Notable Deaths on August 27

Q: Who died on August 27?

Notable people who died on August 27 include: Caesarius of Arles, Qahtaba ibn Shabib al-Ta'i, Pope Eugene II, Ageltrude, King Eric III of Denmark.

Q: What is Rufus Wilmot Griswold known for?

Rufus Wilmot Griswold, American anthologist, poet, and critic (born 1815)

95 people 542 – 2024

August 27 has seen 95 notable figures pass away throughout recorded history — from 542 – 2024. Below are the most significant names who died on this date.

By thisDay.info Editorial Team · August 27 — Wikipedia

1857 — Rufus Wilmot Griswold

American anthologist, poet, and critic (born 1815)

Did you know

Born in Vermont, Griswold left home when he was 15 years old

Did you know

He built a strong literary reputation, in part due to his 1842 collection The Poets and Poetry of America

Did you know

Griswold was married three times: his first wife died young, his second marriage ended in a public and controversial divorce, and his third wife left him after the previous divorce was almost repealed.

Did you know

Rufus Wilmot Griswold was an American anthologist, editor, poet, and critic

Did you know

Many writers hoped to have their work included in one of these editions, although they commented harshly on Griswold's abrasive character

Caesarius of Arles

French bishop and saint (born 470)

Caesarius of Arles, sometimes called "of Chalon" from his birthplace Chalon-sur-Saône, was the foremost ecclesiastic of his generation in Merovingian Gaul. Caesarius is considered to be of the last generation of church…

542

Qahtaba ibn Shabib al-Ta'i

Persian general

Qahtaba ibn Shabib al-Ta'i was a follower of the Abbasids from Khurasan who played a leading role in the Abbasid Revolution against the Umayyad Caliphate.

749

Pope Eugene II

Pope Eugene II was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 6 June 824 to his death on 27 August 827. A native of Rome, he was chosen by nobles to succeed Paschal I as pope despite the clergy and the people…

827

Ageltrude

queen of Italy and Holy Roman Empress

Ageltrude or Agiltrude was the Empress and Queen of Italy as the wife of Guy. She was the regent for her son Lambert and actively encouraged him in opposing the Carolingians, and in influencing papal elections in their…

923

King Eric III of Denmark

Eric III Lamb was King of Denmark from 1137 until 1146. He was the grandson of Eric I and the nephew of Eric II, whom he succeeded on the throne. He abdicated in 1146, becoming the first monarch of Denmark to do so…

1146

Little Saint Hugh of Lincoln (born 1247)

Hugh of Lincoln was an English boy whose death in Lincoln was falsely attributed to Jews. He is sometimes known as Little Saint Hugh or Little Sir Hugh to distinguish him from the adult saint, Hugh of Lincoln. The boy…

1255

Arthur II

Duke of Brittany (born 1261)

Arthur II, of the House of Dreux, was Duke of Brittany from 1305 to his death. He was the first son of John II and Beatrice, daughter of Henry III of England and Eleanor of Provence.

1312

Emperor Chōkei of Japan (born 1343)

Emperor Chōkei was the 98th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He reigned from 1368 through 1383. His personal name was Yutanari (寛成) and his regal name roughly translates to "Long…

1394

Reginald West

6th Baron De La Warr, English politician (born 1395)

Reginald West, 6th Baron De La Warr and 3rd Baron West was an English nobleman and politician.

1450

Josquin des Prez

Flemish composer (born 1450)

Josquin Lebloitte dit des Prez was a singer and composer of Renaissance music, who is variously described as French or Franco-Flemish. Considered one of the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he was a central figure…

1521

Piotr Gamrat

Polish archbishop (born 1487)

Piotr Gamrat of Sulima arms was Archbishop of Gniezno and Primate of Poland.

1545

Titian

Italian painter and educator (born 1488)

Tiziano Vecellio, Latinized as Titianus, hence known in English as Titian, was an Italian Renaissance painter. The most important artist of Renaissance Venetian painting, he was born in Pieve di Cadore, near Belluno.

1576

Pope Sixtus V (born 1521)

Pope Sixtus V, born Felice Piergentile, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 April 1585 to his death, in August 1590. As a youth, he joined the Franciscan order, where he displayed…

1590

Tomás Luis de Victoria

Spanish composer (born c. 1548)

Tomás Luis de Victoria was the most famous Spanish composer of the Renaissance. He stands with Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and Orlande de Lassus as among the principal composers of the late Renaissance, and was…

1611

Lope de Vega

Spanish poet and playwright (born 1562)

Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio was a Spanish playwright, poet, and novelist who was a key figure in the Spanish Golden Age (1492–1659) of Baroque literature. In the literature of Spain, Lope de Vega is often considered…

1635

Francisco de Zurbarán

Spanish painter and educator (born 1598)

Francisco de Zurbarán was a Spanish Baroque painter. He is known primarily for his religious paintings depicting monks, nuns, and martyrs, and for his still-lifes. Zurbarán gained the nickname "Spanish Caravaggio",…

1664

James Thomson

Scottish poet and playwright (born 1700)

James Thomson was a Scottish poet and playwright, known for his poems The Seasons and The Castle of Indolence, and for the lyrics of "Rule, Britannia!"

