October 27

Events

312 – Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross.

710 – Saracen invasion of Sardinia.

939 – Æthelstan, the first King of England, died and was succeeded by his half-brother, Edmund I.

1275 – Traditional founding of the city of Amsterdam.

1524 – Italian Wars: The French troops lay siege to Pavia.

1553 – Condemned as a heretic, Michael Servetus is burned at the stake just outside Geneva.

1644 – Second Battle of Newbury in the English Civil War.

1682 – Philadelphia is established in the Colonial American Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

1795 – The United States and Spain sign the Treaty of Madrid, which establishes the boundaries between Spanish colonies and the U.S.

1806 – The French Army enters Berlin, following the Battle of Jena–Auerstedt.

1810 – United States annexes the former Spanish colony of West Florida.

1838 – Missouri governor Lilburn Boggs issues the Extermination Order, which orders all Mormons to leave the state or be exterminated.

1870 – Marshal François Achille Bazaine surrenders to Prussian forces at the conclusion of the Siege of Metz along with 140,000 French soldiers in one of the biggest French defeats of the Franco-Prussian War.

1904 – The first underground New York City Subway line opens; the system becomes the biggest in United States, and one of the biggest in world.

1907 – Černová massacre: Fifteen people are killed in the Hungary when a gunman opens fire on a crowd gathered at a church consecration, which leads to protests over the treatment of minorities in Austria-Hungary.

1914 – The British lose their first battleship of World War I: The British super-dreadnought battleship HMS Audacious (23,400 tons) is sunk off Tory Island, north-west of Ireland, by a minefield laid by the armed German merchant-cruiser Berlin. The loss was kept an official secret in Britain until 14 November 1918 (three days after the end of the war). The sinking was witnessed and photographed by passengers on RMS Olympic sister ship of RMS Titanic.

1916 – Battle of Segale: Negus Mikael, marching on the Ethiopian capital in support of his son Emperor Iyasu V, is defeated by Fitawrari abte Giyorgis, securing the throne for Empress Zewditu I.

1922 – A referendum in Rhodesia rejects the country's annexation to the South African Union.

1924 – The Uzbek SSR is founded in the Soviet Union.

1930 – Ratifications exchanged in London for the first London Naval Treaty, signed in April modifying the 1925 Washington Naval Treaty and the arms limitation treaty's modified provisions, go into effect immediately, further limiting the expensive naval arms race among its five signatories.

1936 – Mrs Wallis Simpson obtains her divorce decree nisi, which would eventually allow her to marry King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, thus forcing his abdication from the throne.

1944 – World War II: German forces capture Banská Bystrica during Slovak National Uprising thus bringing it to an end.

1948 – Léopold Sédar Senghor founds the Senegalese Democratic Bloc.

1954 – Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. becomes the first African-American general in the United States Air Force.

1958 – Iskander Mirza, the first President of Pakistan, is deposed in a bloodless coup d'état by General Ayub Khan, who had been appointed the enforcer of martial law by Mirza 20 days earlier.

1961 – NASA tests the first Saturn I rocket in Mission Saturn-Apollo 1.

1962 – Major Rudolf Anderson of the United States Air Force becomes the only direct human casualty of the Cuban Missile Crisis when his U-2 reconnaissance airplane is shot down over Cuba by a Soviet-supplied SA-2 Guideline surface-to-air missile.

1962 – A plane carrying Enrico Mattei, post-war Italian administrator, crashes in mysterious circumstances.

1964 – Ronald Reagan delivers a speech on behalf of the Republican candidate for president, Barry Goldwater. The speech launches his political career and comes to be known as "A Time for Choosing".

1967 – Catholic priest Philip Berrigan and others of the 'Baltimore Four' protest the Vietnam War by pouring blood on Selective Service records.

1971 – The Democratic Republic of the Congo is renamed Zaire.

1973 – A 1.4 kg chondrite-type meteorite strikes in Cañon City, Colorado.

1979 – Saint Vincent and the Grenadines gains its independence from the United Kingdom.

1981 – The Soviet submarine S-363 runs aground on the east coast of Sweden.

1986 – The British government suddenly deregulates financial markets, leading to a total restructuring of the way in which they operate in the country, in an event now referred to as the Big Bang.

1988 – Ronald Reagan suspends construction of the new U.S. Embassy in Moscow due to Soviet listening devices in the building structure.

1991 – Turkmenistan achieves independence from the Soviet Union.

