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In the 1990s under President Boris Yeltsin, he was the first governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast (1991–1997)
Notable Deaths on February 27
85 people
640 – 2025
February 27 has seen 85 notable figures pass away throughout recorded history — from 640 – 2025. Below are the most significant names who died on this date.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
2015 — Boris Nemtsov
Russian academic and politician, First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia (born 1959)
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Later he worked in the government of Russia as Minister of Fuel and Energy (1997), Vice Premier of Russia and Security Council member from 1997 to 1998
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In 1998, he co-founded the coalition group Right Cause and in 1999, he co-formed Union of Right Forces, an electoral bloc and subsequently a political party
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Nemtsov was also a member of the Congress of People's Deputies (1990), Federation Council (1993–97) and State Duma (1999–2003).
Did you know
Boris Yefimovich Nemtsov was a Russian physicist, liberal statesman and politician, opposition leader and outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin
Frankish lord (born 580)
Pepin I of Landen, also called the Elder or the Old, was the Mayor of the palace of Austrasia under the Merovingian King Dagobert I from 623 to 629. He was also the Mayor for Sigebert III from 639 until his death.
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640
Frankish nobleman
Conrad, called the Old or the Elder, was the Duke of Thuringia briefly in 892–93. He was the namesake of the Conradiner family and son of Udo of Neustria. His mother (probably) was a daughter of Conrad I of Logenahe…
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906
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople (born 917)
Theophylact Lekapenos was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 2 February 933 to his death in 956.
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956
English theologian and bishop
Robert of Melun was an English scholastic Christian theologian who taught in France, and later became Bishop of Hereford in England. He studied under Peter Abelard in Paris before teaching there and at Melun, which gave…
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1167
Eleanor of Castile
queen consort of Navarre (born c. 1363)
1416
Vasily I Dmitriyevich was Grand Prince of Vladimir and Moscow from 1389. He was the heir of Dmitry Donskoy, who reigned from 1359 to 1389.
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1425
William VIII Palaiologos was the Marquis of Montferrat from 1464 until his death.
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1483
controversial Catholic preacher (born 1504)
Johann Faber of Heilbronn, also known as Johannes Fabri, was a controversial 16th century Catholic preacher.
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1558
German Noblewoman (born 1524)
Kunigunde of Brandenburg-Kulmbach was a princess of Brandenburg-Kulmbach by birth and by marriage Margravine of Baden-Durlach.
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1558
Catalan lawyer, clergyman and President of the Generalitat, founder of the Catalan Republic (born 1586)
Pau Claris i Casademunt was a Catalan lawyer, clergyman and 94th President of the Deputation of the General of Catalonia at the beginning of the Catalan Revolt. On 16 January 1641 he proclaimed the Catalan Republic…
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1641
English-American clergyman and academic (born 1609)
Henry Dunster was a New England Puritan clergyman who served as the first president of Harvard College from 1640 to 1654. Brackney says Dunster was "an important precursor" of the Baptist denomination in America,…
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1659
1st Duke of Bolton, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire (born 1625)
Charles Paulet, 1st Duke of Bolton was an English politician who represented Winchester and Hampshire in the House of Commons of England from 1660 to 1675. He was the son of John Paulet, 5th Marquess of Winchester, and…
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1699
English gardener and author (born 1620)
John Evelyn, an English writer, landowner, gardener, courtier and minor government official, has become best known as a diarist. He was a founding Fellow of the Royal Society.
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1706
3rd Baronet, English politician (born 1645)
Sir William Villiers, 3rd Baronet was an English politician from the Villiers family.
