September 27 in History

September 27 spans 51 recorded events across recorded history, from 1066 to 2024. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.

Holidays and observances on September 27

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The Battle of Kabul ends in a Taliban victory; an Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

1996 — The Battle of Kabul ends in a Taliban victory; an Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is established.

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Historical Events 51 events 1066 – 2024

More major events on September 27

The featured story and these ranked highlights form a quick summary. Every recorded event remains available in the chronology below.

  1. 1422 After the brief Gollub War, the Teutonic Knights sign the Treaty of Melno with Poland and Lithuania. Source
  2. 1941 The SS Patrick Henry is launched, becoming the first of more than 2,700 Liberty ships. Source

Did you know

In 1996, The Battle of Kabul ends in a Taliban victory; an Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is established. This featured entry focuses on the immediate decision and its direct historical impact.

Did you know

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, retroactively referred to as the First Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, was a totalitarian Islamic state led by the Taliban that ruled most of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. This helps explain why the event mattered beyond the initial announcement.

Did you know

At its peak, the Taliban government controlled approximately 90% of the country, while remaining regions in the northeast were held by the Northern Alliance, which maintained broad international recognition as a continuation of the Islamic State of Afghanistan. This clarifies the institutional and public response around the event.

Did you know

The Taliban referred to the government as interim throughout the entire period of its existence, despite the strong and permanent role of Mullah Omar in the government. This shows how the event shaped policy and public communication in the same period.

Did you know

In 1996, The Battle of Kabul ends in a Taliban victory; an Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is established had consequences that extended beyond the first headline. The key context is the institutions involved, the policy shift, and how the public response evolved afterward.


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1066 William the Conqueror

William the Conqueror and his army set sail from the mouth of the Somme river, beginning the Norman conquest of England.

William the Conqueror (c. 1028 – 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was Duke of Normandy (as William II) from 1035 onward. By 1060, following a long struggle, his hold on Normandy was secure. In 1066, following the death of Edward the Confessor, William invaded England, leading a Franco-Norman army to victory over the Anglo-Saxon forces of Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings. He suppressed subsequent English revolts in what has become known as the Norman Conquest. The rest of his life was marked by struggles to consolidate his hold over England and his continental lands, and by difficulties with his eldest son, Robert Curthose. William was the son of the unmarried Duke Robert I of Normandy and his mistress Herleva. His illegitimate status and youth caused some difficulties for him after he succeeded his father, as did the anarchy which plagued the first years of his rule. During his childhood and adolescence, members of the Norman aristocracy battled each other, both for control of the child duke and for their own ends. In 1047, William quashed a rebellion and began to establish his authority over the duchy, a process that was not complete until about 1060. His marriage in the 1050s to Matilda of Flanders provided him with a powerful ally in the neighbouring county of Flanders. By the time of his marriage, William was able to arrange the appointment of his supporters as bishops and abbots in the Norman church. His consolidation of power allowed him to expand his horizons, and he secured control of the neighbouring county of Maine by 1062. In the 1050s and early 1060s, William became a contender for the throne of England held by the childless Edward the Confessor, his first cousin once removed. There were other potential claimants, including the powerful English earl Harold Godwinson, whom Edward named as king on his deathbed in January 1066. Arguing that Edward had previously promised the throne to him and that Harold had sworn to support his claim, William built a large fleet and invaded England in September 1066. He decisively defeated and killed Harold at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066. After further military efforts, William was crowned king on Christmas Day, 1066 in London. He made arrangements for the governance of England in early 1067 before returning to Normandy. Several unsuccessful rebellions followed, but William's hold on England was mostly secure by 1075, allowing him to spend the greater part of his reign in continental Europe. William's final years were marked by difficulties in his continental domains, troubles with his son, Robert, and threatened invasions of England by the Danes. In 1086, he ordered the compilation of the Domesday Book, a survey listing all of the land-holdings in England along with their pre-Conquest and current holders. He died in September 1087 while leading a campaign in northern France, and was buried in Caen. His reign in England was marked by the construction of castles, settling a new Norman nobility on the land, and a change in the composition of the English clergy. He did not try to integrate his domains into one empire but continued to administer each part separately. His lands were divided after his death: Normandy went to Robert, and England went to his second surviving son, William Rufus.
1331 Battle of Płowce

The Battle of Płowce is fought, between the Kingdom of Poland and the Teutonic Order.

The Poles are defeated but their leaders escape capture.
The Battle of Płowce took place on 27 September 1331 between the Kingdom of Poland and the Teutonic Order.
1422 Golub War

After the brief Gollub War, the Teutonic Knights sign the Treaty of Melno with Poland and Lithuania.

The Golub War was a two-month war of the Teutonic Knights against the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1422. It resulted in a Polish–Lithuanian–Moldavian victory. The Treaty of Melno officially ended the war, which resolved territorial disputes between the Knights and Lithuania over Samogitia that had dragged on since 1398.
1529 Siege of Vienna (1529)

The Siege of Vienna begins when Suleiman I attacks the city.

