Today in History for 27th January 2026

Historical Events

1671 – Welsh pirate Henry Morgan lands at the gates of Panama City
1864 – Civil War skirmish at Kelly’s Ford, Virginia
1917 – Coen de Koning wins 2nd official 11 cities race (9:53) (record)
1961 – Australian Championships Men’s Tennis: Roy Emerson beats fellow Australian Rod Laver 1-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 for his first Grand Slam title
1996 – Australian Open Women’s Tennis: Monica Seles beats Anke Huber of Germany 6-4, 6-1 for her first and only Grand Slam victory after her stabbing

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1918 – William Seawell, American Army Brigadier General and CEO of Pan Am, born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas (d. 2005)
1936 – Barry C. Barish, American Physicist (Nobel Prize 2017, gravitational waves), born in Omaha, Nebraska
1955 – Eugene Jarvis, American video game designer (Cruis’n USA, Cruis’n World), born in Palo Alto, California
1962 – Roberto Paci Dalò, Italian writer, theater director, visual artist, and composer, born in Rimini, Italy
1965 – Alan Cumming, Scottish stage and screen actor (X2, The Good Wife), born in Aberfeldy, Scotland

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

847 – Sergius II, Pope (844-47), dies
1773 – Philippe Buache, French geographer and cartographer (pioneered use of contour lines), dies at 72
1921 – Maurice Buckley, Australian soldier and winner of the Victoria Cross, dies at 29
1970 – Lawren Harris, Canadian landscape painter (South Shore, Baffin Island; The Old Stump), and co-founder of the Group of Seven, dies at 84
1995 – Willem R “Wim” van der Zee, General Secretary of the Council of Churches of the Netherlands, dies at 64

More Famous Deaths »

Famous Deaths for 26th January 2026

1803 – Georg von Pasterwiz, Austrian composer, dies at 72
1878 – Ernst Heinrich Weber, German anatomist and physiologist (one of the founders of experimental psychology), dies at 82
1942 – Felix Hausdorff, German mathematician (Hausdorff space), dies at 73
1975 – Lubov Orlova, Russian actress (Moscow Laughs; Man of Music; Tanya), dies at 74
1976 – João Branco Núncio, Portuguese Bullfighter (b. 1901)
1992 – Okke Jager, Dutch theologist, writer and poet, dies at 63
2003 – Valeriy Brumel, Soviet Olympic athlete (b. 1942)
2012 – Dimitra Arliss [Arlys], American actress (Rich Man Poor Man II, The Sting), dies at 79
2016 – Colin Vearncombe, British singer-songwriter (Black – “Wonderful Life”), dies from injuries in a car accident at 53
2020 – Bob Shane, American folk vocalist (Kingston Trio – “Tom Dooley”), dies at 85

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events for 26th January 2026

1654 – Portuguese troops conquer last Dutch base on Recife
1907 – John Millington Synge’s “Playboy of Western World” opens in Dublin; play claimed as immoral and causes riots
1924 – American skater Charles Jewtraw claims the first ever Winter Olympic gold medal; wins 500m speed skating event in 44.0s at the Chamonix Games in France
1929 – Indian National Congress proclaims goal for India’s independence
1969 – “Red, White, and Maddox” opens at Cort Theater NYC for 41 performances
1980 – 175,000 pay to hear Frank Sinatra sing in Rio de Janeiro
1989 – “Black and Blue” opens at Minskoff Theater NYC for 829 performances
2005 – Condoleezza Rice is sworn in as U.S. Secretary of State, the first African American woman to hold the post

More Historical Events »

Today in History for 26th January 2026

Historical Events

1930 – Cleveland’s Terminal Tower opens (52 stories)
1939 – Filming begins on the film adaptation of “Gone with the Wind”
1979 – “The Dukes of Hazzard” premieres on US TV network CBS
2020 – 62nd Grammy Awards: Billie Eilish wins 5 Grammys, including album, record and song of the year
2022 – Spotify removes Neil Young’s music from its streaming platform after the singer-songwriter’s ultimatum in objection to COVID-19 misinformation in Joe Rogan’s podcasts