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1712
English-American minister (born 1653)
Samuel Parris was a Puritan minister in the Province of Massachusetts Bay. Also a businessman and one-time plantation owner, he gained notoriety for being the minister of the church in Salem Village, Massachusetts…
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1720
Scottish physician and polymath (born 1667)
John Arbuthnot FRS, often known simply as Dr Arbuthnot, was a Scottish physician, satirist and polymath in London. He is best remembered for his contributions to mathematics, his membership in the Scriblerus Club, and…
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1735
European adventurer (born 1710)
The Count of St. Germain whose real name and origins remain unknown, was a European adventurer who had interests and achievements in science, alchemy, philosophy, and the arts. He rose to prominence in the European high…
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1784
Japanese sumo wrestler (born 1750)
Tanikaze Kajinosuke was a Japanese sumo wrestler from the Edo period. Officially recognized as the fourth yokozuna, he was however effectively the first, as he was the first to be awarded the title during his lifetime.…
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1795
American banker and politician (born 1786)
Nicholas Biddle was an American financier who served as the third and last president of the Second Bank of the United States. Throughout his life Biddle worked as an editor, diplomat, author, and politician who served…
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1844
Russian composer and chemist (born 1833)
Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin was a Russian Romantic composer and chemist of Georgian–Russian parentage. He was one of the prominent 19th-century composers known as "The Five", a group dedicated to producing a…
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1887
French fashion designer and businessman, founded Louis Vuitton (born 1821)
Louis Vuitton was a French malletier and businessman. He was the founder of the Louis Vuitton brand of leather goods now owned by LVMH. Prior to this, he had been appointed as trunk-maker to Eugénie de Montijo, wife of…
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1892
English-Australian lieutenant (born 1864)
Harry Harbord "Breaker" Morant was an English horseman, bush balladist, military officer and war criminal who was convicted and executed for murdering nine prisoners-of-war (POWs) and three captured civilians in three…
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1902
English cricketer and umpire (born 1871)
Schofield Haigh was a Yorkshire and England cricketer. He played for nineteen seasons for Yorkshire County Cricket Club, sporadically for England from 1898–99 to 1912, and was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1901.
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1921
Indian revolutionary (born 1906)
Chandra Shekhar Sitaram Tiwari, popularly known as Chandra Shekhar Azad, was an Indian revolutionary who reorganised the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) under its new name of Hindustan Socialist Republican…
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1931
American judge and politician, 2nd United States Secretary of Commerce (born 1852)
Joshua Willis Alexander was United States secretary of commerce from December 16, 1919, to March 4, 1921, in the administration of President Woodrow Wilson.
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1936
Russian physiologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1849)
Ivan Petrovich Pavlov was a Russian and Soviet experimental neurologist and physiologist known for his discovery of classical conditioning through his experiments with dogs. Pavlov also conducted significant research on…
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1936
Irish Republican, died in the Spanish Civil War (born 1914)
Charles Patrick Donnelly was an Irish poet, Irish Republican and left wing political activist. He was killed fighting on the republican side during the Spanish Civil War.
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1937
Navajo artist, medicine man, and weaver (born 1867)
Hosteen Klah was a Navajo artist, medicine person, and ceremonial practitioner. Known for combining traditional Navajo weaving with sacred sandpainting imagery, Klah played a significant role in preserving and…
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1937
American saint, foundress of the Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross (born 1862)
Emily Malbone Morgan was a prominent social and religious leader in the Episcopal Church in the United States who helped found the Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross as well as the Colonel Daniel Putnam…
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1937
Greek poet and playwright (born 1859)
Kostis Palamas was a Greek poet who wrote the words to the Olympic Hymn. He was a central figure of the Greek literary generation of the 1880s and one of the cofounders of the so-called New Athenian School along with…
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1943
Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Speaker of the Lok Sabha (born 1888)
Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar popularly known as Dadasaheb, was an Indian politician and independence activist who served as the President of the Central Legislative Assembly, then Speaker of the Constituent Assembly of…
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1956
Australian-American costume designer (born 1897)
Orry-Kelly was the professional name of Orry George Kelly, an Australian-American Hollywood costume designer. Until being overtaken by Catherine Martin in 2014, he was the most prolific Australian-born Oscar winner,…
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1964
American singer-songwriter (born 1942)
Franklin Joseph Lymon was an American rock and roll/rhythm and blues singer and songwriter, dancer and composer best known as the boy soprano lead singer of the New York City-based early rock and roll doo-wop group the…
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1968
Canadian ethnographer and academic (born 1883)
Charles Marius Barbeau,, also known as C. Marius Barbeau, or more commonly simply Marius Barbeau, was a Canadian ethnographer and folklorist who is today considered a founder of Canadian anthropology. A Rhodes Scholar,…
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1969
American author and illustrator (born 1917)
William Blake Everett was an American comic book writer and artist best known for creating Namor the Sub-Mariner, as well as co-creating Daredevil and the zombie Simon Garth with writer Stan Lee for Marvel Comics.