The 1529 siege of Vienna was the first attempt by the Ottoman Empire to capture the city of Vienna in the Archduchy of Austria, part of the Holy Roman Empire. Suleiman the Magnificent, sultan of the Ottomans, attacked the city with over 100,000 men, while the defenders, led by Niklas Graf Salm, numbered no more than 21,000. Nevertheless, Vienna was able to survive the siege. The siege ultimately lasted just over two weeks, from 27 September to 15 October 1529. The siege came in the aftermath of the 1526 Battle of Mohács, which had resulted in the death of Louis II, King of Hungary and the descent of the kingdom into civil war. Following Louis' death, rival factions within Hungary selected two successors: Archduke Ferdinand I of Austria, supported by the House of Habsburg, and John Zápolya. Zápolya would eventually seek aid from, and become a vassal of the Ottoman Empire, after Ferdinand began to take control of western Hungary, including the city of Buda. The Ottoman attack on Vienna was part of the empire's intervention into the Hungarian conflict. In the short term, the Ottomans sought to secure Zápolya's position. Historians offer conflicting interpretations of the Ottomans' long-term goals, including the motivations behind the choice of Vienna as the campaign's immediate target. Some modern historians suggest that Suleiman's primary objective was to assert Ottoman control over all of Hungary, including the western part (known as Royal Hungary) that was then still under Habsburg control. Some scholars suggest Suleiman intended to use Hungary as a staging ground for further invasion of Europe. The failure of the siege of Vienna marked the beginning of 150 years of bitter military tension between the Habsburgs and Ottomans, punctuated by reciprocal attacks and culminating in a second siege of Vienna in 1683.
1540 Jesuits

The Society of Jesus (Jesuits) receives its charter from Pope Paul III.

The Society of Jesus (Latin: Societas Iesu; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( JEZH-oo-its, JEZ-ew-; Latin: Iesuitae), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church. Headquartered in Rome, it was founded in 1540 by Ignatius of Loyola and six companions, with the approval of Pope Paul III. The Society of Jesus is the largest Catholic religious male order and it has played a significant role in education, charity, humanitarian acts and global policies. Jesuits are engaged in evangelization and apostolic ministry in 112 countries, including education, research, and cultural pursuits. They also conduct retreats, minister in hospitals and parishes, sponsor direct social and humanitarian works, and promote ecumenical dialogue. The Society of Jesus is consecrated under the patronage of Madonna della Strada, a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and it is led by a superior general. The headquarters of the society, its general curia, is in Rome. The historic curia of Ignatius is now part of the Collegio del Gesù attached to the Church of the Gesù, the Jesuit mother church, also in Rome. Jesuits make profession of "perpetual poverty, chastity, and obedience" and "promise a special obedience to the sovereign pontiff in regard to the missions." A Jesuit is expected to be totally available and obedient to his superiors, accepting orders to go anywhere in the world, even if required to live in extreme conditions. Ignatius, its leading founder, was a nobleman who had a military background. The opening lines of the founding document of the Society of Jesus accordingly declare that it was founded for "whoever desires to serve as a soldier of God, to strive especially for the defense and propagation of the faith, and for the progress of souls in Christian life and doctrine". Jesuits are thus sometimes referred to colloquially as "God's soldiers", "God's marines", or "the Company". The Society of Jesus participated in the Counter-Reformation and, later, in the implementation of the Second Vatican Council. Jesuit missionaries established missions around the world from the 16th to the 18th century and had both successes and failures in Christianizing the native peoples. The Jesuits have always been controversial within the Catholic Church and have frequently clashed with secular governments and institutions. Beginning in 1759, the Catholic Church expelled Jesuits from most countries in Europe and from European colonies. Pope Clement XIV officially suppressed the order in 1773. In 1814, the Church lifted the suppression.
1605 Battle of Kircholm

The armies of Sweden are defeated by the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the Battle of Kircholm.

The Battle of Kircholm took place on 27 September [O.S. 17 September] 1605 during the Polish–Swedish War (1600–1611) near Kircholm, now Salaspils in Latvia. A Swedish expedition besieging Riga was defeated by a smaller Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth relief force and abandoned the attempt.
1669 Siege of Candia

The Venetians surrender the fortress of Candia to the Ottomans, thus ending the 21-year-long Siege of Candia.

Crete would remain under Ottoman occupation until 1913.
In the siege of Candia (now Heraklion, Crete), Ottoman forces besieged the Venetian-ruled capital city of the Kingdom of Candia. It lasted from 1648 to 1669 (a total of 21 years) and is one of the longest sieges in history. It ended with an Ottoman victory, but the effort and cost of the siege contributed to the decline of the Ottoman Empire, especially after the Great Turkish War.
1777 Lancaster,_Pennsylvania

American Revolution: Lancaster, Pennsylvania becomes the capital of the United States for one day after Congress evacuates Philadelphia.

Lancaster is a city in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 58,039 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth-most populous city in the state. It is a core city within South Central Pennsylvania, with 552,984 residents in the Lancaster metropolitan area.
1791 History_of_the_Jews_in_France

The National Assembly of France votes to award full citizenship to Jews.

The history of the Jews in France deals with Jews and Jewish communities in France since at least the Early Middle Ages. France was a centre of Jewish learning in the Middle Ages, but persecution increased over time, including multiple expulsions and returns.
1810 André Masséna

The French army under André Masséna fails to break British forces under the Arthur Wellesley in the battle of Bussaco.

