn in 1973. The fighting spilled into the Laotian and Cambodian civil wars, which ended with all three countries becoming communist in 1975.

27/07/1963

The Puijo observation tower is opened to the general public at Puijo Hill in Kuopio, Finland.

The Puijo tower is an observation tower at the top of Puijo hill in Kuopio, Eastern Finland. Opened in 1963, the tower is 75 metres (246 ft) tall and has a revolving restaurant with 100 seats. It was the first tower with a revolving restaurant in the Nordic countries. The restaurant was an inspiration to Erkki Lindfors, the mayor of Tampere, who got the idea to build a similar one in his home town, resulting in the Näsinneula tower, which opened in 1971. The current Puijo tower has been visited by over 5.5 million tourists.

27/07/1959

The Continental League is announced as baseball's "third major league" in the United States.

The Continental League of Professional Baseball Clubs was a proposed third major league for baseball in the United States and Canada. The league was announced in 1959 and scheduled to begin play in the 1961 season. Unlike previous attempts at competitor leagues to Major League Baseball such as the Players' League (1890) and the Federal League (1913–1915), the Continental League sought membership and acceptance within organized baseball, as attempts to form outsider leagues could be quashed per a 1922 Supreme Court case that declared Major League Baseball exempt from federal antitrust laws. The league disbanded in August 1960 without playing a single game as a concession by lawyer William Shea as part of his negotiations with Major League Baseball to expand to incorporate at least eight new teams.

27/07/1955

The Austrian State Treaty restores Austrian sovereignty.

The Austrian State Treaty or Austrian Independence Treaty established Austria as a sovereign state. It was signed on 15 May 1955 in Vienna, at the Schloss Belvedere among the Allied occupying powers and the Austrian government. The neighbouring Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia acceded to the treaty subsequently. It officially came into force on 27 July 1955.

El Al Flight 402 is shot down by two fighter jets after straying into Bulgarian air space. All 58 people on board are killed.

El Al Flight 402 was an international passenger flight from London to Tel Aviv via Vienna and Istanbul. On 27 July 1955, the flight, operated by a Lockheed Constellation registered as 4X-AKC, strayed into then-Communist Bulgarian airspace and was attacked by two Bulgarian MiG-15 jet fighters, crashing near Petrich. All 7 crew and 51 passengers on board the airliner were killed. The crash took place amid highly strained relations between the Eastern Bloc and the Western Bloc and was the deadliest involving the Constellation up to that time.

27/07/1953

Korean War: Cessation of hostilities is achieved when the United States, China, and North Korea sign an armistice agreement. Syngman Rhee, President of South Korea, refuses to sign but pledges to observe the armistice.

The Korean War was an armed conflict fought on the Korean Peninsula between North Korea and South Korea and their allies. North Korea was supported by China and the Soviet Union, while South Korea was supported by the United Nations led by the United States under the auspices of the United Nations Command (UNC). The conflict was one of the first major proxy wars of the Cold War and one of its deadliest conflicts on non-combatants, as it is estimated that 1.5 to 3 million civilians were killed during the war. The war was the first time the United Nations Security Council authorized the use of force under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.

27/07/1949

Initial flight of the de Havilland Comet, the first jet-powered airliner.

The de Havilland DH.106 Comet is a four-engine narrow body aircraft developed and manufactured by de Havilland in the United Kingdom. The world's first commercial jet airliner, the Comet 1 prototype first flew in 1949. It features an aerodynamically clean design with four de Havilland Ghost turbojet engines located in the wing roots, a pressurised cabin, and large windows. For the era, it offered a relatively quiet, comfortable passenger cabin and was commercially promising at its debut in 1952.

27/07/1947

In Vatican City, Rome, canonization of Catherine Labouré, the saint whose apparitions of the Virgin Mary originated the worldwide distribution of the Miraculous Medal.

Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of saints, or authorized list of that communion's recognized saints.

27/07/1942

World War II: Allied forces successfully halt the final Axis advance into Egypt.

World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated. Tanks and aircraft played major roles, the latter enabling the strategic bombing of cities and delivery of the only nuclear weapons used in war. World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, causing the death of 60 to 75 million people. Millions died as a result of massacres, starvation, disease, and genocides, including the Holocaust. After the Allied victory, Germany, Austria, Japan, and Korea were occupied, and German and Japanese leaders were tried for war crimes.

