A Day in the Past

On this day: 27 September

131 things happened on 27 September, from AD 808 to 2026. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.

Printable worksheet Take the quiz

In the UK 7

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

1851 175 years ago

UK story

The British East India Company inaugurated the Horsburgh Lighthouse on the rocky outcrop of Pedra Branca, Singapore, which later became the subject of a territorial dispute.

Find out more: East India Company (Wikipedia)

Around the world 32

1822 204 years ago

In a letter to the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres in Paris, Jean-François Champollion announced his initial successes in deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs on the Rosetta Stone (pictured).

Find out more: Lettre à M. Dacier (Wikipedia)
1908 118 years ago

The first production Ford Model T, the car credited with initiating the mass use of automobiles in the United States, was completed at the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant in Detroit, Michigan.

Transport Find out more: Ford Model T (Wikipedia)
1983 43 years ago

American software developer Richard Stallman announced plans for the Unix-like operating system GNU, the first free software developed by the GNU Project.

Find out more: Richard Stallman (Wikipedia)

Quick quiz

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

  1. In which year did this happen: “The British East India Company inaugurated the Horsburgh Lighthouse on the”?

    1. 1851
    2. 1958
    3. 1922
    Show the answer

    A: 1851. 1851 — that’s 175 years ago. Find it on the page

  2. In which year did this happen: “The British Aircraft Corporation TSR-2, an advanced Cold War tactical strike”?

    1. 1066
    2. 1922
    3. 1964
    Show the answer

    C: 1964. 1964 — that’s 62 years ago. Find it on the page

  3. Which of these happened first?

    1. The British East India Company inaugurated the Horsburgh Lighthouse on the
    2. William the Conqueror and his army set sail from the mouth of the Somme river
    3. The British Aircraft Corporation TSR-2, an advanced Cold War tactical strike
    Show the answer

    B: William the Conqueror and his army set sail from the mouth of the Somme river. 1851: The British East India Company inaugurated the Horsburgh Lighthouse on the · 1066: William the Conqueror and his army set sail from the mouth of the Somme river · 1964: The British Aircraft Corporation TSR-2, an advanced Cold War tactical strike Find it on the page

  4. “William the Conqueror and his army set sail from the mouth of the Somme river” happened in 1066. How many years ago was that?

    1. 960 years
    2. 950 years
    3. 970 years
    Show the answer

    A: 960 years. 2026 − 1066 = 960. Find it on the page

Born on this day 40

Famous people whose birthday is 27 September.

Remembering 22

Well-known people who died on 27 September.

Special days 13

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

For older readers 17 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 “September 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.