1748

John Laurens

American Revolutionary and abolitionist (born 1754)

John Laurens was an American soldier and statesman from South Carolina during the American Revolutionary War, best known for his efforts to help recruit slaves to fight for their freedom as U.S. soldiers.

1782

Eise Eisinga

Dutch astronomer and academic, built the Eisinga Planetarium (born 1744)

Eise Jeltes Eisinga was a Frisian astronomer who built the Eise Eisinga Planetarium in his house in Franeker, Dutch Republic. The orrery still exists and is the oldest functioning planetarium in the world.

1828

Thomas Chandler Haliburton

Canadian judge and politician (born 1796)

Thomas Chandler Haliburton was a Nova Scotian politician, judge, and author who was the first international best-selling fiction author from what is now Canada, and who served as a Conservative Member of Parliament in…

1865

William Whiting Boardman

American lawyer and politician (born 1794)

William Whiting Boardman was a politician and United States Representative from Connecticut.

1871

William Chapman Ralston

American businessman and financier, founded the Bank of California (born 1826)

William Chapman Ralston was a San Francisco businessman and financier, and the founder of the Bank of California.

1875

Samuel C. Pomeroy

American businessman and politician (born 1816)

Samuel Clarke Pomeroy was a United States senator from Kansas in the mid-19th century. He served in the United States Senate during the American Civil War. Pomeroy also served in the Massachusetts House of…

1891

Kusumoto Ine

first Japanese female doctor of Western medicine (born 1827)

Kusumoto Ine was a Japanese physician. She was the first female doctor of Western medicine in Japan.

1903

Emil Christian Hansen

Danish physiologist and mycologist (born 1842)

Emil Christian Hansen was a Danish mycologist and fermentation physiologist.

1909

Reşat Çiğiltepe

Turkish colonel (born 1879)

Reşat Çiğiltepe was an officer of the Ottoman Army and the Turkish Army, having fought in the Balkan wars, and in World War 1 during the Gallipoli campaign and the Battle of Muş. He committed suicide on 27 August 1922…

1922

Herman Potočnik

Croatian-Austrian engineer (born 1892)

Herman Potočnik was an Austro-Hungarian Army officer, electrical engineer and astronautics theorist of Slovenian origin. He is regarded as an early theorist of modern space flight and is remembered mainly for his work…

1929

Frank Harris

Irish-American journalist and author (born 1856)

Frank Harris was an Irish-American editor, novelist, short story writer, journalist and publisher, who was friendly with many well-known figures of his day.

1931

Willem Hubert Nolens

Dutch priest and politician (born 1860)

Wilhelmus Hubertus "Wiel" Nolens was a Dutch politician and a Roman Catholic priest.

1931

Francis Marion Smith

American miner and businessman (born 1846)

Francis Marion Smith was an American miner, business magnate and civic builder in the Mojave Desert, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Oakland, California. He was known nationally and internationally as "Borax Smith" and…

1931

Childe Hassam

American painter and academic (born 1859)

Frederick Childe Hassam was an American Impressionist painter, noted for his urban and coastal scenes. Along with Mary Cassatt and John Henry Twachtman, Hassam was instrumental in promulgating Impressionism to American…

1935

Georg von Boeselager

German soldier (born 1915)

Georg von Boeselager was a German nobleman and an officer in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany, who led the Nazi security warfare operations in the Army Group Centre Rear Area on the Eastern Front, calling for extreme…

1944

Hubert Pál Álgyay

Hungarian engineer, designed the Petőfi Bridge (born 1894)

Hubert Pál Álgyay was a Hungarian engineer and lecturer.

1945

Charles Evans Hughes

American lawyer and politician, 11th Chief Justice of the United States (born 1862)

Charles Evans Hughes was an American politician, academic, and jurist who served as the 11th chief justice of the United States from 1930 to 1941. A member of the Republican Party, he previously was the 36th governor of…

1948

Cesare Pavese

Italian author, poet, and critic (born 1908)

Cesare Pavese was an Italian novelist, poet, short story writer, translator, literary critic, and essayist. He is often referred to as one of the most influential Italian writers of his time.