27/07/1940

The animated short A Wild Hare is released, introducing the character of Bugs Bunny.

A Wild Hare is a 1940 American animated comedy short film directed by Tex Avery, produced by Leon Schlesinger, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures as part of the Merrie Melodies series. The film was released on July 27, 1940, and features Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny, the latter making what is considered his first official appearance.

27/07/1929

The Geneva Convention of 1929, dealing with treatment of prisoners-of-war, is signed by 53 nations.

The Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War was signed at Geneva, July 27, 1929. Its official name is the Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War. It entered into force 19 June 1931. It is this version of the Geneva Conventions which covered the treatment of prisoners of war during World War II. It is the predecessor of the Third Geneva Convention signed in 1949.

27/07/1921

Researchers at the University of Toronto, led by biochemist Frederick Banting, prove that the hormone insulin regulates blood sugar.

The University of Toronto is a public research university with three campuses in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada. Based on the grounds that surround Queen's Park in Toronto, it was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada. Originally controlled by the Church of England, the university assumed its present name in 1850 upon becoming a secular institution.

27/07/1919

The Chicago Race Riot erupts after a racial incident occurred on a South Side beach, leading to 38 fatalities and 537 injuries over a five-day period.

The Chicago race riot of 1919 was a violent racial conflict between white Americans and black Americans that began on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, on July 27 and ended on August 3, 1919. During the riot, 38 people died. Over the week, injuries attributed to the episodic confrontations stood at 537, two-thirds black and one-third white; and between 1,000 and 2,000 residents, most of them black, lost their homes. Due to its sustained violence and widespread economic impact, it is considered the worst of the scores of riots and civil disturbances across the United States during the "Red Summer" of 1919, so named because of its racial and labor violence. It was also one of the worst riots in the history of Illinois.

27/07/1917

World War I: The Allies reach the Yser Canal at the Battle of Passchendaele.

World War I, or the First World War, also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Central Powers. Major areas of conflict included Europe and the Middle East, as well as parts of Africa and the Asia-Pacific. The war saw important developments in weaponry including tanks, aircraft, artillery, machine guns, and chemical weapons. One of the deadliest conflicts in history, it resulted in an estimated 15 to 22 million military and civilian casualties and genocide. The movement of large numbers of people was a major factor in the deadly Spanish flu pandemic.

27/07/1900

Kaiser Wilhelm II makes a speech comparing Germans to Huns; for years afterwards, "Hun" would be a disparaging name for Germans.

Wilhelm II was the last German Emperor from 1888 until his abdication in 1918. His fall from power marked the end of the German Empire as well as the Hohenzollern dynasty's 400-year rule over Prussia.

27/07/1890

Vincent van Gogh shoots himself and dies two days later.

Vincent Willem van Gogh was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade he created about 2,100 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings, most of them in the last two years of his life. They include landscapes, still lifes, portraits and self-portraits, and are characterised by bold colours and dramatic, impulsive and expressive brushwork that contributed to the foundations of modern art. His suicide at 37 followed years of mental illness and poverty.

27/07/1880

Second Anglo-Afghan War: Battle of Maiwand: Afghan forces led by Mohammad Ayub Khan defeat the British Army in battle near Maiwand, Afghanistan.

The Second Anglo-Afghan War was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the latter was ruled by Sher Ali Khan of the Barakzai dynasty, the son of former Emir Dost Mohammad Khan. The war was part of the Great Game between the British and Russian empires.

27/07/1866

The first permanent transatlantic telegraph cable is successfully completed, stretching from Valentia Island, Ireland, to Heart's Content, Newfoundland.

Transatlantic telegraph cables are undersea cables running under the Atlantic Ocean which were used for telegraph communications.

27/07/1865

Welsh settlers arrive at Chubut in Argentina.

Y Wladfa, also occasionally Y Wladychfa Gymreig, refers to the establishment of settlements by Welsh colonists and immigrants in the Argentine Patagonia, beginning in 1865, mainly along the coast of the lower Chubut Valley. In 1881, the area became part of the Chubut National Territory of Argentina which, in 1955, became Chubut Province.

27/07/1857

Indian Rebellion: Sixty-eight men hold out for eight days against a force of 2,500 to 3,000 mutinying sepoys and 8,000 irregular forces.