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1973
American author and playwright (born 1905)
John Dickson Carr was an American author of detective stories, who also published using the pseudonyms Carter Dickson, Carr Dickson, and Roger Fairbairn.
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1977
American actor (born 1901)
George Tobias was an American theater, film and television actor. He had character parts and supporting roles in several major films of Hollywood's Golden Age. He is also known for his role as Abner Kravitz on the TV…
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1980
English singer and drummer (born 1916)
Henry Pitts Brown, better known by his stage name Ray Ellington, was an English jazz musician and bandleader. He is best known for his appearances on The Goon Show from 1951 to 1960. The Ray Ellington Quartet had a…
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1985
American politician and diplomat, 3rd United States Ambassador to the United Nations (born 1902)
Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. was an American diplomat and politician who represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate and served as United States Ambassador to the United Nations in the administration of President…
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1985
English-American actor and singer (born 1904)
James Rudolph O'Malley was an English actor and singer who appeared in many American films and television programmes from the 1940s to 1982, using the stage name J. Pat O'Malley. He also appeared on the Broadway stage…
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1985
Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1929)
Joseph Jacques Omer Plante was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. During a career as a goaltender lasting from 1947 to 1975, he was considered to be one of the most important innovators in hockey. He played for…
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1986
American cartoonist (born 1903)
Bill Holman was an American cartoonist who drew the classic comic strip Smokey Stover from 1935 until he retired in 1973. Distributed through the Chicago Tribune syndicate, it had the longest run of any strip in the…
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1987
Polish priest (born 1921)
Franciszek Blachnicki was a Polish Roman Catholic priest and the founder of the Light-Life movement, also known as the Oasis Movement, and the Secular Institute of the Immaculate Mother of the Church. He founded several…
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1987
Austrian zoologist, ethologist, and ornithologist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1903)
Konrad Zacharias Lorenz was an Austrian zoologist, ethologist, and ornithologist. He shared the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Nikolaas Tinbergen and Karl von Frisch. He is often regarded as one of the…
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1989
Canadian-American linguist and politician (born 1906)
Samuel Ichiye Hayakawa was a Canadian-born American academic and politician of Japanese ancestry. A professor of English, he served as president of San Francisco State University and then as U.S. Senator from California…
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1992
American actress (born 1893)
Lillian Diana Gish was an American actress best known for her work in movies of the silent era. Her film-acting career spanned 75 years, from 1912, in silent film shorts, to 1987. Gish was dubbed the "First Lady of the…
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1993
American pharmacologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1905)
George Herbert Hitchings was an American medical doctor who shared the 1988 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Sir James Black and Gertrude Elion "for their discoveries of important principles for drug…
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1998
American actor (born 1943)
James Thomas Patrick Walsh was an American character actor. He starred in many films of the 1980s and 1990s, which include Tin Men (1987), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), A Few Good Men (1992), Hoffa (1992), Nixon (1995),…
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1998
American pianist and composer (born 1934)
Horace Elva Tapscott was an American jazz pianist and composer. He formed the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra in 1961 and led the ensemble through the 1990s.
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1999
Irish soldier, actor, comedian, and author (born 1918)
Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan was an Anglo-Irish comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright and actor. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British India, where he spent his childhood before…
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2002
English-Australian composer and conductor (born 1923)
John Arthur Lanchbery OBE was an English-Australian composer and conductor, famous for his ballet arrangements. He served as the Principal Conductor of the Royal Ballet from 1959 to 1972, Principal Conductor of the…
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2003
American minister and television host (born 1928)
Fred McFeely Rogers, known professionally as Mister Rogers, was an American television personality, Presbyterian minister, and author. He was the creator, showrunner, and host of the preschool television series Mister…
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2003
Japanese historian and academic (born 1928)
Yoshihiko Amino was a Japanese Marxist historian and public intellectual, perhaps most singularly known for his novel examination of medieval Japanese history.