André Masséna, prince d'Essling, duc de Rivoli (English: mass-eh-NAH, French: [ɑ̃dʁe massena]; born Andrea Massena; 6 May 1758 – 4 April 1817), was a French military commander of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was one of the original eighteen Marshals of the Empire created by Napoleon I, who nicknamed him "the dear child of victory" (l'enfant chéri de la victoire). He is considered to be one of the greatest generals of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Beginning his career as an enlisted soldier under the ancien régime, Masséna established himself as one of the best generals of the French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars. He served as Napoleon Bonaparte's main lieutenant in the Italian campaign of the War of the First Coalition, playing a decisive role in the victories of Arcole and Rivoli, and was at the helm of the advance into Austrian territory that compelled them to open peace negotiations. In 1799, Masséna defeated the Second Coalition forces at the Second Battle of Zurich, which had considerable strategic repercussions for France. Under the French Empire, Masséna continued to demonstrate great competence in his various commands, both under Napoleon's direct orders and at the head of independent forces in secondary fronts. He campaigned in Italy once again in 1805, invaded the Kingdom of Naples in 1806 and played a major role at the battles of Aspern-Essling and Wagram in 1809. Masséna was rewarded by Napoleon with the titles of Duke of Rivoli (duc de Rivoli) and Prince of Essling (prince d'Essling). However, his failed invasion of Portugal in 1810 earned him the disgrace of the Emperor, who no longer appointed him to any major commands during the Empire. Having rallied to the Bourbon Restoration, Masséna died in Paris shortly afterwards at the age of 58. Although many of Napoleon's generals were trained at the finest French and European military academies, Masséna was among those who achieved greatness without the benefit of formal education. While those of noble rank acquired their education and promotions as a matter of privilege, Masséna rose from humble origins to such prominence that Napoleon referred to him as "the greatest name of my military empire". In addition to his battlefield successes, Masséna's leadership aided the careers of many. A majority of the French marshals of the time served under his command at some point.
1821 Army of the Three Guarantees

The Army of the Three Guarantees triumphantly enters Mexico City, led by Agustín de Iturbide.

The following day Mexico is declared independent.
At the end of the Mexican War of Independence, the Army of the Three Guarantees (Spanish: Ejército Trigarante or Ejército de las Tres Garantías) was the name given to the army after the unification of the Spanish troops led by Agustín de Iturbide and the Mexican insurgent troops of Vicente Guerrero, consolidating Mexico's independence from Spain. The decree creating this army appeared in the Plan de Iguala, which stated the three guarantees which it was meant to defend were religion, independence and unity. Mexico was to be a Catholic empire, independent from Spain, and united against its enemies.
1822 Jean-François_Champollion

Jean-François Champollion officially informs the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres in France that he has deciphered the Rosetta Stone.

Jean-François Champollion, also known as Champollion le jeune, was a French philologist and orientalist, known primarily as the decipherer of Egyptian hieroglyphs and a founding figure in the field of Egyptology. Partially raised by his brother, the scholar Jacques Joseph Champollion-Figeac, Champollion was a child prodigy in philology, giving his first public paper on the decipherment of Demotic in his late teens. As a young man he was renowned in scientific circles, and read Coptic, Ancient Greek, Latin, Hebrew and Arabic.
1825 Stockton and Darlington Railway

The world's first public railway to use steam locomotives, the Stockton and Darlington Railway, is ceremonially opened with the engine Locomotion pulling wagons with coal and passengers from Shildon to Darlington to Stockton.

The Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) was a railway company that operated in north-east England from 1825 to 1863. The world's first public railway to use steam locomotives, its first line connected collieries near Shildon with Darlington and Stockton in County Durham, and was officially opened on 27 September 1825. The movement of coal to ships rapidly became a lucrative business, and the line was soon extended to a new port at Middlesbrough. While coal waggons were hauled by steam locomotives from the start, passengers were carried in coaches drawn by horses until carriages hauled by steam locomotives were introduced in 1833. The S&DR was involved in building the East Coast Main Line between York and Darlington, but its main expansion was at Middlesbrough Docks and west into Weardale and east to Redcar. It suffered severe financial difficulties at the end of the 1840s and was nearly taken over by the York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway, before the discovery of iron ore in Cleveland and the subsequent increase in revenue meant it could pay its debts. At the beginning of the 1860s it took over railways that had crossed the Pennines to join the West Coast Main Line at Tebay and Clifton, near Penrith. The company was taken over by the North Eastern Railway in 1863, transferring 200 route miles (320 route kilometres) of line and about 160 locomotives, but continued to operate independently as the Darlington Section until 1876. The opening of the S&DR was seen as proof of steam railway effectiveness and its anniversary was celebrated in 1875, 1925, 1975 and 2025. Much of the original route is now served by the Tees Valley Line, operated by Northern.
1854 SS Arctic

The paddle steamer SS Arctic, owned by the Collins Line of New York, sinks off the coast of Newfoundland, following a collision with a smaller vessel, the SS Vesta.

Only 88 of over 300 people on board survive. About a dozen of the occupants of the Vesta are killed when their lifeboat is hit by the Arctic.
SS Arctic was a 2,856-ton paddle steamer, which was one of the few Collins Line liners, which operated a transatlantic passenger and mail steamship service during the 1850s. She was the largest of a fleet of four, built with the aid of U.S. government subsidies to challenge the transatlantic supremacy of the British-backed Cunard Line. During her four-year period of service, the ship was renowned both for her speed and for the luxury of her accommodation. On September 27, 1854, while on passage to New York from Liverpool, the Arctic collided in fog with the French steamer SS Vesta, a ship with little to no background, off the coast of Newfoundland, and sank four hours later. The Arctic's lifeboat capacity was around 180, enough for fewer than half those on board; the boats were launched in an atmosphere of panic and disorder, and the principle of "women and children first" was ignored. From around 400 on board (250 passengers, 150 crew), 24 male passengers and 64 crew survived; all the women and children died. No one was called to account for the disaster, and no official enquiry was held. Lifeboat provision on passenger-carrying ships remained inadequate until well into the 20th century.
1875 Ellen Southard

The merchant sailing ship Ellen Southard is wrecked in a storm at Liverpool.