1992 – United States Navy radioman Allen R. Schindler, Jr. is murdered by shipmate Terry M. Helvey for being gay, precipitating debate about gays in the military that resulted in the United States "Don't ask, don't tell" military policy.

1994 – Gliese 229B is the first Substellar Mass Object to be unquestionably identified.

1995 – Former Prime Minister of Italy Bettino Craxi is convicted in absentia of corruption.

1997 – Stock Market mini-crash: Stock markets around the world crash because of fears of a global economic meltdown. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummets 554.26 points to 7,161.15.

1999 – Gunmen open fire in the Armenian Parliament, killing Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan, Chairman Karen Demirchyan, and six others.

2014 – Britain withdraws from Afghanistan after the end of Operation Herrick which started on June 20, 2002 after 12 years four months and seven days.

Births

921 – Chai Rong, Chinese emperor (d. 959)

1156 – Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse (d. 1222)

1335 – Taejo of Joseon (d. 1408)

1401 – Catherine of Valois (d. 1437)

1703 – Johann Gottlieb Graun, German violinist and composer (d. 1771)

1744 – Mary Moser, English painter and academic (d. 1819)

1760 – August Neidhardt von Gneisenau, Prussian field marshal (d. 1831)

1765 – Nancy Storace, English soprano (d. 1817)

1782 – Niccolò Paganini, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1840)

1806 – Juan Seguín, American colonel, judge, and politician, 101st Mayor of San Antonio (d. 1890)

1811 – Stevens T. Mason, American lawyer and politician, 1st Governor of Michigan (d. 1843)

1811 – Isaac Singer, American actor and businessman, founded the Singer Corporation (d. 1875)

1814 – Daniel H. Wells, American religious leader and politician, 3rd Mayor of Salt Lake City (d. 1891)

1838 – John Davis Long, American lawyer and politician, 34th United States Secretary of the Navy (d. 1915)

1842 – Giovanni Giolitti, Italian politician, 13th Prime Minister of Italy (d. 1928)

1844 – Klas Pontus Arnoldson, Swedish journalist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1916)

1854 – William Alexander Smith, Scottish religious leader, founded the Boys' Brigade (d. 1914)

1858 – Saitō Makoto, Japanese admiral and politician, 30th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1936)

1858 – Theodore Roosevelt, American colonel and politician, 26th President of the United States, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1919)

1865 – Charles Spencelayh, English painter and academic (d. 1958)

1872 – Emily Post, American author, founded The Emily Post Institute (d. 1960)

1877 – Walt Kuhn, American painter and academic (d. 1949)

1877 – George Thompson, English cricketer and umpire (d. 1943)

1884 – Shirō Takasu, Japanese admiral (d. 1944)

1885 – Sigrid Hjertén, Swedish painter (d. 1948)

1890 – Toshinari Shōji, Japanese general (d. 1974)

1894 – Agda Helin, Swedish actress (d. 1984)

1894 – Oliver Leese, English-Welsh general (d. 1978)

1894 – Fritz Sauckel, German sailor and politician (d. 1946)

1904 – Riho Lahi, Estonian journalist and author (d. 1995)

1906 – Peter Blume, Belarusian-American painter and sculptor (d. 1992)

1906 – Earle Cabell, American banker and politician, Mayor of Dallas (d. 1975)

1906 – Kazuo Ohno, Japanese dancer and educator (d. 2010)

1908 – Lee Krasner, American painter (d. 1984)

1910 – Jack Carson, Canadian-American actor and singer (d. 1963)

1910 – Margaret Hutchinson Rousseau, American chemical engineer (d. 2000)

1913 – Joe Medicine Crow, American anthropologist, historian, and author (d. 2016)

1913 – Luigi Piotti, Italian race car driver (d. 1971)

1914 – Ahmet Kireççi, Turkish wrestler (d. 1979)

1914 – Dylan Thomas, Welsh poet and playwright (d. 1953)

1915 – Harry Saltzman, Canadian-French production manager and producer (d. 1994)

1917 – Augustine Harris, English bishop (d. 2007)

1917 – Oliver Tambo, South African lawyer and politician (d. 1993)

1918 – Mihkel Mathiesen, Estonian engineer and politician (d. 2003)

1918 – Teresa Wright, American actress and singer (d. 2005)

1920 – Nanette Fabray, American actress, singer, and dancer

1920 – K. R. Narayanan, Indian lawyer and politician, 10th President of India (d. 2005)