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2004
American economist and journalist (born 1910)
Paul Marlor Sweezy was an American Marxist economist, political activist, publisher, and founding editor of the long-running magazine Monthly Review. He is best remembered for his contributions to economic theory as one…
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2004
American publisher (born 1927)
Otis Chandler was the publisher of the Los Angeles Times between 1960 and 1980, leading a large expansion of the newspaper and its ambitions. He was the fourth and final member of the Chandler family to hold the paper's…
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2006
Jr., American general and author (born 1908)
Robert Lee Scott Jr. was a brigadier general in the United States Air Force and a flying ace of World War II, credited with shooting down 13 Japanese aircraft.
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2006
English comedian and author (born 1958)
Linda Helen Smith was an English comedian and comedy writer. She appeared regularly on Radio 4 panel games, and was voted "Wittiest Living Person" by listeners in 2002. From 2004 to 2006, she was head of the British…
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2006
German general (born 1914)
Alexander Otto Hermann Wolfgang Bernd(t) Freiherr Freytag von Loringhoven, was a Baltic German officer in the German Army during World War II. In 1956, he joined the West German Federal Armed Forces, the Bundeswehr, and…
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2007
Jr., American author and journalist, founded the National Review (born 1925)
William Frank Buckley Jr. was an American conservative writer, public intellectual, political commentator and novelist.
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2008
American journalist and sportscaster (born 1929)
Myron Sidney Kopelman, known professionally as Myron Cope, was an American sports journalist, radio personality, and sportscaster. He is best known for being "the voice of the Pittsburgh Steelers".
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2008
German vocalist of Russian descent with four and a half octave range (born 1931)
Ivan Rebroff was a German vocalist, allegedly of Russian ancestry, who rose to prominence for his distinct and extensive vocal range of four octaves, ranging "from a low F to a high F, one and a quarter octaves above…
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2008
Indian educator and activist (born 1916)
Chandikadas Amritrao Deshmukh, better known as Nanaji Deshmukh, was an Indian social activist and politician. He worked in the fields of education, health, and rural self-reliance. He was posthumously awarded the Bharat…
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2010
American soldier (born 1901)
Frank Woodruff Buckles was a corporal in the United States Army and the last surviving American military veteran of World War I. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1917 aged 16 and served with a detachment from Fort Riley,…
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2011
Turkish engineer and politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Turkey (born 1926)
Necmettin Erbakan was a Turkish politician and political theorist who served as the 23rd prime minister of Turkey from 1996 to 1997. He was pressured by the military to step down as prime minister and was later banned…
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2011
American baseball player, manager, and sportscaster (born 1926)
Edwin Donald "Duke" Snider, nicknamed "the Duke of Flatbush", was an American professional baseball player. Primarily a center fielder, he spent most of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career playing for the Brooklyn /…
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2011
American director and producer (born 1961)
Gary Scott Winick was an American filmmaker whose films as a director include Tadpole (2002) and 13 Going on 30 (2004), and who also produced such films as Pieces of April (2003) and November (2004) through his New York…
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2011
2012
Dutch physician and psychiatrist (born 1920)
Tina Strobos was a Dutch physician and psychiatrist from Amsterdam, known for her resistance work during World War II. While a young medical student, she worked with her mother and grandmother to rescue more than 100…
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2012
Croatian journalist and producer (born 1945)
Helga Vlahović was a Croatian journalist, producer, and television personality, whose career spanned five decades in both SFR Yugoslavia and later Croatia. She was one of the most popular television presenters in the…
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2012
American pianist (born 1934)
Harvey Lavan "Van" Cliburn Jr. was an American pianist. At the age of 23, Cliburn achieved worldwide recognition when in 1958 he won the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.