Ellen Southard was an American full-rigged merchant ship from Bath, Maine, that was built in 1863 by prominent shipbuilder T.J. Southard. She plied international trade routes for twelve years, calling at ports as far away as Sydney. On 27 September 1875, the ship wrecked in the mouth of the Mersey River at Liverpool during a hurricane-strength storm. Shore-based lifeboats crewed mainly by volunteers set out from several lifeboat stations to the aid of the distressed ship after it foundered on a sandbank. One of the lifeboats capsized in heavy seas after picking up the ship's crew, resulting in nine people from the ship as well as three rescuers losing their lives. Following the advice of the US consul at Liverpool, the United States Congress recognised the acts of bravery by issuing 27 Gold Lifesaving Medals to the lifeboat men who attempted to save her crew, after a two-year delay during which US law first had to be changed to allow the newly instituted medals to be awarded to non-US citizens. Debate about lifeboat designs continued for many years until a self-righting design was eventually adopted.
1903 Wreck of the Old 97

"Wreck of the Old 97": an American rail disaster, in which 11 people are killed; it later becomes the subject of a popular ballad.

The Wreck of the Old 97 was an American rail disaster involving the Southern Railway mail train, officially known as the Fast Mail (train number 97), while en route from Monroe, Virginia, to Spencer, North Carolina, on September 27, 1903. Travelling at an excessive speed in an attempt to maintain schedule, the train derailed at the Stillhouse Trestle near Danville, Virginia, where it careened off the side of the bridge, killing 11 on-board personnel and injuring seven others. The wreck inspired a famous railroad ballad, which was the focus of a copyright lawsuit and became seminal in the genre of country music.
1908 Ford_Piquette_Avenue_Plant

Production of the Model T automobile begins at the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant in Detroit.

The Ford Piquette Avenue Plant is a former automobile factory located within the Milwaukee Junction area of Detroit, Michigan, United States. Built in 1904, it was the second center of automobile production for the Ford Motor Company, after the Ford Mack Avenue Plant. At the Piquette Avenue Plant, the company created and first produced the Ford Model T, the car credited with initiating the mass use of automobiles in the United States. Prior to the Model T, several other car models were assembled at the factory. Early experiments using a moving assembly line to make cars were also conducted there. It was also the first factory where more than 100 cars were assembled in one day. While headquartered at the Piquette Avenue Plant, Ford Motor Company became the biggest U.S.-based automaker, and it remained so until the mid-1920s. The factory was used by the company until 1910, when its car production activity was relocated to the new, larger Highland Park Ford Plant.
1916 Lij Iyasu

Iyasu V is proclaimed deposed as ruler of Ethiopia in a palace coup in favor of his aunt Zewditu.

Lij Iyasu (Ge'ez: ልጅ ኢያሱ; 4 February 1895 – 25 November 1935) also known as Iyasu V was the designated Emperor of Ethiopia from 1913 to 1916. His baptismal name was Kifle Yaqob (ክፍለ ያዕቆብ kəflä y’aqob). Ethiopian emperors traditionally chose their regnal name on the day they were crowned, and since he was never crowned, he is usually referred to as Lij Iyasu, "Lij" meaning child, especially one born of royal blood.
1922 Constantine I of Greece

King Constantine I of Greece abdicates his throne in favor of his eldest son, George II.

Constantine I (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Αʹ, romanized: Konstantínos I; 2 August [O.S. 21 July] 1868 – 11 January 1923) was King of Greece from 18 March 1913 to 11 June 1917 and again from 19 December 1920 to 27 September 1922. The eldest son of George I of Greece, he succeeded to the throne following his father's assassination in 1913. Educated in Greece and later in Germany, Constantine was an admirer of Prussian militarism. As the crown prince, he was commander-in-chief of the Hellenic Army during the unsuccessful Greco-Turkish War of 1897. Later and under the leadership of Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos, he led successfully the Greek forces in the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, in which Greece expanded, doubling in area and population. He was married to Sophia of Prussia, a younger sister of Wilhelm II, the Emperor of Germany. During his reign, Constantine's pro-German aligned interests led him to twice refuse Venizelos' popular elected mandates for Greece to join World War I on the side of the Allies. Constantine unconstitutionally dismissed his Prime Minister, causing the National Schism. The country was split between the pro-Venizelos New Greece (lands of recently liberated in the Balkan Wars) and the royalist Old Greece, driving deep social cleavages and brought Greece to the brink of civil war. In late 1916, his pro-German policies led to the unconditional surrender of Fort Roupel and the loss of much of newly conquered Macedonian territories to Bulgaria. Also his military staff organized paramilitary units to terrorize Venizelos' supporters, and these groups opened fire against Allied troops in Athens in an incident later known as the Noemvriana. After a five-month naval blockade of Athens by France and Great Britain that caused famine, Constantine abdicated, despite strong popular support for continued resistance. His second son, Alexander, succeeded him. After Alexander's death, Venizelos' defeat in the 1920 legislative elections, and a plebiscite in favor of his return, Constantine was reinstated. The royalist governments that succeeded Venizelos, continued the unsuccessful Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922 that ended in the irrevocable destruction of Greek communities in Asia Minor. Constantine I abdicated the throne in favor of his eldest son George II in September 1922, after an army revolt of Venizelist officers. He went to exile, dying in Sicily, Italy on 11 January 1923.
1928 Republic of China (1912–1949)

The Republic of China is recognized by the United States.