The siege of Arrah took place during the Indian Mutiny. It was the eight-day defence of a fortified outbuilding, occupied by a combination of 18 civilians and 50 members of the Bengal Military Police Battalion, against 2,500 to 3,000 mutinying Bengal Native Infantry sepoys from three regiments and an estimated 8,000 men from irregular forces commanded by Kunwar Singh, the local zamindar or chieftain who controlled the Jagdishpur estate.

27/07/1816

Seminole Wars: The Battle of Negro Fort ends when a hot shot cannonball fired by US Navy Gunboat No. 154 explodes the fort's Powder Magazine, killing approximately 275. It is considered the deadliest single cannon shot in US history.

Negro Fort was a short-lived fortification built by the British in 1814, during the War of 1812, in a remote part of what was at the time Spanish Florida. It was intended to support a never-realized British attack on the U.S. via its southwest border, by means of which they could "free all these Southern Countries [states] from the Yoke of the Americans".

27/07/1794

French Revolution: Maximilien Robespierre is arrested after encouraging the execution of more than 17,000 "enemies of the Revolution".

The French Revolution was a period of political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the Coup of 18 Brumaire on 9 November 1799. Many of the revolution's ideas are considered fundamental principles of liberal democracy, and its values remain central to modern French political discourse. It was caused by a combination of social, political, and economic factors which the existing regime proved unable to manage.

27/07/1789

The first U.S. federal government agency, the Department of Foreign Affairs, is established (it will be later renamed Department of State).

The federal government of the United States is the national government of the United States.

27/07/1778

American Revolution: First Battle of Ushant: British and French fleets fight to a standoff.

The American Revolution (1765–1789) was a political movement in the Thirteen Colonies of Great Britain. The movement began as a rebellion and evolved into a revolution resulting in the sovereign United States. These changes were the outcome of the associated American Revolutionary War. The Second Continental Congress, as the provisional government, established the Continental Army and appointed George Washington as its commander-in-chief in 1775. The following year, the Congress passed the Lee Resolution on July 2nd, then unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence on the Fourth of July. Throughout most of the war, the outcome appeared uncertain. However, in 1781, a decisive victory by Washington and the Continental Army in the Siege of Yorktown led King George III and the Fox–North coalition in government to negotiate the cessation of colonial rule and the acknowledgment of American sovereignty, formalized in the Treaty of Paris in 1783. The Constitution took effect in 1789 and the Bill of Rights was ratified in 1791.

27/07/1775

Founding of the U.S. Army Medical Department: The Second Continental Congress passes legislation establishing "an hospital for an army consisting of 20,000 men."

The Army Medical Department of the U.S. Army (AMEDD), formerly known as the Army Medical Service (AMS), encompasses the Army's six medical Special Branches. It was established as the "Army Hospital" in July 1775 to coordinate the medical care required by the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. The AMEDD is led by the surgeon general of the U.S. Army, a lieutenant general.

27/07/1714

The Great Northern War: The first significant victory of the Russian Navy in the naval battle of Gangut against the Swedish Navy near the Hanko Peninsula.

In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by Russia successfully contested the supremacy of Sweden in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I of Russia, Frederick IV of Denmark–Norway and Augustus II the Strong of Saxony-Poland-Lithuania. Frederick IV and Augustus II were defeated by Sweden, under Charles XII, and forced out of the alliance in 1700 and 1706, respectively, but rejoined it in 1709 after the defeat of Charles XII at the Battle of Poltava. George I of Great Britain and the Electorate of Hanover joined the coalition in 1714 for Hanover and in 1717 for Britain, and Frederick William I of Brandenburg-Prussia joined it in 1715.

27/07/1694

A Royal charter is granted to the Bank of England.

A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta of 1215, but since the 14th century have only been used in place of private acts to grant a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organisations such as boroughs, universities and learned societies, and were historically used to establish companies.

27/07/1689

Glorious Revolution: The Battle of Killiecrankie is a victory for the Jacobites.

The Glorious Revolution was the deposition of King James II in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II and her Dutch husband, James's nephew William III of Orange. The two ruled as joint monarchs of England, Scotland, and Ireland until Mary's death in 1694, when William became ruler in his own right. Jacobitism, the political movement that aimed to restore the exiled James or his descendants of the House of Stuart to the throne, persisted into the late 18th century. Some historians consider it the last successful invasion of England.

27/07/1663

The English Parliament passes the second Navigation Act requiring that all goods bound for the American colonies have to be sent in English ships from English ports. After the Acts of Union 1707, Scotland would be included in the Act.