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2013
Dutch mixed martial artist and kick-boxer (born 1969)
Ramon Dekkers was a Dutch professional Muay Thai fighter. He won five world titles across four weight classes in Muay Thai during the 1980s and 1990s. Nicknamed the "Turbine from Hell", he was a fan favorite due to his…
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2013
American actor (born 1923)
Dayle Lymoine Robertson was an American actor best known for his starring roles on television. He played the roving investigator Jim Hardie in the television series Tales of Wells Fargo and railroad owner Ben Calhoun in…
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2013
Chilean lawyer and politician (born 1943)
Miguel Adolfo Gerardo Zaldívar Larraín was a Chilean politician and lawyer. He was senator for Aisén and from March 2008 until his death in February 2013 he had been President of the Chilean Senate. He was an historic…
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2013
American game designer and author (born 1960)
Aaron Dale Allston was an American game designer and author of many science fiction books, notably Star Wars novels. His works as a game designer include game supplements for role-playing games, several of which served…
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2014
American basketball player (born 1934)
Lynwood Terry Rand was an American basketball player, best known for his college career at Marquette University. Despite being drafted in the second round of the 1954 NBA draft, he never played in the NBA, instead…
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2014
American actor (born 1931)
Leonard Simon Nimoy was an American actor and director, famous for playing Spock in the Star Trek franchise for almost 50 years. This includes originating Spock in the original Star Trek series in 1966, then Star Trek:…
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2015
Argentinian lawyer and jurist (born 1933)
Julio César Strassera was an Argentine lawyer and jurist. He served as Chief Prosecutor during the Trial of the Juntas in 1985.
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2015
South Korean lawyer and politician (born 1922)
Lee Cheol-seung was a South Korean politician who served as Deputy Speaker for the 9th National Assembly of South Korea. He was a long-time lawmaker who served seven terms in the National Assembly, representing Jeonju.…
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2016
American lawyer and judge (born 1943)
James Z. Davis was an American judge on the Utah Court of Appeals.
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2016
Australian rugby league player and coach (born 1959)
Steven John Folkes was an Australian professional rugby league footballer and coach of the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the National Rugby League. He represented both New South Wales and Australia
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2018
Seychellois politician, 2nd President of Seychelles (born 1935)
France-Albert René was a Seychellois lawyer and politician who served as the country’s second President of Seychelles from 1977 to 2004, following a coup d'état that ousted the country's founding president, James…
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2019
Hong Kong actor (born 1952)
Richard Ng Man-tat, commonly called Uncle Tat (達叔), was a Hong Kong actor originally from Fujian. He was a veteran with dozens of awards in the Hong Kong film industry, including Best Supporting Actor at the 10th Hong…
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2021
Haitian prime minister (born 1934)
Gérard Latortue was a Haitian politician and diplomat who served as the prime minister of Haiti from 12 March 2004 to 9 June 2006. He was an official in the United Nations for many years, and briefly served as foreign…
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2023
Russian chess grandmaster (born 1937)
Boris Vasilyevich Spassky was a Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster who was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from 1969 to 1972. Spassky played three world championship matches: he lost to Tigran…
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2025
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February 27 in the Blog
The Great Fire of London: A Devastating Conflagration
1666 Great Fire of London ravages London, England, with unstoppable flames
Read the full storyNotable deaths
Who died on February 27?
Boris Nemtsov — Russian scientist, statesman, and politician (1959–2015)
FeaturedBoris Nemtsov
Death year2015
Known forEarly in his political career, he was involved in the introduction of reforms into the Russian post-Soviet economy
Deaths on this date85 (640 – 2025)
Explore February 27
Jump between the main pages for this date to compare events, people, and the daily quiz.
Also on February 27 in History
2019
Pakistan Air Force JF-17 Thunder downs Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman's Mig-21 in an aerial dogfight and captures him after conducting airstrikes in Jammu and Kashmir. Wikipedia →
2015
Russian politician Boris Nemtsov is assassinated in Moscow while out walking with his girlfriend. Wikipedia →
2013
See all events on February 27
A shooting takes place at a factory in Menznau, Switzerland, in which five people (including the perpetrator) are killed and five others injured. Wikipedia →
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