The Republic of China established its governance over mainland China on 1 January 1912 following the Xinhai Revolution, which overthrew the Manchu-led Qing dynasty and ended China's imperial history. The Beiyang government in Beijing was the internationally recognized government of the ROC from 1912 to 1928, with regional warlords occupying parts of the country after the death of Beiyang leader Yuan Shikai in 1916. In 1926, the Kuomintang (KMT) launched the Northern Expedition, which eventually reunified the country in 1928. The KMT established the Nationalist government and governed the ROC as a one-party state with Nanjing as the capital. In 1949, the KMT was defeated in the Chinese Civil War by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the ROC government retreated to Taiwan, where it remains to this date. The ROC is recorded as a founding member of both the League of Nations and the United Nations. It claimed 11.4 million km2 (4.4 million sq mi) of territory, and its population of 541 million in 1949 made it the most populous country in the world. The Republic of China was officially proclaimed on 1 January 1912 by revolutionaries under Sun Yat-sen, who became provisional president of the new republic. Puyi, the final Qing emperor, abdicated on 12 February 1912. Sun served briefly before handing the presidency to Yuan Shikai, the leader of the Beiyang Army. The Beiyang government quickly became authoritarian and exerted military power over the administration. In 1915, Yuan attempted to replace the Republic with his own imperial dynasty until popular unrest forced him to back down. After he died in 1916, the country fragmented between local commanders of the Beiyang Army, commencing the Warlord Era defined by decentralized conflicts between rival cliques. Meanwhile, the KMT under Sun attempted multiple times to establish a rival government in Guangzhou, eventually taking the city with help from the Soviet Union under the condition that the KMT form the First United Front with the CCP in order to go about reunifying China. Sun's death in 1925 precipitated a power struggle that eventually resulted in the rise of General Chiang Kai-shek to KMT chairmanship. By 1927, Chiang felt secure enough to end the alliance with the Soviets and purged the Communists before completing the Northern Expedition to achieve Sun's goal in 1928. Chiang subsequently ruled the country as a one-party state under the Dang Guo system, receiving international recognition as the representative of China. While there was relative prosperity during the Nanjing decade (1927–1937), the ROC faced internal and external threats. The severely weakened CCP gradually rebuilt its strength by organizing peasants in the countryside. Surviving warlords who resented Chiang's consolidation of power led several uprisings, most significantly the Central Plains War. In 1931, Japan invaded Manchuria, followed by a full-scale invasion of China in 1937. World War II devastated the ROC, leading to enormous loss of life and material destruction. Japan surrendered in September 1945 and Taiwan was placed under Chinese administration. Civil war resumed, and the CCP's People's Liberation Army began to gain the upper hand in 1948. The People's Republic of China was proclaimed in October 1949 amid the ROC's exodus to Taiwan.
1930 Bobby_Jones_(golfer)

Bobby Jones wins the (pre-Masters) Grand Slam of golf.

Robert Tyre Jones Jr. was an American amateur golfer who was one of the most influential figures in the history of the sport; he was also a lawyer by profession. Jones founded and helped design Augusta National Golf Club, and co-founded the Masters Tournament. The innovations that he introduced at the Masters have been copied by virtually every professional golf tournament in the world.
1938 RMS Queen Elizabeth

The ocean liner Queen Elizabeth is launched in Glasgow.

RMS Queen Elizabeth was a British ocean liner operated by the Cunard Line. Along with her sister Queen Mary, she provided a weekly transatlantic service between Southampton in the United Kingdom and New York City in the United States, via Cherbourg in France. Built by John Brown and Company at Clydebank, Scotland, as Hull 552, she was launched on 27 September 1938 and named in honour of Queen Elizabeth, the wife of King George VI. Her design was an improvement of that of Queen Mary, resulting in a vessel 12 feet (3.7 m) longer and several thousand tons greater GRT, making her the largest passenger liner ever built for a record 56 years. She entered service in March 1940 as a troopship in the Second World War, and did not make her first commercial voyage as an ocean liner until October 1946. With the decline in popularity of the transatlantic route, both ships were replaced by the smaller, more economical Queen Elizabeth 2, which made her maiden voyage in 1969. Queen Mary was retired from service on 9 December 1967, and sold to the city of Long Beach, California. Queen Elizabeth was retired after her final crossing to New York, on 8 December 1968. She was moved to Port Everglades, Florida, and converted to a tourist attraction, which opened in February 1969. The business was unsuccessful, and closed in August 1970. Finally, the ship was sold to Hong Kong businessman Tung Chao-yung, who intended to convert her into a floating university cruise ship, Seawise University. In 1972, while she was undergoing refurbishment in Hong Kong harbour, a fire broke out aboard under unexplained circumstances, and the vessel was capsized by the water used to fight the fire. The following year, the wreck was deemed an obstruction to shipping in the area, and in 1974 and 1975 was partially scrapped on site. The remains of her hull were subsequently buried under reclaimed land used to build the Kwai Tsing Container Terminals.
1940 World_War_II

World War II: The Tripartite Pact is signed in Berlin by Germany, Japan and Italy.

World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many engaging in total war on an unprecedented scale. World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, causing the deaths of 60 to 75 million people, a majority of whom were civilians. Millions died as a result of massacres, starvation, disease, and genocides, including the Holocaust. After the Allied victory, Germany, Austria, Japan, and Korea were occupied, and German and Japanese leaders were tried for war crimes in the Nuremberg trials and the International Military Tribunal for the Far East respectively.
1941

World War II: The Greek National Liberation Front is established with Georgios Siantos as acting leader.

Georgios Siantos (nicknames: Geros "Old man", Theios "Uncle"; Greek: Γεώργιος "Γιώργης" Σιάντος; 1890 – 20 May 1947) was a Greek politician and prominent figure of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) who served as acting general secretary of the party, and as a leader of the National Liberation Front (EAM)/Greek People's Liberation Army (ELAS) Resistance movement during the German occupation of Greece in World War II.
1941 SS_Patrick_Henry

The SS Patrick Henry is launched, becoming the first of more than 2,700 Liberty ships.