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1924 – Alice Babs [Nilson], Swedish jazz singer (The Swe-Danes; Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concerts), and actress (Swing It, Teacher!), born in Västervik, Sweden (d. 2014)
1933 – Ercole Baldini, Italian cyclist (Olympic gold men’s road race 1956; World C’ship gold individual pursuit 1956; Giro d’Italia 1958), born in Villanova di Forlì, Italy (d. 2022)
1935 – Paula Rego, Portuguese-British artist (Cast of Characters From Snow White), born in Lisbon, Portugal (d. 2022)
1942 – Souad Hosni, Egyptian actress called the “Cinderella” of Arab cinema, born in Cairo, Egypt (d. 2001)
1965 – Allison Hossack, Canadian actress (Olivia Matthews in “Another World”), born in Steinbach, Canada

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1933 – Alva Belmont, American socialite and women’s suffrage activist (co-founder and President of the National Woman’s Party), dies at 80
1947 – Gerda Neumann, Danish film actress, dies in an airplane crash at 31
1990 – Lewis Mumford, American cultural historian, city planner and writer, dies at 94
1996 – Gerrit Cornelis Berkouwer, Dutch theologist (Dogmatic Studies), dies at 92
1996 – Henry Jay Lewis, American double-bassist and conductor (Los Angeles Philharmonic 1948-65), dies of a heart attack at 63

More Famous Deaths »

Famous Deaths for 25th January 2026

1627 – Louis Hébert, French apothecary, kings attorney and colonist of New France, dies at 51 or 52
1906 – Pierre-Lambert Goossens, Belgian archbishop of Mechelen and Cardinal Primate of Belgium, dies at 78
1963 – Wilson Kettle, of Newfoundland, dies at 102, leaving 582 living descendants
1991 – Lillian Bond, English-American actress (Air Mail, Pick-up, Blond Cheat), dies at 83
1995 – John Smith, American actor (Cimarron City, Laramie, 7 Angry Men), dies at 63
1997 – Jim Boyd, American boxer (Olympic gold light-heavyweight, 1956), dies at 66
2013 – Zekkariyas [Cecil Womack], American soul songwriter, singer, and record producer (Womack and Womack – “Teardrops”), dies at 64
2022 – Heinz Werner Zimmermann, German contemporary sacred music composer (Prosalieder; Missa profana), and educator, dies at 91
2023 – B. V. [Balkrishna] Doshi, Indian architect (Pritzker Prize, 2018), dies at 95
2023 – Cindy Williams, American actress (Laverne and Shirley – “Shirley; American Graffiti), dies at 75

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events for 25th January 2026

1861 – Augusta Arsenal seized by the Confederacy in Georgia (US Civil War)
1906 – Del Valle Inclans “El Marqués de Bradomin” premieres in Madrid
1946 – Richard Strauss’ composition “Metamorphosen” premieres with the Collegium Musicum in Zürich, Switzerland
1949 – 1st Emmy Awards: Shirley Dinsdale and Pantomime Quiz (KTLA) win
1961 – Military coup in El Salvador
1964 – Dale Wasserman’s stage play “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, adapted from the novel by Ken Kesey, starring Kirk Douglas, Ed Ames; Joan Tetzel, and Gene Wilder, closes at Cort Theatre, NYC, after 82 performances
1998 – “Patti LaBelle On Broadway” closes at St James Theater NYC
2019 – Longest-ever US government shutdown ends after 35 days when President Donald Trump agrees to three week of negotiations on border security by a House-Senate conference committee

More Historical Events »

Today in History for 25th January 2026

Historical Events

1946 – United Mine Workers union rejoins American Federation of Labor
1955 – Russia ends state of war with Germany
1983 – Infrared telescope satellite launched into polar orbit
2001 – A 50-year-old Douglas DC-3 crashes near Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela killing 24
2013 – 50 people are killed and 90 are injured in a prison riot in Barquisimeto, Venezuela

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1814 – Francis Harrison Pierpont, American lawyer and politician (Union), born in Morgantown, West Virginia (d. 1899)
1880 – Francis George Scott, Scottish composer (Intuitions), born in Hawick, Roxburghshire, Scotland (d. 1958)
1917 – Floyd “Guitar” Smith, American jazz and blues guitarist and record producer, born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 1982)
1929 – Robert Faurisson, British-born French academic, born in Shepperton, United Kingdom (d. 2018)
1947 – Ángel Nieto, Spanish motorcycle racer (World C’ships: 50cc 1969, 70, 72, 75, 76, 77; 125cc 1971, 72, 79, 81, 82, 83, 84; 90 Grand Prix victories), born in Zamora, Spain (d. 2017)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