1950

Pelageya Shajn

Russian astronomer and academic (born 1894)

Pelageya Fedorovna Shajn, née Sannikova, was a Russian astronomer in the Soviet Union, and the first woman credited with the discovery of a minor planet, at the Simeiz Observatory in 1928. Pelageya also discovered…

1956

Ernest Lawrence

American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1901)

Ernest Orlando Lawrence was an American physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1939 for his invention of the cyclotron. He is known for his work on uranium-isotope separation for the Manhattan Project, as…

1958

W. E. B. Du Bois

American sociologist, historian, and activist (born 1868)

William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was an American sociologist, writer, historian, and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist. Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up in a relatively tolerant and integrated…

1963

Inayatullah Khan Mashriqi

Pakistani mathematician and scholar (born 1888)

Inayatullah Khan Mashriqi, also known by the honorary title Allama Mashriqi, was a British Indian, and later, Pakistani mathematician, logician, political theorist, Islamic scholar and the founder of the Khaksar…

1963

Gracie Allen

American actress and comedian (born 1895)

Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie Allen was an American vaudevillian, singer, actress, and comedian who became internationally famous as the zany partner and comic foil of husband George Burns, her straight man, appearing with…

1964

Le Corbusier

Swiss-French architect and urban planner, designed the Philips Pavilion (born 1887)

Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, known as Le Corbusier, was a French-Swiss architectural designer, painter, urban planner and writer who was one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture. He was born in…

1965

Brian Epstein

English businessman and manager (born 1934)

Brian Samuel Epstein was an English music entrepreneur who managed the Beatles from 1961 until his death in 1967.

1967

Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark (born 1906)

Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, later Duchess of Kent, was a Greek and Danish princess by birth and a British princess by marriage. A granddaughter of King George I of Greece and Queen Olga, she was the daughter…

1968

Ivy Compton-Burnett

English author (born 1884)

Dame Ivy Compton-Burnett, was an English novelist, published in the original editions as I. Compton-Burnett. She was awarded the 1955 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for her novel Mother and Son. Her works consist…

1969

Erika Mann

German actress and author (born 1905)

Erika Julia Hedwig Mann was a German actress and writer, daughter of the novelist Thomas Mann.

1969

Bennett Cerf

American publisher, co-founded Random House (born 1898)

Bennett Alfred Cerf was an American writer, publisher, and co-founder of the American publishing firm Random House. Cerf was also known for his own compilations of jokes and puns, for regular personal appearances…

1971

Margaret Bourke-White

American photographer and journalist (born 1906)

Margaret Bourke-White was an American documentary photographer and photojournalist. She was known as an architectural and commercial photographer for the first half of her career, representing corporate clients and…

1971

Haile Selassie

Ethiopian emperor (born 1892)

Haile Selassie I was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as the Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia under Empress Zewditu between 1916 and 1930.

1975

Gordon Matta-Clark

American painter and illustrator (born 1943)

Gordon Matta-Clark was an American artist best known for site-specific artworks he made in the 1970s. He was also a pioneer in the field of socially engaged food art.

1978

Ieva Simonaitytė

Lithuanian author and poet (born 1897)

Ieva Simonaitytė or Ewa Simoneit was a Lithuanian writer. She represented the culture of Lithuania Minor and Klaipėda Region, territories of German East Prussia with historically large, but dwindling, Lithuanian…

1978

Helmi Üprus

Estonian art historian (born 1911)

Helmi Üprus was an Estonian architectural and art historian. She trained in romance languages, studied English and ethnography, and earned a master's degree in art history from the University of Tartu in 1936. She…

1978

Louis Mountbatten

1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, English admiral and politician, 44th Governor-General of India (born 1900)

Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, commonly known as Lord Mountbatten, was a British statesman, naval officer, and member of the British royal family. A maternal uncle of…

1979

Douglas Kenney

American actor, producer, and screenwriter (born 1947)

Douglas Clark Francis Kenney was an American comedy writer of magazine, novels, radio, TV and film, who co-founded the magazine National Lampoon in 1970. Kenney edited the magazine and wrote much of its early material.…

1980

Valeri Kharlamov

Russian ice hockey player (born 1948)

Valeri Borisovich Kharlamov was a Russian ice hockey forward who played for CSKA Moscow in the Soviet League from 1967 until his death in 1981. Kharlamov was a speedy, intelligent, skilled and dominant player, being…

1981

Avdy Andresson

Estonian soldier and diplomat (born 1899)

Avdy Andresson was the Estonian Minister of War in exile from April 3, 1973, until two months before his death on June 20, 1990, and disputed Commander of Armed Forces from 14 October 1975.