1921 – Warren Allen Smith, American journalist, author, and activist

1922 – Poul Bundgaard, Danish actor and singer (d. 1998)

1922 – Ruby Dee, American actress and poet (d. 2014)

1922 – Michel Galabru, French actor and playwright (d. 2016)

1922 – Ralph Kiner, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2014)

1923 – Roy Lichtenstein, American painter and sculptor (d. 1997)

1923 – Ned Wertimer, American actor (d. 2013)

1924 – Bonnie Lou, American singer-songwriter (d. 2015)

1925 – Warren Christopher, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 63rd United States Secretary of State (d. 2011)

1925 – Jane Connell, American actress and singer (d. 2013)

1925 – Paul Fox, English broadcaster

1925 – Monica Sims, English radio host and producer

1926 – Boris Chetkov, Russian painter (d. 2010)

1926 – H. R. Haldeman, American businessman and diplomat, 4th White House Chief of Staff (d. 1993)

1926 – Takumi Shibano, Japanese author and translator (d. 2010)

1927 – Dominick Argento, American composer and educator

1928 – Gilles Vigneault, Canadian singer-songwriter and poet

1929 – Myra Carter, American actress (d. 2016)

1929 – Bill George, American football player (d. 1982)

1929 – Maurice Robert Johnston, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire

1930 – Leo Baxendale, English cartoonist

1930 – Barry Supple, English historian and academic

1931 – Nawal El Saadawi, Egyptian physician, psychiatrist, and author

1931 – Anatoliy Zayaev, Ukrainian footballer and manager (d. 2012)

1932 – Jean-Pierre Cassel, French actor (d. 2007)

1932 – Harry Gregg, Northern Irish footballer and manager

1932 – Dolores Moore, American baseball player (d. 2000)

1932 – Sylvia Plath, American poet, novelist, and short story writer (d. 1963)

1933 – Floyd Cramer, American singer and pianist (d. 1997)

1933 – Ryō Hanmura, Japanese author (d. 2002)

1934 – Giorgos Konstantinou, Greek actor, director, and screenwriter

1935 – Frank Adonis, American actor and screenwriter

1935 – Maurício de Sousa, Brazilian journalist and cartoonist

1935 – Charlie Tagawa, Japanese-American banjo player and educator

1936 – Neil Sheehan, American journalist and author

1937 – Lara Parker, American actress and author

1939 – John Cleese, English actor, comedian, screenwriter and producer

1939 – Suzy Covey, American scholar and academic (d. 2007)

1940 – John Gotti, American mob boss (d. 2002)

1940 – Maxine Hong Kingston, American author and academic

1941 – Dave Costa, American football player (d. 2013)

1941 – Dick Trickle, American race car driver (d. 2013)

1942 – Lee Greenwood, American singer-songwriter

1942 – Janusz Korwin-Mikke, Polish journalist and politician

1943 – Carmen Argenziano, American actor and producer

1943 – Jerry Rook, American basketball player and coach

1944 – J. A. Jance, American author and poet

1945 – Arild Andersen, Norwegian bassist and composer

1945 – Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazilian union leader and politician, 35th President of Brazil

1945 – Carrie Snodgress, American actress (d. 2004)

1946 – Peter Martins, Danish dancer and choreographer

1946 – Steven R. Nagel, American colonel, engineer, and astronaut (d. 2014)

1946 – Ivan Reitman, Czech-Canadian actor, director, and producer

1950 – Michael Driscoll, English economist and academic

1950 – Fran Lebowitz, American author

1950 – Július Šupler, Slovak ice hockey player and coach

1950 – A. N. Wilson, English journalist, historian, and author

1951 – K. K. Downing, English guitarist and songwriter

1951 – Carlos Frenk, Mexican-English physicist, cosmologist, and academic

1951 – Nancy Jacobs, American politician

1951 – Jayne Kennedy, American model, actress, and sportscaster

1952 – Roberto Benigni, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter

1952 – Francis Fukuyama, American political scientist, economist, and author

1952 – Atsuyoshi Furuta, Japanese footballer

1952 – Topi Sorsakoski, Finnish singer-songwriter (d. 2011)

1953 – Peter Firth, English actor

1953 – Robert Picardo, American actor, director, and screenwriter

1954 – Jan Duursema, American illustrator

1954 – Mike Kelley (artist), American artist and musician (d. 2012)

