A Day in the Past

On this day: 27 July

131 things happened on 27 July, from AD 678 to 2020. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.

Printable worksheet Take the quiz

In the UK 9

UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Around the world 28

1947 79 years ago

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

Sport Find out more: Canonization (Wikipedia)

Quick quiz

Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!

  1. In which year did this happen: “During his invasion of Scotland, Siward, Earl of Northumbria, defeated”?

    1. 1976
    2. 1054
    3. 1865
    Show the answer

    B: 1054. 1054 — that’s 972 years ago. Find it on the page

  2. In which year did this happen: “First Jacobite rising: Scottish and Irish Jacobites defeated Williamite forces”?

    1. 1880
    2. 1689
    3. 1866
    Show the answer

    B: 1689. 1689 — that’s 337 years ago. Find it on the page

  3. Which of these happened first?

    1. The Battle of Ushant, the first encounter between the French and British
    2. During his invasion of Scotland, Siward, Earl of Northumbria, defeated
    3. First Jacobite rising: Scottish and Irish Jacobites defeated Williamite forces
    Show the answer

    B: During his invasion of Scotland, Siward, Earl of Northumbria, defeated. 1778: The Battle of Ushant, the first encounter between the French and British · 1054: During his invasion of Scotland, Siward, Earl of Northumbria, defeated · 1689: First Jacobite rising: Scottish and Irish Jacobites defeated Williamite forces Find it on the page

  4. “The Battle of Ushant, the first encounter between the French and British” happened in 1778. How many years ago was that?

    1. 258 years
    2. 238 years
    3. 248 years
    Show the answer

    C: 248 years. 2026 − 1778 = 248. Find it on the page

Born on this day 39

Famous people whose birthday is 27 July.

Remembering 20

Well-known people who died on 27 July.

Special days 7

Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 27 July somewhere in the world.

For older readers 28 Show stories about war, disasters, crime and other difficult history

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.

Where these facts come from

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 “July 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.