1990

Stevie Ray Vaughan

American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (born 1954)

Stephen Ray Vaughan, also known abbreviated as SRV, was an American musician, best known as the guitarist and frontman of the blues rock trio Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. Although his mainstream career spanned…

1990

Bengt Holbek

Danish folklorist (born 1933)

Bengt Holbek was a Danish folklorist known for his unorthodox approach to folklore theory. He wrote one of the definitive works of fairy tale scholarship entitled Interpretation of Fairy Tales (1987).

1992

Frank Jeske

German footballer (born 1960)

Frank Jeske was a German footballer.

1994

Greg Morris

American actor (born 1933)

Francis Gregory Alan Morris was an American actor. He was best known for portraying Barney Collier on the television series Mission: Impossible and Lieutenant David Nelson on Vega$.

1996

Essie Summers

New Zealand author (born 1912)

Essie Summers was a New Zealand writer whose romance novels sold more than 19 million copies in 105 countries. She was known as New Zealand's "Queen of Romance."

1998

Hélder Câmara

Brazilian archbishop and theologian (born 1909)

Hélder Pessoa Câmara was a Brazilian Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Olinda and Recife from 1964 to 1985 during the military dictatorship in Brazil. He was declared a Servant of God in 2015.

1999

Michael Dertouzos

Greek-American computer scientist and academic (born 1936)

Michael Leonidas Dertouzos was a professor in the department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Director of the MIT Laboratory for Computer Science…

2001

Abu Ali Mustafa

Palestinian politician (born 1938)

Mustafa Ali Zabri, better known by his kunya Abu Ali Mustafa and also known as Mustafa Alhaj, was a Palestinian militant who served as the General Secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)…

2001

Edwin Louis Cole

American religious leader and author (born 1922)

Edwin Louis Cole (1922–2002), also known as Ed Cole, was the founder of the Christian Men's Network, an American religious organization devoted to helping Christian men and fathers. He published many books and preached…

2002

Pierre Poujade

French soldier and politician (born 1920)

Pierre Poujade was a French right-wing populist politician after whom the Poujadist movement was named.

2003

Willie Crawford

American baseball player (born 1946)

Willie Murphy Crawford was an American professional baseball outfielder. He played in the major leagues with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1964–1975), St. Louis Cardinals (1976), Houston Astros (1977) and Oakland Athletics…

2004

Giorgos Mouzakis

Greek trumpet player and composer (born 1922)

Giorgos Muzakis was a prominent Greek virtuoso trumpeter and music composer.

2005

Seán Purcell

Irish footballer (born 1929)

Seán Purcell, was a Gaelic footballer who played at senior level for the Galway county team.

2005

Hrishikesh Mukherjee

Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1922)

Hrishikesh Mukherjee was an Indian film director, editor and writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of Indian cinema. Popularly known as Hrishi-da, he directed 42 films during his career spanning over…

2006

Jesse Pintado

Mexican-American guitarist (born 1969)

Jesus "Jesse" Ernesto Pintado Andrade was a Mexican-American guitarist best known as a guitarist for the British grindcore band Napalm Death.

2006

Emma Penella

Spanish actress (born 1930)

Manuela Ruiz Penella, better known as Emma Penella, was a Spanish film and television actress.

2007

Sergey Mikhalkov

Russian author and poet (born 1913)

Sergey Vladimirovich Mikhalkov was a Russian author of children's books and satirical fables. He wrote the lyrics for the Soviet and Russian national anthems.

2009

Anton Geesink

Dutch martial artist (born 1934)

Antonius Johannes Geesink was a Dutch 10th dan judoka. He was the first non-Japanese judoka to win gold at the World Judo Championships, a feat he accomplished in 1961 and 1965. He was also an Olympic Champion, having…

2010

Luna Vachon

Canadian-American wrestler and manager (born 1962)

Gertrude Elizabeth Vachon was an American-Canadian professional wrestler, better known as Luna Vachon. Over the course of her 22-year career, she wrestled for promotions such as the World Wrestling Federation, Extreme…

2010

Neville Alexander

South African linguist and activist (born 1936)

Neville Edward Alexander OLS was a proponent of a multilingual South Africa and a former revolutionary who spent ten years on Robben Island as a fellow prisoner of Nelson Mandela.

2012

Malcolm Browne

American journalist and photographer (born 1931)

Malcolm Wilde Browne was an American journalist and photographer, best known for his award-winning photograph of the self-immolation of Buddhist monk Thích Quảng Đức in 1963.

