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On this day in history - January 27

What Happened On This Day – January 27

  • 1983 The first shaft of the world's longest tunnel is completed

    The Seikan Tunnel, 53.85 km (33.46 mi) in length, connects the Japanese islands of Honshu and Hokkaido.

  • 1967 U.S., U.K. and Soviet Union sign the Outer Space Treaty

    The treaty bans the deployment of nuclear weapons in outer space and limits the use of the Moon to peaceful purposes.

  • 1967 3 astronauts die in a cabin fire while preparing for the Apollo 1 mission

    The accident was a blow to NASA's Apollo manned lunar landing program.

  • 1945 Soviet forces liberate Auschwitz

    The German Nazi regime murdered over 1.1 million people in the extermination camps near Oświęcim, Poland.

  • 1944 Soviet forces liberate Leningrad

    Die Siege of Leningrad had lasted 872 days and left over 1 million people dead.

Illustration of stork, signifying birth

Births On This Day,
January 27

  • 1974 Ole Einar Bjørndalen

    Norwegian biathlete

  • 1944 Mairead Maguire

    Irish activist, Nobel Prize laureate

  • 1859 Wilhelm II, German Emperor

  • 1832 Lewis Carroll

    English author

  • 1756 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    Austrian composer

Illustration of tombstone, signifying death

Deaths On This Day,
January 27

  • 2014 Pete Seeger

    American singer-songwriter, guitarist

  • 2009 John Updike

    American author, poet, critic

  • 2008 Suharto

    Indonesian soldier, politician, 2nd President of Indonesia

  • 1983 Louis de Funès

    French actor, comedian

  • 1901 Giuseppe Verdi

    Italian composer