SS Patrick Henry was the first Liberty ship launched. It was built by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation at their Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard in Baltimore, Maryland. She was named after Patrick Henry, an American attorney, planter, and Founding Father as well as the first and sixth post-colonial Governor of Virginia, from 1776 to 1779 and 1784 to 1786.
1942 Actions along the Matanikau

World War II: Last day of the Matanikau action on Guadalcanal as United States Marines barely escape after being surrounded by Japanese forces.

The Actions along the Matanikau—sometimes referred to as the Second and Third Battles of the Matanikau—were two separate but related engagements between the United States and Imperial Japanese naval and ground forces in the Pacific theater of World War II. The actions occurred around the Matanikau River on Guadalcanal Island in the southwestern Pacific during the Guadalcanal campaign. These particular engagements—the first taking place between 23 and 27 September, and the second between 6 and 9 October—were two of the largest and most significant of the Matanikau actions. The Matanikau River area includes a peninsula called Point Cruz, the village of Kokumbona, and a series of ridges and ravines stretching inland from the coast. Japanese forces used the area to regroup from attacks against U.S. forces on the island. From there, they launched further attacks on the U.S. defenses that guarded Henderson Field at Lunga Point on Guadalcanal, as a base to defend against Allied attacks directed at Japanese troop and supply encampments on western Guadalcanal, and as a location for watching and reporting on Allied activity around Henderson Field. In the first action, elements of three U.S. Marine battalions under the command of U.S. Marine Major General Alexander Vandegrift attacked Japanese troop concentrations at several points around the Matanikau River. The Marine attacks were intended to "mop-up" Japanese stragglers retreating towards the Matanikau from the recent Battle of Edson's Ridge, to disrupt Japanese attempts to use the Matanikau area as a base for attacks on the Marine Lunga defenses, and to destroy any Japanese forces in the area. The Japanese—under the overall command of Major General Kiyotake Kawaguchi—repulsed the Marine attacks. During the action, three U.S. Marine companies were surrounded by Japanese forces, took heavy losses, and barely escaped with assistance from a U.S. Navy destroyer and landing craft manned by U.S. Coast Guard personnel. In the second action two weeks later, a larger force of U.S. Marines successfully crossed the Matanikau River, attacked Japanese forces under the command of newly arrived generals Masao Maruyama and Yumio Nasu, and inflicted heavy casualties on a Japanese infantry regiment. The second action forced the Japanese to retreat from their positions east of the Matanikau and hindered Japanese preparations for their planned major offensive on the U.S. Lunga defenses set for later in October 1942 that resulted in the Battle for Henderson Field.
1944

World War II: The Kassel Mission results in the largest loss by a USAAF group on any mission during the war.

The Kassel Mission on 27 September 1944 was also known as the air battle over the Seulingswald. The mission aimed to destroy the factories in Kassel of the engineering works of Henschel & Sohn which built tracked armoured vehicles (the "Tiger" and "Panther" tanks) and their associated infrastructure. See bombing of Kassel in World War II.
1949 Zeng Liansong

Zeng Liansong's design is chosen as the flag of the People's Republic of China.

Zeng Liansong (simplified Chinese: 曾联松; traditional Chinese: 曾聯松; pinyin: Zēng Liánsōng; 17 December 1917 – 19 October 1999) was a Chinese supply chain manager and secret agent of the Chinese Communist Party best known for designing the flag of the People's Republic of China. He also served as the deputy manager of the Shanghai City Daily Necessities Company and a member of the CPPCC Shanghai Committee.
1956 Milburn G. Apt

USAF Captain Milburn G.

Apt becomes the first person to exceed Mach 3. Shortly thereafter, the Bell X-2 goes out of control and Captain Apt is killed.
Milburn Grant "Mel" Apt (April 9, 1924 – September 27, 1956) was a U.S. Air Force test pilot, and the first man to attain speeds faster than Mach 3. He was killed after separating from the Bell X-2 in his escape capsule during the record-setting flight that exceeded Mach 3. Shortly afterward, Secretary of the Air Force Donald A. Quarles commended Apt, saying he was "flying faster than any human being has been known to fly."
1959 Typhoon Vera

Typhoon Vera kills nearly 5,000 people in Japan.

Typhoon Vera, also known as the Isewan Typhoon (伊勢湾台風, Ise-wan Taifū), was an exceptionally intense tropical cyclone that struck Japan in September 1959, becoming the strongest and deadliest typhoon on record to make landfall on the country, as well as the only one to do so as a Category 5 equivalent storm. The storm's intensity resulted in catastrophic damage of unparalleled severity and extent, and was a major setback to the Japanese economy, which was still recovering from World War II. In the aftermath of Vera, Japan's disaster management and relief systems were significantly reformed, and the typhoon's effects would set a benchmark for future storms striking the country. Vera developed on September 20 between Guam and Chuuk State, and initially tracked westward before taking a more northerly course, reaching tropical storm strength the following day. By this point Vera had assumed a more westerly direction of movement and had begun to rapidly intensify, and reached its peak intensity on September 23 with maximum sustained winds equivalent to that of a modern-day Category 5 hurricane. With little change in strength, Vera curved and accelerated northward, resulting in a landfall on September 26 near Shionomisaki on Honshu. Atmospheric wind patterns caused the typhoon to briefly emerge into the Sea of Japan before recurving eastward and moving ashore Honshu for a second time. Movement over land greatly weakened Vera, and after reentering the North Pacific Ocean later that day, Vera transitioned into an extratropical cyclone on September 27; these remnants continued to persist for an additional two days. Though Vera was accurately forecast and its track into Japan was well anticipated, limited coverage of telecommunications, combined with lack of urgency from Japanese media and the storm's intensity, greatly inhibited potential evacuation and disaster mitigation processes. Rainfall from the storm's outer rainbands began to cause flooding in river basins well in advance of the storm's landfall. Upon moving ashore Honshu, the typhoon brought a strong storm surge that destroyed numerous flood defense systems, inundating coastal regions and sinking ships. Damage totals from Vera reached US$600 million (equivalent to US$6.63 billion in 2025). The number of fatalities caused by Vera remain discrepant, though current estimates indicate that the typhoon caused more than 5,000 deaths, making it one of the deadliest typhoons in Japanese history. It also injured almost 39,000 people and displaced about 1.6 million. Relief efforts were initiated by Japanese and American governments immediately following Typhoon Vera. Due to the inundation caused by the typhoon, localized epidemics were reported, including those of dysentery and tetanus. The spread of disease and blocking debris slowed the ongoing relief efforts. Due to the unprecedented damage and loss of life following Vera, the National Diet passed legislation in order to more efficiently assist affected regions and mitigate future disasters. This included the passage of the Disaster Countermeasures Basic Act in 1961, which set standards for Japanese disaster relief, including the establishment of the Central Disaster Prevention Council.
1962 Yemen_Arab_Republic

