128 things happened on 27 October, from AD 312 to 2025. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
1775 · 251 years ago
King George III gave a speech at the opening of Parliament about trouble in Britain's Thirteen Colonies in America. He built on his Proclamation of Rebellion, issued in August 1775 after news of the Battle of Bunker Hill. That proclamation said parts of the c…
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK story
The Second Battle of Newbury was fought at Speen, next to the town of Newbury in Berkshire. It took place close to the site of the First Battle of Newbury, which had been fought the year before. Both battles were part of the English Civil War, between supporters of King Charles I and supporters of Parliament.
UK story
King George III gave a speech at the opening of Parliament about trouble in Britain's Thirteen Colonies in America. He built on his Proclamation of Rebellion, issued in August 1775 after news of the Battle of Bunker Hill. That proclamation said parts of the colonies were in open rebellion and ordered officials to stop it. These were the early days of the American Revolutionary War.
UK story
Early in the First World War, the Royal Navy battleship HMS Audacious hit a German mine. This happened off the north coast of County Donegal, in Ireland. The ship flooded slowly, so all of her crew could be rescued. She sank after attempts to tow her to shore failed, and Britain managed to keep the loss a secret for four years.
UK story
Wallis Simpson, an American, was granted a divorce from her second husband. This would eventually allow her to marry King Edward VIII, who had become king in January 1936. His wish to marry her led to a crisis for the British government in early December. That same month Edward abdicated, which means he gave up the throne, and he later became known as the Duke of Windsor.
UK story
Britain withdrew from Afghanistan at the end of Operation Herrick, the name for its military operations there. British forces had been involved for more than 12 years. They worked alongside other NATO countries to help with security, training and development. At its largest, between 2010 and 2012, the operation involved about 9,500 British troops.
UK story
Ratifications are exchanged in London for the first London Naval Treaty go into effect immediately, further limiting the expensive naval arms race among its five signatories.
UK story
The British government suddenly deregulates financial markets, leading to a total restructuring of the way in which they operate in the country, in an event now referred to as the Big Bang.
The first regular line of the New York City Subway opened, run by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company. Its first underground section linked New York City Hall with Harlem. Part of the route had four tracks, so slower local trains and faster express trains could both run.
NASA launched the first Saturn I rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The test flight was called Saturn-Apollo 1. It was the first flight of any rocket in the Saturn family. It was also the very first mission of the American Apollo space programme.
During the Cuban Missile Crisis, Soviet naval officer Vasily Arkhipov refused to agree to the firing of a nuclear torpedo at an American warship. His decision is remembered for preventing a nuclear war. The crisis happened during the Cold War, a long rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. Arkhipov later became a vice admiral in the Soviet Navy.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines gained its independence from the United Kingdom. It is a country made up of a group of islands in the eastern Caribbean, where the Caribbean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean. Its neighbours include Saint Lucia to the north, Barbados to the east and Grenada to the south. The islands celebrate Independence Day every year on this date.
Gliese 229B became the first substellar object to be identified beyond doubt. Substellar means it is smaller than a star, and Gliese 229B is a brown dwarf, too small to shine like a true star. It belongs to a star system 18.8 light-years away, in the constellation Lepus. The system is now known to hold a red dwarf star and two brown dwarfs.
Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross.
Traditional founding of the city of Amsterdam.
French troops lay siege to Pavia.
Franco-Dutch War: French forces surrender the fortress town of Grave to the Dutch army after a three month siege.
Philadelphia is founded in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
J. S. Bach led the first performance of Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen, BWV 56, one of few works he called a cantata.
The United States and Spain sign the Treaty of Madrid, which establishes the boundaries between Spanish colonies and the U.S.
The French Army under Napoleon enters Berlin following the Prussian defeat at the Battle of Jena–Auerstedt.
United States annexes the former Spanish colony of West Florida.
American Civil War: Union forces led by General William F. Smith defeat Confederate forces in the Battle of Brown's Ferry, opening up a supply line to the besieged city of Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Franco-Prussian War: Marshal Bazaine surrenders to Prussian forces at the conclusion of the Siege of Metz along with 140,000 French soldiers.
A rail workers' strike in Chile escalates into a general strike, organized by the Regional Workers' Federation of Chile.
Negus Mikael, marching on the Ethiopian capital in support of his son Emperor Iyasu V, is defeated by Fitawrari Habte Giyorgis, securing the throne for Empress Zewditu I.
A referendum in Rhodesia rejects the country's annexation to the South African Union.
The Uzbek SSR is founded in the Soviet Union.
The Empire of Japan achieved a pyrrhic victory against the United States at the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands.
Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. becomes the first African-American general in the United States Air Force.
Iskander Mirza, the first President of Pakistan, is deposed by General Ayub Khan, who had been appointed the enforcer of martial law by Mirza 20 days earlier.
Actor Ronald Reagan delivered a speech on behalf of Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, launching his own political career, which culminated in him serving two full terms as U.S. president.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is renamed Zaire.
Cold War: The Soviet submarine S-363 runs aground on the east coast of Sweden.
Cold War: Ronald Reagan suspends construction of the new U.S. Embassy in Moscow due to Soviet listening devices in the building structure.
Turkmenistan achieves independence from the Soviet Union.
The Boston Red Sox completed a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals to win the 2004 World Series, breaking the so-called "Curse of the Bambino".
Michael D. Higgins (pictured) was elected President of Ireland with far more votes than any politician in the country's history.
Catalonia declares independence from Spain.
The Mocking of Christ (pictured) by Cimabue sold at auction in France for €19.5 million, a record for a pre-1500 artwork.
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
In which year did this happen: “George III speaks to Parliament about the rebellion in America”?
C: 1775. 1775 — that’s 251 years ago. Find it on the page
In which year did this happen: “HMS Audacious sinks after hitting a mine, and it is kept secret”?
A: 1914. 1914 — that’s 112 years ago. Find it on the page
Which of these happened first?
A: George III speaks to Parliament about the rebellion in America. 1775: George III speaks to Parliament about the rebellion in America · 1936: Wallis Simpson's divorce sets the Abdication Crisis in motion · 1914: HMS Audacious sinks after hitting a mine, and it is kept secret Find it on the page
“Wallis Simpson's divorce sets the Abdication Crisis in motion” happened in 1936. How many years ago was that?
C: 90 years. 2026 − 1936 = 90. Find it on the page
Famous people whose birthday is 27 October.
UK story
Dylan Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer, born in 1914. His works include Under Milk Wood, which he called a play for voices, and the story A Child's Christmas in Wales. One of his best-known poems is Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night. He was very popular in his lifetime and has stayed popular ever since.
UK story
Catherine of Valois was a French princess, the daughter of King Charles VI of France. She married King Henry V of England and was Queen of England from 1420 to 1422. The marriage was part of a plan to put Henry V on the French throne and perhaps end the Hundred Years' War. Her son became King Henry VI of England.
Well-known people who died on 27 October.
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 27 October 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 “October 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.