1954 – Chris Tavaré, English cricketer and biologist

1955 – Debra Bowen, American lawyer and politician, 31st Secretary of State of California

1956 – Patty Sheehan, American golfer

1956 – Babis Tsertos, Greek singer-songwriter and bouzouki player

1957 – Glenn Hoddle, English footballer and manager

1957 – Peter Marc Jacobson, American actor, director, and producer

1958 – Lee Carter, American lawyer and judge

1958 – Gordon Cowans, English footballer

1958 – David Hazeltine, American pianist and composer

1958 – Simon Le Bon, English singer-songwriter

1958 – Felix Wurman, American cellist and composer (d. 2009)

1959 – Rick Carlisle, American basketball player and coach

1960 – Tom Nieto, American baseball player, coach, and manager

1963 – David Hall, Australian horse trainer

1963 – Marla Maples, American model and actress

1963 – Tom McKean, Scottish runner

1964 – Mary T. Meagher, American swimmer

1964 – Mark Taylor, Australian cricketer and sportscaster

1964 – Ian Wells, English footballer (d. 2013)

1966 – Kit Malthouse, English accountant and politician

1966 – Hege Nerland, Norwegian lawyer and politician (d. 2007)

1966 – Masanobu Takashima, Japanese actor

1967 – Steve Almond, American author and educator

1967 – Simone Moro, Italian mountaineer and pilot

1967 – Dejan Raičković, Montenegrin footballer and manager

1967 – Scott Weiland, American singer-songwriter (d. 2015)

1968 – Dileep, Indian actor and producer

1968 – Alain Auderset, Swiss author and illustrator

1968 – Vinny Samways, English footballer and manager

1969 – Marek Napiórkowski, Polish jazz guitarist and composer

1970 – Karl Backman, Swedish guitarist and songwriter

1970 – Felix Bwalya, Zambian boxer (d. 1997)

1970 – Adrian Erlandsson, Swedish drummer

1970 – Jonathan Stroud, English author

1970 – Ruslana Taran, Ukrainian sailor

1971 – Stefano Guidoni, Italian footballer

1971 – Jorge Soto, Peruvian footballer

1971 – Theodoros Zagorakis, Greek footballer and politician

1972 – Lee Clark, English footballer and manager

1972 – Elissa, Lebanese singer

1972 – Evan Coyne Maloney, American director, producer, and screenwriter

1972 – Maria Mutola, Mozambican runner and coach

1972 – Brad Radke, American baseball player

1973 – Jason Johnson, American baseball player

1973 – Semmy Schilt, Dutch kick-boxer and mixed martial artist

1975 – Nicola Mazzucato, Italian rugby player and coach

1975 – Aron Ralston, American mountaineer and engineer

1976 – Bobby Fish, American professional wrestler

1976 – Maneet Chauhan, Indian-American chef and author

1976 – Wilson Raimundo Júnior, Brazilian footballer

1977 – Jiří Jarošík, Czech footballer

1977 – Sheeri Rappaport, American actress

1977 – Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lankan cricketer

1978 – Sergei Samsonov, Russian ice hockey player and scout

1978 – Vanessa-Mae, Singaporean-English violinist and skier

1979 – Hiroyuki Yamamoto, Japanese footballer

1980 – Sayuri Osuga, Japanese speed skater and cyclist

1980 – Tanel Padar, Estonian singer-songwriter and guitarist

1981 – Salem Al Fakir, Swedish singer and keyboard player

1981 – Volkan Demirel, Turkish footballer

1981 – Kristi Richards, Canadian skier

1982 – Patrick Fugit, American actor and producer

1982 – Takashi Tsukamoto, Japanese actor and singer

1983 – Brent Clevlen, American baseball player

1983 – Takuro Okuyama, Japanese footballer

1983 – Martín Prado, Venezuelan baseball player

1984 – Kostas Kapetanos, Greek footballer

1984 – Kelly Osbourne, English television personality

1984 – Brady Quinn, American football player

1984 – Emilie Ullerup, Danish-Canadian actress

1985 – Sirli Hanni, Estonian biathlete

1985 – Sandra Volk, Slovenian tennis player

1986 – Jon Niese, American baseball player

1986 – Matty Pattison, South African-English footballer

1986 – David Warner, Australian cricketer

1987 – Thelma Aoyama, Japanese singer

1987 – Björn Barrefors, Swedish decathlete and heptathlete.