The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the great council of bishops and peers that advised the English monarch. Great councils were first called Parliaments during the reign of Henry III. By this time, the king required Parliament's consent to levy taxation.

27/07/1549

The Jesuit priest Francis Xavier's ship reaches Japan.

The Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits, is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church. Headquartered in Rome, it was founded in 1540 by Ignatius of Loyola and six companions, with the approval of Pope Paul III. The Society of Jesus is the largest Catholic religious male order and it has played a significant role in education, charity, humanitarian acts and global policies. Jesuits are engaged in evangelization and apostolic ministry in 112 countries, including education, research, and cultural pursuits. They also conduct retreats, minister in hospitals and parishes, sponsor direct social and humanitarian works, and promote ecumenical dialogue.

27/07/1302

Battle of Bapheus: Decisive Ottoman victory over the Byzantines opening up Bithynia for Turkish conquest.

The Battle of Bapheus occurred on 27 July 1302, between an Ottoman Turkish army under Osman I and a Byzantine army under George Mouzalon. The battle ended in a crucial Ottoman victory, cementing the Ottoman state and heralding the final capture of Byzantine Bithynia by the Ottoman Turks.

27/07/1299

According to Edward Gibbon, Osman I invades the territory of Nicomedia for the first time, usually considered to be the founding day of the Ottoman state.

Edward Gibbon was a British essayist, historian and minor politician. His most important and influential work, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, was published in six volumes between 1776 and 1789, to critical and commercial success. It is known for the quality and irony of its prose, its use of primary sources, and its polemical criticism of organised religion.

27/07/1214

Battle of Bouvines: Philip II of France decisively defeats Imperial, English and Flemish armies, effectively ending John of England's Angevin Empire.

The Battle of Bouvines took place on 27 July 1214 near the town of Bouvines in the County of Flanders. It was the concluding battle of the Anglo-French War of 1213–1214. Although estimates on the number of troops vary considerably among modern historians, at Bouvines, a French army commanded by King Philip Augustus routed a larger allied army led by Holy Roman Emperor Otto IV in one of the rare pitched battles of the High Middle Ages and one of the most decisive medieval engagements.

27/07/1202

Georgian–Seljuk wars: At the Battle of Basian the Kingdom of Georgia defeats the Sultanate of Rum.

The Georgian–Seljuk wars, also known as Georgian Crusade, is a long series of battles and military clashes that took place from 1064 until 1213, between the Kingdom of Georgia and the different Seljukid states that occupied most of South Caucasus. The conflict is preceded by deadly raids in the Caucasus by the Turks in the 11th century, known in Georgian historiography as the Great Turkish Invasion.

27/07/1189

Friedrich Barbarossa arrives at Niš, the capital of Serbian King Stefan Nemanja, during the Third Crusade.

Frederick Barbarossa, also known as Frederick I, was the Holy Roman emperor from 1155 until his death in 1190. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March 1152. He was crowned King of Italy on 24 April 1155 in Pavia and emperor by Pope Adrian IV on 18 June 1155 in Rome. Two years later, the term sacrum ("holy") first appeared in a document in connection with his empire. He was later formally crowned King of Burgundy, at Arles on 30 June 1178. His nickname of Barbarossa "was first used by the Florentines only in 1298 to differentiate the emperor from his grandson, Frederick II ... and was never employed in medieval Germany". In German, he was known as Kaiser Rotbart, which in English means "Emperor Redbeard". The prevalence of the Italian nickname, even in later German usage, reflects the centrality of the Italian campaigns under his reign, and "remains to this day one of the [most] powerful historical monikers."

27/07/1054

Siward, Earl of Northumbria, invades Scotland and defeats Macbeth, King of Scotland, somewhere north of the Firth of Forth. This is known as the Battle of Dunsinane.

Siward or Sigurd was an important earl of 11th-century northern England. The Old Norse nickname Digri and its Latin translation Grossus are given to him by near-contemporary texts. He emerged as a regional strongman in England during the reign of Cnut. Cnut was a Scandinavian ruler who conquered most of England in the 1010s, and Siward was one of many Scandinavians who came to England in the aftermath, rising to become sub-ruler of most of northern England. From 1033 at the latest, he was in control of southern Northumbria, present-day Yorkshire, governing as earl on Cnut's behalf.