The Spanish government dismissed Catalonia's entire regional government
After Catalonia's parliament declared independence following a disputed referendum, Spain invoked Article 155 of its constitution for the first time e...
October 27 in History
Significant events that happened on this day.
Historical Events
2017
2004
The Boston Red Sox won their first World Series in 86 years, breaking the "Curse of the Bambino"
MajorThe Red Sox completed a four-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals, ending decades of heartbreak supposedly caused by selling Babe Ruth to the Yankees...
1997
The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted 554 points in its worst single-day point drop in history
Panic selling triggered by the Asian financial crisis caused the stock market to fall 7.2 percent, forcing trading to halt for the first time ever due...
1986
The Boston Red Sox were one strike away from winning the World Series before an epic collapse
MajorIn Game 6, the Red Sox led 5-3 in the bottom of the 10th inning with two outs when a routine ground ball rolled through first baseman Bill Buckner's l...
1978
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded for the discovery of restriction enzymes
Daniel Nathans, Hamilton Smith, and Werner Arber received the prize for discovering molecular "scissors" that cut DNA at specific sequences. These res...
1971
The Democratic Republic of the Congo changed its name to Zaire
President Mobutu Sese Seko renamed the country as part of his "Authenticité" campaign to remove colonial names and promote African identity. The Congo...
1962
A U.S. Air Force pilot successfully ejected at 78,000 feet during a spy plane test
Captain Joseph Kittinger set a record for the highest parachute jump, ejecting from a balloon at nearly 15 miles above Earth during Project Excelsior....
1936
A walrus fell from the sky onto a London street
Mrs. Violet Jessop, a resident of Covent Garden, was nearly struck by a walrus carcass that plummeted from an aircraft flying overhead. The cargo plan...
1923
A chicken named Mike was beheaded but continued living for 18 months
Farmer Lloyd Olsen of Colorado attempted to slaughter a rooster for dinner but missed the jugular vein and left most of the brain stem intact. "Miracl...
1904
The New York City Subway opened for the first time
MajorThe first underground rapid transit system in New York began operation with a 9-mile route from City Hall to 145th Street. Over 100,000 people rode th...
1858
Theodore Roosevelt was born in New York City
MajorThe future 26th President of the United States entered the world as a sickly child who would overcome severe asthma through rigorous physical activity...
1659
A man was fined in Massachusetts for celebrating Christmas
The Puritans who controlled Massachusetts had banned Christmas celebrations in 1659, calling them a "corrupt" Catholic tradition. Anyone caught feasti...
1553
Michael Servetus was burned at the stake for heresy in Geneva
The Spanish theologian and physician was executed on orders from John Calvin for his religious writings denying the Trinity. Ironically, Servetus had...
1275
Amsterdam was officially founded as a small fishing village
The city received its first official charter on this date, though people had been living in the area since prehistoric times. The name derives from "A...