The Yemen Arab Republic is established.

The Yemen Arab Republic, also known as Yemen (Sanaʽa) and commonly referred to as North Yemen, was a country that existed from 1962 until its unification with the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen in 1990, in the northwestern part of what is now Yemen. Its capital was Sana'a. It bordered South Yemen to the southeast, Saudi Arabia to the north and the Red Sea to the west, sharing maritime borders with Djibouti and the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
1962 Silent_Spring

Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring is published, inspiring an environmental movement and the creation of the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency.
Silent Spring is an environmental science book by Rachel Carson. Published on September 27, 1962, the book documented the environmental harm caused by the indiscriminate use of DDT, a pesticide used by soldiers during World War II. Carson accused the chemical industry of spreading disinformation and public officials of accepting the industry's marketing claims unquestioningly.
1964 BAC_TSR-2

The British TSR-2 aircraft XR219 makes its maiden flight.

The British Aircraft Corporation TSR-2 was a cancelled supersonic strike and reconnaissance aircraft designed by the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC). It was under development throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s for the Royal Air Force (RAF); the TSR-2 designation came from "Tactical Strike and Reconnaissance, Mach 2".
1973 Texas_International_Airlines_Flight_655

Texas International Airlines Flight 655 crashes into the Black Fork Mountain Wilderness near Mena, Arkansas, killing all 11 people on board.

Texas International Airlines Flight 655 was a scheduled domestic flight within the United States of America. On September 27, 1973, the Convair 600 turboprop aircraft en route from El Dorado to Texarkana, Arkansas crashed into Black Fork Mountain, Arkansas. The eight passengers and three crew members on board were killed.
1975 Last_use_of_capital_punishment_in_Spain

The last use of capital punishment in Spain sparks worldwide protests.

The last use of capital punishment in Spain took place on 27 September 1975 when two members of the armed left-wing Basque nationalist and separatist group ETA political-military and three members of the Spanish anti-Francoist Marxist–Leninist group Revolutionary Antifascist Patriotic Front (FRAP) were executed by firing squads after having been convicted and sentenced to death by military tribunals for the murder of police officers and civil guards. Spain was Western Europe's only dictatorship at the time of the executions and had been unpopular and internationally isolated in the post-war period due to its relations with Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 1940s and the fact that its far-right autocratic leader, Francisco Franco, had come to power by overthrowing a democratically elected government. As a result, the executions resulted in substantial criticism of the Spanish government, both domestically and abroad. Reactions included street protests, attacks on Spanish embassies, international criticism of the Spanish government and diplomatic measures, such as the withdrawal of the ambassadors of fifteen European countries.
1977 Japan_Air_Lines_Flight_715

Japan Airlines Flight 715 crashes on approach to Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang, Malaysia, killing 34 of the 79 people on board.

Japan Air Lines Flight 715 was a regular scheduled flight that crashed on approach to Subang Airport in Malaysia on 27 September 1977. The aircraft was a McDonnell Douglas DC-8, registration JA8051, on a flight from Haneda Airport in Tokyo, to Singapore, with stopovers at Hong Kong, and Subang Airport, Malaysia. Of the 69 passengers and ten crew on board, 34 died, whilst the other 45 survived with injuries. It was the second-deadliest aviation disaster to occur in Malaysia at the time.
1988 National_League_for_Democracy

The National League for Democracy is formed by Aung San Suu Kyi and others to fight dictatorship in Myanmar.

The National League for Democracy is a deregistered liberal democratic political party in Myanmar. It became the country's ruling party after a landslide victory in the 2015 general election but was overthrown in a coup d'état in February 2021 following another landslide election victory in 2020.
1992 Palestinians_in_Israeli_custody

Palestinian prisoners went on a 15-day hunger strike.

The future of Palestinians detained by Israel in the context of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict is considered central to progress in the Israeli–Palestinian peace process. Cases of prison sentences include the charges of "terrorism" or being a member of an "illegal terrorist organization", such as Hamas or, prior to the Oslo Accords, the Palestine Liberation Organization; but, according to some accounts, also the charge of political activism, such as raising a Palestinian flag.
1993

The Sukhumi massacre takes place in Abkhazia.

The Sukhumi massacre took place on 27 September 1993, during and after the fall of Sukhumi into separatist hands in the course of the War in Abkhazia. It was perpetrated against Georgian civilians of Sukhumi, mainly by militia forces of Abkhaz separatists and North Caucasian allies. It became part of a violent ethnic cleansing campaign carried out by the separatists.
1996 Julie_N_oil_spill

Confusion on a tanker ship results in the Julie N oil spill in Portland, Maine.

