Did you know
Magellan was killed in battle in the Philippines in 1521, but his crew, commanded by Spanish navigator Juan Sebastián Elcano, completed the return trip to Spain in 1522, achieving the first circumnavigation of Earth in history.
Notable Deaths on April 27
1521 — Ferdinand Magellan
Portuguese sailor and explorer (born 1480)
April 27 has 87 recorded notable deaths across history, from 630 to 2025. This focused page highlights 20 people with the strongest available profile context.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Notable Deaths
87 source records
630 – 2025
Today in history
Major events on April 27
See what else happened on this day in history.
- 1994 South African general election: The first democratic general election in South Africa, in which black citizens could vote. The Interim Constitution comes into force.This marked the end of Apartheid. Source
- 1978 The Saur Revolution begins in Afghanistan, ending the following morning with the murder of Afghan President Mohammed Daoud Khan and the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. Source
- 1992 Betty Boothroyd becomes the first woman to be elected Speaker of the British House of Commons in its 700-year history. Source
- 1522 A Spanish-Imperial army defeats French-Venetian army in the battle of Bicocca. The battle marks the end of dominance of Swiss mercenaries on the battlefield and is one of the first where firearms play a decisive role. Source
Did you know
In 2018, Khanna was posthumously honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest cinematic award, at the 65th National Film Awards.
Did you know
Feroz Khan (actor) appeared in over 60 films throughout his career and became one of Bollywood's popular style icons.
Did you know
Starting in 1968, Castaneda published a series of books that describe alleged training in shamanism that he received under the tutelage of a Yaqui "Man of Knowledge" named Don Juan Matus.
Did you know
Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin was a Russian composer and pianist.
More major people who died on April 27
Notable people are ranked by substantive profile depth and public notability.
2017
Vinod Khanna
Indian actor, producer and politician (born 1946)
Vinod Khanna was an Indian actor, film producer, and politician known for his work in Hindi cinema.
2009
Feroz Khan (actor)
Indian Actor, Film Director & Producer (born 1939)
Feroz Khan was an Indian actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor, best known for his work in Indian cinema.
1998
Carlos Castaneda
Peruvian-American anthropologist and author (born 1925)
Carlos Castaneda was a Peruvian-American writer, trained as an anthropologist.
1915
Alexander Scriabin
Russian pianist and composer (born 1872)
Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin was a Russian composer and pianist. Initially influenced by Frédéric Chopin, he composed in a relatively tonal, late-Romantic idiom.
1977
Stanley Adams
American actor and screenwriter (born 1915)
Stanley Adams was an American actor and screenwriter. He appeared in several films, including Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) and Lilies of the Field (1963).
1813
Zebulon Pike
American general and explorer (born 1779)
Zebulon Montgomery Pike was an American brigadier general and explorer for whom Pikes Peak in Colorado is named. As a U.S.
1999
Al Hirt
American trumpet player and bandleader (born 1922)
Alois Maxwell "Al" Hirt was an American trumpeter and bandleader.
1936
Karl Pearson
English mathematician and academic (born 1857)
Karl Pearson was an English biostatistician and mathematician. He has been credited with establishing the discipline of mathematical statistics.
2007
Mstislav Rostropovich
Russian cellist and conductor (born 1927)
Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich was a Soviet and Russian cellist and conductor.
1992
Gerard K. O'Neill
American physicist and astronomer (born 1927)
Gerard Kitchen O'Neill was an American physicist and space activist. As a faculty member of Princeton University, he invented a device called the particle storage ring for high-energy physics experiments.
1964
Jack Critchley
Australian politician (born 1892)
John Owen Critchley, was an Australian politician who served as a Labor member of the South Australian House of Assembly from 1930 to 1933 and then the Australian Senate from 1947 to 1959.
1972
Kwame Nkrumah
Ghanaian politician, 1st President of Ghana (born 1909)
Kwame Nkrumah, was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He served as Prime Minister of the Gold Coast from 1952 until 1957, when it gained independence from the United Kingdom.
1896
Henry Parkes
English-Australian businessman and politician, 7th Premier of New South Wales (born 1815)
Sir Henry Parkes, was a colonial Australian politician and the longest-serving non-consecutive premier of the Colony of New South Wales, the present-day state of New South Wales in the Commonwealth of Australia.
1599
Maeda Toshiie
Japanese general (born 1538)
Maeda Toshiie was one of the leading generals of Oda Nobunaga following the Sengoku period of the 16th century extending to the Azuchi–Momoyama period.
1882
Ralph Waldo Emerson
American poet and philosopher (born 1803)
Ralph Waldo Emerson, who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, minister, abolitionist, and poet who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century.
1999
Cyril Washbrook
English cricketer (born 1914)
Cyril Washbrook was an English cricketer, who played for Lancashire and England. He had a long career, split by World War II, and ending when he was aged 44.
2025
Jiggly Caliente
Filipino-American drag performer, singer and actress (born 1980)
Bianca Castro-Arabejo, known professionally as Jiggly Caliente, was a Filipino-American transgender drag performer and entertainer.
1988
Fred Bear
American hunter and author (born 1902)
Fred Bear was an American bow hunter and manufacturer. Although he did not start bow hunting until he was 29 and did not master the skill for many years, he is widely regarded as a pioneer in the bow hunting community.
1932
Hart Crane
American poet (born 1899)
Harold Hart Crane was an American poet. Inspired by the Romantics and his fellow Modernists, Crane wrote highly stylized poetry, often noted for its complexity.