1987 – Andrew Bynum, American basketball player

1987 – Guillaume Franke, French-German rugby player

1987 – Sebastian Gacki, Canadian actor

1987 – Viktor Genev, Bulgarian footballer

1987 – Yi Jianlian, Chinese basketball player

1988 – Brady Ellison, American archer

1988 – Illimar Pärn, Etonian ski jumper

1988 – Evan Turner, American basketball player

1990 – Dimitrios Gkourtsas, Greek footballer

1990 – Oktovianus Maniani, Indonesian footballer

1991 – Shohei Takahashi, Japanese footballer

1992 – Stephan El Shaarawy, Italian footballer

1992 – Emily Hagins, American director, producer, and screenwriter

1992 – Brandon Saad, American ice hockey player

1993 – Kiefer Ravena, Filipino basketball player

1999 – Haruka Kudo, Japanese singer and actress

Deaths

939 – Æthelstan, English king (b. 894)

1269 – Ulrich III, Duke of Carinthia (b. c.1220)

1277 – Walter de Merton, Lord Chancellor of England

1303 – Beatrice of Castile, wife of King Afonso III of Portugal

1312 – John II, Duke of Brabant (b. 1275)

1326 – Hugh le Despenser, 1st Earl of Winchester (b. 1262)

1327 – Elizabeth de Burgh, queen of Robert the Bruce

1329 – Mahaut, Countess of Artois (b. 1268)

1331 – Abulfeda, Arab historian and geographer (b. 1273)

1430 – Vytautas, Lithuanian ruler (b. 1350)

1439 – Albert II of Germany (b. 1397)

1441 – Margery Jourdemayne, executed for treasonable witchcraft

1449 – Ulugh Beg, Persian astronomer, mathematician and sultan (b. 1394)

1485 – Rodolphus Agricola, Dutch philosopher, poet and educator (b. 1443)

1505 – Ivan III of Russia (b. 1440)

1553 – Michael Servetus, Spanish physician and theologian (b. 1511)

1561 – Lope de Aguirre, Spanish explorer (b. 1510)

1573 – Laurentius Petri, Swedish archbishop (b. 1499)

1605 – Akbar, Mughal emperor (b. 1542)

1617 – Ralph Winwood, English lawyer and politician, English Secretary of State (b. 1563)

1666 – Robert Hubert, French watchmaker (b. 1640)

1670 – Vavasor Powell, Welsh minister (b. 1617)

1674 – Hallgrímur Pétursson, Icelandic minister and poet (b. 1614)

1675 – Gilles de Roberval, French mathematician and academic (b. 1602)

1789 – John Cook, American farmer and politician, 6th Governor of Delaware (b. 1730)

1816 – Santō Kyōden, Japanese poet and painter (b. 1761)

1880 – Thrasyvoulos Zaimis, Greek soldier and politician, 48th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1822)

1917 – Arthur Rhys-Davids, English lieutenant and pilot (b. 1897)

1926 – Warren Wood, American golfer and soldier (b. 1887)

1927 – Squizzy Taylor, Australian gangster (b. 1888)

1930 – Ellen Hayes, American mathematician and astronomer (b. 1851)

1935 – Ernest Eldridge, English race car driver (b. 1897)

1942 – Helmuth Hübener, German activist (b. 1925)

1947 – William Fay, Irish actor and producer, co-founded the Abbey Theatre (b. 1872)

1949 – Marcel Cerdan, Algerian-French boxer (b. 1916)

1953 – Thomas Wass, English cricketer (b. 1873)

1962 – Rudolf Anderson, American soldier and pilot (b. 1927)

1962 – Enrico Mattei, Italian businessman and politician (b. 1906)

1968 – Lise Meitner, Austrian-English physicist and academic (b. 1878)

1974 – C. P. Ramanujam, Indian mathematician and academic (b. 1938)

1975 – Rex Stout, American detective novelist (b. 1886)

1976 – Deryck Cooke, English musicologist and author (b. 1919)

1977 – James M. Cain, American journalist and author (b. 1892)

1980 – Judy LaMarsh, Canadian soldier, lawyer, and politician, 42nd Secretary of State for Canada (b. 1924)

1980 – John Hasbrouck Van Vleck, American physicist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1899)

1988 – Charles Hawtrey, English actor, singer, and pianist (b. 1914)

1990 – Xavier Cugat, Spanish-American violinist, bandleader, and actor (b. 1900)