The Julie N oil spill occurred on September 27, 1996, when the Liberian-flagged oil tanker Julie N struck the Million Dollar Bridge in Portland, Maine while carrying over 200,000 barrels (32,000 m3) of heating oil. An estimated 180,000 U.S. gallons of oil was spilled in the incident; about 38,000 U.S. gallons was never recovered.
1998 Google

The Google internet search engine retroactively claims this date as its birthday.

Google LLC is an American multinational technology corporation focused on information technology, online advertising, search engine technology, email, cloud computing, software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial intelligence (AI). It has been referred to as "the most powerful company in the world" by the BBC, and is one of the world's most valuable brands. Google's parent company Alphabet Inc. has been described as a Big Tech company.
2001 Zug_massacre

In Switzerland, a gunman shoots 18 citizens, killing 14 and then himself.

The Zug massacre was a mass shooting that took place on 27 September 2001 in the parliament of the Canton of Zug, Switzerland. 57-year-old Friedrich Leibacher shot and killed 14 people in the parliament before killing himself. He was armed with an assault rifle, a pump-action shotgun, two handguns and a homemade bomb and had entered the building disguised as a police officer. All of the weapons used were legally obtained. It was the first time a Swiss politician was killed since the 19th century.
2003 SMART-1

The SMART-1 satellite is launched.

SMART-1 was a European Space Agency satellite that orbited the Moon. It was launched on 27 September 2003 at 23:14 UTC from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. "SMART-1" stands for Small Missions for Advanced Research in Technology-1, part of the Small Missions for Advanced Research in Technology programme. On 3 September 2006, SMART-1 was deliberately crashed into the Moon's surface, ending its mission.
2007 Dawn_(spacecraft)

NASA launches the Dawn probe to the asteroid belt.

Dawn is a retired space probe that was launched by NASA in September 2007 with the mission of studying two of the three known protoplanets of the asteroid belt: Vesta and Ceres. In the fulfillment of that mission—the ninth in NASA's Discovery Program—Dawn entered orbit around Vesta on July 16, 2011, and completed a 14-month survey mission before leaving for Ceres in late 2012. It entered orbit around Ceres on March 6, 2015. In 2017, NASA announced that the planned nine-year mission would be extended until the probe's hydrazine fuel supply was depleted. On November 1, 2018, NASA announced that Dawn had depleted its hydrazine, and the mission was ended. The derelict probe remains in a stable orbit around Ceres.
2008 Zhai_Zhigang

CNSA astronaut Zhai Zhigang becomes the first Chinese person to perform a spacewalk.

Zhai Zhigang is a Chinese major general of the People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force (PLASSF) in active service as a People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonaut. During the Shenzhou 7 mission in 2008, he became the first Chinese citizen to carry out a spacewalk. He was a People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) fighter pilot before becoming an astronaut.
2012

In Minneapolis, a gunman shoots eight people, killing six and injuring 2 and then kills himself.

A mass shooting occurred at a firm in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, on the afternoon of September 27, 2012. The attack took place inside Accent Signage Systems, where a former employee walked into the firm's building and fired a Glock 19 pistol. By the end of the day, five people were dead, including the gunman who committed suicide, and four others were injured, three of them critically. One of those critically injured died the following day, and another man succumbed to his wounds on October 10. It was the deadliest workplace shooting in Minnesota's history.
2014 2014_Mount_Ontake_eruption

63 people are killed in an eruption of Mount Ontake in Japan.

The Mount Ontake volcano erupted on September 27, 2014, killing 63 people. Mount Ontake is located on the Japanese island of Honshu around 100 kilometres (62 mi) northeast of Nagoya and around 200 km (120 mi) west of Tokyo. It was the first fatal volcanic eruption in Japan since the 1991 eruption of Mount Unzen, and the deadliest volcanic eruption in Japan since Torishima killed an estimated 150 people in 1902.
2019 September_2019_climate_strikes

Over two million people participated in worldwide strikes to protest climate change across 2,400 locations worldwide.

The September 2019 climate strikes, also known as the Global Week for Future, were a series of international strikes and protests to demand action be taken to address climate change, which took place from 20 to 27 September 2019. The strikes' key dates were 20 September, which was three days before the United Nations Climate Summit, and 27 September. The protests took place across 4,500 locations in 150 countries. The event stemmed from the Fridays for Future school strike for climate movement, inspired by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. The Guardian reported that roughly 6 million people participated in the events, whilst 350.org – a group that organised many of the protests – claim that 7.6 million people participated.
2020 Second_Nagorno-Karabakh_War

Second Nagorno-Karabakh War: Azerbaijan launches an offensive against the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, inhabited predominantly by ethnic Armenians.

The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict in 2020 that took place in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding occupied territories. It was a major escalation of an unresolved conflict over the region, involving Azerbaijan, Armenia and the self-declared Armenian breakaway state of Artsakh. The war lasted for 44 days and resulted in Azerbaijani victory, with the defeat igniting anti-government protests in Armenia. Post-war skirmishes continued in the region, including substantial clashes in 2022.
2024 Hurricane_Helene

Hurricane Helene devastates the Carolinas as a tropical storm, killing hundreds and injuring more.

Hurricane Helene was a powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that caused widespread catastrophic damage and numerous fatalities across the Southeastern United States in late September 2024. It was the strongest hurricane on record to strike the Big Bend region of Florida, the deadliest Atlantic hurricane since Hurricane Maria in 2017, and the deadliest to strike the mainland U.S. since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

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