2012

Art Heyman

American basketball player (born 1941)

Arthur Bruce Heyman was an American professional basketball player. Playing for Duke University in college, in 1963 he was USBWA Player of the Year, AP Player of the Year, UPI Player of the Year, Sporting News Player of…

2012

Ivica Horvat

Croatian footballer and manager (born 1926)

Ivan "Ivica" Horvat was a Croatian and Yugoslav professional football player and manager.

2012

Richard Kingsland

Australian captain and pilot (born 1916)

Sir Richard Kingsland, was an Australian RAAF pilot known for being the youngest Australian group captain at age 29. He later became a senior public servant, heading the Departments of the Interior, Repatriation, and…

2012

Geliy Korzhev

Russian painter (born 1925)

Geliy Mikhailovich Korzhev-Chuvelyov was a Soviet and Russian painter.

2012

Chen Liting

Chinese director and playwright (born 1910)

Chen Liting was a Chinese playwright, drama and film director, screenwriter, and film theorist. He was one of the most prominent film directors and screenwriters in pre-Communist China, together with Shi Dongshan, Cai…

2013

Bill Peach

Australian journalist (born 1935)

William Norman Peach known as Bill Peach, was an Australian television journalist who hosted the ABC current affairs program This Day Tonight from 1967 to 1975.

2013

Dave Thomas

Welsh golfer and architect (born 1934)

David Charles Thomas was a Welsh professional golfer and renowned golf course architect.

2013

Jacques Friedel

French physicist and academic (born 1921)

Jacques Friedel ForMemRS was a French physicist and material scientist.

2014

Valeri Petrov

Bulgarian poet, playwright, and screenwriter (born 1920)

Valeri Petrov, was a popular Bulgarian poet, screenplay writer, playwright and translator of paternal Jewish origin.

2014

Benno Pludra

German author (born 1925)

Benno Pludra was a German children's author. He was born in Mückenberg, now Lauchhammer-West.

2014

Kazi Zafar Ahmed

Bangladeshi politician, 8th Prime Minister of Bangladesh (born 1939)

Kazi Zafar Ahmad was a Bangladeshi politician of the Jatiya Party, who was Prime Minister of Bangladesh from 1989 to 1990.

2015

Pascal Chaumeil

French director and screenwriter (born 1961)

Pascal Chaumeil was a French director and screenwriter. He started out as an assistant director in the 1980s, working with directors such as Pierre Tchernia and Luc Besson. He was nominated for two César Awards, both…

2015

Darryl Dawkins

American basketball player and coach (born 1957)

Darryl R. Dawkins was an American professional basketball player and coach. A three-time NBA finalist center, he most notably played for the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets with brief tenures at the Detroit…

2015

Australian Major Mitchell's cockatoo, oldest recorded parrot (born 1933)

Cookie was a male pink cockatoo residing at Brookfield Zoo, near Chicago, Illinois, United States. He was believed to be the oldest member of his species alive in captivity, at the age of 82 in June 2015, having…

2016

Bob Carr

American politician (born 1943)

Milton Robert Carr was an American lawyer, academic, and politician from Michigan.

2024

Juan Izquierdo

Uruguayan footballer (born 1997)

Juan Manuel Izquierdo Viana was a Uruguayan professional footballer who played as a centre-back.

2024

Charlotte Kretschmann

German supercentenarian (born 1909)

Charlotte Kretschmann was a German supercentenarian and is Germany's oldest-ever person.

2024

Leonard Riggio

American businessman (born 1941)

Leonard Stephen Riggio was an American businessman. He served as executive chairman of book store chain Barnes & Noble and was its largest shareholder from 1971 until the sale of the company to the hedge fund Elliott…

2024

Notable deaths

Who died on August 27?

Rufus Wilmot Griswold — American anthologist (1815–1857)

FeaturedRufus Wilmot Griswold

Death year1857

Known forBorn in Vermont, Griswold left home when he was 15 years old

Deaths on this date95 (542 – 2024)

Explore August 27

Jump between the main pages for this date to compare events, people, and the daily quiz.

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Also on August 27 in History

2011

Hurricane Irene strikes the United States east coast, killing 47 and causing an estimated $15.6 billion in damage. Wikipedia →

2009

Internal conflict in Myanmar: The Burmese military junta and ethnic armies begin three days of violent clashes in the Kokang Special Region. Wikipedia →

2006

Comair Flight 5191 crashes on takeoff from Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky, bound for Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta. Of the passengers and crew, 49 of 50 are confirmed dead in the hours following the crash. Wikipedia →

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Notable Deaths on August 27

1857 — Rufus Wilmot Griswold

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