844 – Pope Gregory IV, Italian Pope (827-844)
1871 – Jeanne Villepreux-Power, “Mother of Aquariophily,” French pioneering marine biologist and inventor of the aquarium, dies at 76
1992 – Mahmoud Riad, Egyptian diplomat, Secretary-General of Arab League (1972-79), dies at 74
1998 – Attila Zoller, Hungarian-American jazz guitarist, educator (Vermont Jazz Center, 1974-98), and inventor (bi-directional pickup), dies at 70
2009 – Kim Manners, American television producer and director (b. 1951)

More Famous Deaths »

Famous Deaths for 24th January 2026

1376 – Richard FitzAlan, 3rd Earl of Arundel, English military leader for Edward III during Hundred Years’ War dies at 62 or 63
1805 – Giacomo Conti, Italian composer, dies at 50
1905 – William Sellers, American engineer and inventor (US standard screw thread), dies at 80
1929 – Willem Royaards, Dutch theater director (Adam in Ballingschap), dies at 62
1975 – Larry Fine, American actor and comedian (3 Stooges), dies at 72
1986 – Gordon MacRae, American singer and actor (Oklahoma!, Carousel), dies of pneumonia at 64
1991 – John M. Kelly, Irish politician and academic (b. 1931)
1991 – Harold “Shot” Jackson, American country dobro player, and pedal steel guitarist (Roy Acuff), and guitar designer and builder (Sho-Bud), dies after his second stroke at 70
1992 – Ken Darby, American vocal arranger, lyricist, Academy Award-winning film score composer, and writer, dies at 82
2002 – Elie Hobeika, Lebanese Forces militia commander (b. 1956)

More Famous Deaths »

Historical Events for 24th January 2026

1950 – Jackie Robinson signs highest contract ($35,000) in Dodger history
1960 – Algeria uprises against French President de Gaulle
1962 – Retail entrepreneur Brian Epstein signs a 5-year management contract with the Beatles
1964 – Dutch comic strip “Eric de Noorman” by Hans G. Kresse ends
1981 – Islanders scored 5 power play goals against Nordiques
1990 – Japanese MUSES-A (Hiten) launched towards moon
2011 – “21” second studio album by Adele is released (Grammy Award for Album of the Year 2012, Brit Award for British Album of the Year, 2011 Billboard Album of the Year)
2022 – 19 die in a fight and a fire at a nightclub in Sorong city, West Papua, Indonesia

More Historical Events »

Today in History for 24th January 2026

Historical Events

1924 – Benito Mussolini disallows non-fascist work union
1930 – John Mills scores New Zealand’s 1st Test century in cricket, sharing a record 276 run opening stand with Stewie Dempster
1935 – First canned beer, “Krueger’s Cream Ale,” is sold by American company Krueger Brewing Co.
1950 – US patent is awarded to inventor Percy Spencer for the microwave oven
2018 – UK charity Presidents Club forced to close after revelations of sexual harassment at event revealed by the “Financial Times”

More Historical Events »

Famous Birthdays

1746 – Gustav III, King of Sweden (1771-92), born in Stockholm (d. 1792)
1864 – Marguerite Durand, French journalist, feminist, and publisher (La Fronde), born in Paris, France (d. 1936)
1925 – William Hudson, American actor (I Led 3 Lives), born in Gilroy, California (d. 1974)
1948 – Michael Des Barres, British rock singer (Detective; Power Station), actor (MacGyver; The New WKRP in Cincinnati), and radio DJ, born in Hove, England
1957 – Mark Eaton, American basketball center (NBA All-Star 1989; NBA Defensive Player of the Year 1985, 89; Utah Jazz), born in Westminster, California (d. 2021)

More Famous Birthdays »

Famous Deaths

1848 – Horace Wells, American dentist (pioneered use of medical anesthesia), commits suicide after committing a crime under the influence of chloroform at 33
2008 – J. Robert Hooper, American politician, dies at 71
2015 – Toller Cranston, Canadian figure skater (Olympic bronze men’s singles 1976; World C’ship bronze 1974) and painter, dies of a heart attack at 65
2022 – Aftab Baloch, Pakistan cricket batsman (2 Tests; 7th player to pass the 400 first class run milestone, 428 for Sind 1974), dies at 68
2025 – Ellert Schram, Icelandic soccer forward (23 caps; KR) and executive (chairman Icelandic FA 1973-89), dies at 85

More Famous Deaths »