1990 – Jacques Demy, French actor, singer, director, and screenwriter (b. 1931)

1990 – Elliott Roosevelt, American general and author (b. 1910)

1990 – Ugo Tognazzi, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1922)

1991 – George Barker, English author and poet (b. 1913)

1992 – David Bohm, American-English physicist and philosopher (b. 1917)

1992 – Allen R. Schindler, Jr. American sailor (b. 1969)

1996 – Arthur Tremblay, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1917)

1999 – Robert Mills, American physicist and academic (b. 1927)

1999 – Charlotte Perriand, French architect and designer (b. 1903)

2001 – Pradeep Kumar, Indian actor, director, and producer (b. 1925)

2002 – Tom Dowd, American record producer and engineer (b. 1925)

2002 – Valve Pormeister, Estonian architect (b. 1922)

2003 – Rod Roddy, American game show announcer (b. 1937)

2003 – Stephanie Tyrell, American songwriter and producer (b. 1949)

2004 – Lester Lanin, American bandleader (b. 1907)

2004 – Paulo Sérgio Oliveira da Silva, Brazilian footballer (b. 1974)

2004 – Zdenko Runjić, Croatian songwriter and producer (b. 1942)

2005 – Jerry Cooke, Ukrainian-American photographer and journalist (b. 1921)

2006 – Jozsef Gregor, Hungarian opera singer (b. 1940)

2006 – Reko Lundán, Finnish journalist and author (b. 1969)

2006 – Marlin McKeever, American football player (b. 1940)

2006 – Joe Niekro, American baseball player (b. 1944)

2006 – Brad Will, American journalist and activist (b. 1970)

2007 – Moira Lister, South African actress (b. 1923)

2008 – Chris Bryant, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1936)

2008 – Ray Ellis, American conductor and producer (b. 1923)

2008 – Frank Nagai, Japanese singer (b. 1932)

2008 – Roy Stewart, Jamaican-English actor and stuntman (b. 1925)

2009 – John David Carson, American actor (b. 1952)

2009 – August Coppola, American author and academic (b. 1934)

2009 – David Shepherd, English cricketer and umpire (b. 1940)

2010 – Néstor Kirchner, Argentinian lawyer and politician, 51st President of Argentina (b. 1950)

2011 – James Hillman, American psychologist and author (b. 1926)

2011 – Robert Pritzker, American businessman, co-founded Marmon Group (b. 1926)

2012 – Terry Callier, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1945)

2012 – Angelo Maria Cicolani, Italian engineer and politician (b. 1952)

2012 – Regina Dourado, Brazilian actress (b. 1952)

2012 – Hans Werner Henze, German composer and educator (b. 1926)

2012 – Rodney S. Quinn, American colonel, pilot, and politician, 44th Secretary of State of Maine (b. 1923)

2012 – Göran Stangertz, Swedish actor and director (b. 1944)

2013 – Noel Davern, Irish lawyer and politician, Minister for Education and Skills (b. 1945)

2013 – Leonard Herzenberg, American immunologist, geneticist, and academic (b. 1931)

2013 – Luigi Magni, Italian director and screenwriter (b. 1928)

2013 – Lou Reed, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor (b. 1942)

2013 – Michael Wilkes, English general and politician, Lieutenant Governor of Jersey (b. 1940)

2014 – Daniel Boulanger, French actor and screenwriter (b. 1922)

2014 – Shin Hae-chul, South Korean singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1968)

2014 – Starke Taylor, American soldier and politician, mayor of Dallas (b. 1922)

2015 – Ayerdhal, French author (b. 1959)

2015 – Ranjit Roy Chaudhury, Indian pharmacologist and academic (b. 1930)

2015 – Betsy Drake, French-American actress and singer (b. 1923)

2015 – Philip French, English journalist, critic, and producer (b. 1933)

2016 – Takahito, Prince Mikasa, member of the Imperial Family of Japan (b. 1915)

Holidays and observances

Christian feast day:

Abbán

Kaleb of Axum

Frumentius (Roman Catholic Church)

October 27 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Black Cat Appreciation Day (United Kingdom)

Černová Tragedy Day (Slovakia)

Flag Day (Greece)

Independence Day (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), celebrates the independence of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines from United Kingdom in 1979.

Independence Day (Turkmenistan), celebrates the independence of Turkmenistan from USSR in 1991.

Navy Day (United States) (unofficial, official date is October 13)

World Day for Audiovisual Heritage