128 things happened on 27 February, from AD 272 to 2025. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
1812 · 214 years ago
The poet Lord Byron gave his first speech in the House of Lords. He spoke up for the Luddites, textile workers in his home county of Nottinghamshire who had been breaking new machines that were putting them out of work. Byron argued against the death penalty …
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK story
Representatives of Queen Elizabeth I of England and a group of Scottish nobles called the Lords of the Congregation made an agreement at Berwick-upon-Tweed. England would send a fleet and an army to Scotland to drive out French troops. The French were supporting Mary of Guise, mother of Mary, Queen of Scots, who was ruling Scotland for her daughter. The lords also wanted to bring about the Scottish Reformation, a big change in religion.
UK story
The House of Commons of Great Britain voted against carrying on the American Revolutionary War, also called the American War of Independence. Britain had been fighting colonists in North America who wanted to break away. After George Washington's army won a decisive victory at the Siege of Yorktown in 1781, Britain moved towards peace. The war ended in 1783.
UK story
The poet Lord Byron gave his first speech in the House of Lords. He spoke up for the Luddites, textile workers in his home county of Nottinghamshire who had been breaking new machines that were putting them out of work. Byron argued against the death penalty for them. He is remembered as one of the greatest British poets of the Romantic movement.
UK story
The Labour Party was founded to give working people in Britain their own voice in Parliament. Trade unions and left-wing groups met at a conference organised by the Trades Union Congress, which set up the Labour Representation Committee to help candidates get elected to the House of Commons. By the early 1920s Labour had overtaken the Liberal Party to become the main opposition to the Conservative Party.
UK story
On a secret mission called Operation Biting, British airborne troops led by Major John Frost parachuted into northern France at night. Their aim was to capture a German radar called a Würzburg. An RAF technician took the radar apart, and the troops carried key pieces to a beach, where boats picked them up. The parts helped British scientists understand German radar and find ways to block it.
UK story
Peninsular War: In the south of France, Spanish, British and Portuguese soldiers under the command of the Marquess of Wellington defeated French soldiers in the Battle of Orthez, causing the French to retreat east.
UK story
Second Boer War: In South Africa, British military leaders receive an unconditional notice of surrender from Boer General Piet Cronjé at the Battle of Paardeberg.
UK story
The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, known for its performances of Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas, gave its final performance.
Japan's flag, a white rectangle with a red circle in the middle, was first adopted for use on Japanese merchant ships. A flag like this, flown by ships that are not part of the navy, is called a civil ensign. The flag is officially called the Nisshōki, but in Japan it is usually known as the Hinomaru. It reflects Japan's nickname, the Land of the Rising Sun.
American chemists Martin Kamen and Sam Ruben discovered carbon-14 at the University of California, Berkeley. Carbon-14 is a radioactive form of carbon. It is now widely used in radiocarbon dating, a method that helps scientists work out the age of things dug up by archaeologists and geologists. A year later, Kamen also showed that all the oxygen plants give off in photosynthesis comes from water.
The Italian government asked for help to stop the Leaning Tower of Pisa from toppling over. The tower is the bell tower of Pisa Cathedral, and it leans by nearly four degrees because its foundations are unstable. It still stands today and is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the world, with more than 5 million visitors each year.
The first Pokémon video games, Pocket Monsters Red and Green, were released in Japan for the Nintendo Game Boy. In the Pokémon world, people live alongside creatures with special powers. The games reached other countries in 1998 and 1999 as Pokémon Red and Blue. Pokémon grew to include cartoons, films and a trading card game, and is thought to be the highest-earning media franchise in the world.
Edict of Thessalonica: Emperor Theodosius I and his co-emperors Gratian and Valentinian II declare their wish that all Roman citizens convert to Nicene Christianity.
The University of Constantinople is founded by Emperor Theodosius II at the urging of his wife Aelia Eudocia.
Abaoji, chieftain of the Yila tribe, is named khagan of the Khitans.
Sweden signed the Treaty of Stolbovo to end the Ingrian War with Russia, making large territorial gains.
Yuan Chonghuan is appointed Governor of Liaodong, after leading the Chinese into a great victory against the Manchurians under Nurhaci.
Pursuant to the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801, Washington, D.C. is placed under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress.
Action of 27 February 1809: Captain Bernard Dubourdieu captures HMS Proserpine.
Argentine War of Independence: Manuel Belgrano raises the Flag of Argentina in the city of Rosario for the first time.
The Dominican Republic gains independence from Haiti.
Abraham Lincoln makes a speech at Cooper Union in the city of New York that plays an important role in his election to the Presidency.
First Boer War: The Battle of Majuba Hill takes place.
FC Bayern Munich, Germany's most successful football club, was founded.
The International Working Union of Socialist Parties is founded in Vienna.
A challenge to the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, allowing women the right to vote, is rebuffed by the Supreme Court of the United States in Leser v. Garnett.
United States labor law: The U.S. Supreme Court rules in NLRB v. Fansteel Metallurgical Corp. that the National Labor Relations Board has no authority to force an employer to rehire workers who engage in sit-down strikes.
World War II: During the Battle of the Java Sea, an Allied strike force is defeated by a Japanese task force in the Java Sea in the Dutch East Indies.
The Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution, limiting Presidents to two terms, is ratified.
The first congress of the Spanish Trade Union Organisation is inaugurated.
The Dominican Republic receives its first democratically elected president, Juan Bosch, since the end of the dictatorship led by Rafael Trujillo.
The former Spanish territory of Western Sahara, under the auspices of the Polisario Front declares independence as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.
Gulf War: U.S. President George H. W. Bush announces that "Kuwait is liberated".
Chinese stock bubble of 2007: The Shanghai Stock Exchange falls 9%, the largest daily fall in ten years, following speculation about a crackdown on illegal share offerings and trading, and fears about accelerating inflation.
Pakistan Air Force JF-17 Thunder downs Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman's Mig-21 in an aerial dogfight and captures him after conducting airstrikes in Jammu and Kashmir.
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
In which year did this happen: “Lord Byron gives his first speech in the House of Lords”?
C: 1812. 1812 — that’s 214 years ago. Find it on the page
In which year did this happen: “England and Scottish lords sign the Treaty of Berwick”?
B: 1560. 1560 — that’s 466 years ago. Find it on the page
Which of these happened first?
C: England and Scottish lords sign the Treaty of Berwick. 1900: The Labour Party is founded · 1812: Lord Byron gives his first speech in the House of Lords · 1560: England and Scottish lords sign the Treaty of Berwick Find it on the page
“The Labour Party is founded” happened in 1900. How many years ago was that?
B: 126 years. 2026 − 1900 = 126. Find it on the page
Famous people whose birthday is 27 February.
Constantine the Great was a Roman emperor and the first to become a Christian. He was in York, then called Eboracum, when his father, Emperor Constantius, died there in 306, and the army proclaimed Constantine emperor. He ended the persecution of Christians across the Roman Empire. He also founded the city of Constantinople, now Istanbul, and made it the empire's capital.
UK story
Jony Ive is a British designer best known for his work at the technology company Apple, where he became chief design officer, in charge of the design of its products. He has been chancellor of the Royal College of Art in London since 2017. He later founded LoveFrom, a creative group that works with other well-known companies.
Well-known people who died on 27 February.
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 27 February somewhere in the world.
Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.
Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “February 27” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.