September 27

Events

1066 – William the Conqueror and his army set sail from the mouth of the River Somme, beginning the Norman conquest of England.

1331 – The Battle of Płowce between the Kingdom of Poland and the Teutonic Order is fought.

1422 – After the brief Gollub War the Teutonic Knights sign the Treaty of Melno with the Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania

1529 – The Siege of Vienna begins when Suleiman I attacks the city.

1540 – The Society of Jesus (Jesuits) receives its charter from Pope Paul III.

1590 – Pope Urban VII dies 13 days after being chosen as the Pope, making his reign the shortest papacy in history.

1605 – The armies of Sweden are defeated by the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the Battle of Kircholm.

1669 – The Venetians surrender the fortress of Candia to the Ottomans, thus ending the 21-year-long Siege of Candia.

1777 – American Revolutionary War: Lancaster, Pennsylvania becomes the capital of the United States, for one day after the Second Continental Congress evacuates Philadelphia to avoid invading British forces.

1822 – Jean-François Champollion announces that he has deciphered the Rosetta Stone.

1825 – The world's first public railway to use steam locomotives, the Stockton and Darlington Railway, is ceremonially opened.

1854 – The steamship SS Arctic sinks with 300 people on board. This marks the first great disaster in the Atlantic Ocean.

1875 – The merchant sailing ship Ellen Southard is wrecked in a storm at Liverpool.

1903 – The Wreck of the Old 97, an American rail disaster that became the subject of a popular ballad.

1905 – The physics journal Annalen der Physik received Albert Einstein's paper, "Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?", introducing the equation E=mc².

1908 – The first production of the Ford Model T automobile was built at the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant in Detroit, Michigan.

1916 – Iyasu V is proclaimed deposed as ruler of Ethiopia in a palace coup in favor of his aunt Zewditu.

1922 – King Constantine I of Greece abdicates his throne in favor of his eldest son, George II.

1928 – The Republic of China is recognized by the United States.

1930 – Bobby Jones wins the U.S. Amateur Championship to complete the Grand Slam of golf. The old structure of the grand slam was the U.S. Open, British Open, U.S. Amateur, and British Amateur.

1938 – Ocean liner Queen Elizabeth launched in Glasgow.

1940 – World War II: The Tripartite Pact is signed in Berlin by Germany, Japan and Italy.

1941 – The National Liberation Front (Greece) is established and Georgios Siantos is appointed acting leader.

1941 – The SS Patrick Henry is launched becoming the first of more than 2,700 Liberty ships.

1942 – Last day of the September Matanikau action on Guadalcanal as United States Marine Corps troops barely escape after being surrounded by Japanese forces near the Matanikau River.

1944 – The Kassel Mission results in the largest loss by a USAAF group on any mission in World War II.

1949 – The first Plenary Session of the National People's Congress approves the design of the Flag of the People's Republic of China.

1954 – The nationwide debut of Tonight Starring Steve Allen (The Tonight Show) hosted by Steve Allen on NBC.

1956 – USAF Captain Milburn G. Apt becomes the first man to exceed Mach 3 while flying the Bell X-2. Shortly thereafter, the craft goes out of control and Captain Apt is killed.

1959 – Typhoon Vera kills nearly 5,000 people in Japan.

1961 – Sierra Leone joins the United Nations.

1962 – The Yemen Arab Republic is established.

1962 – Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring is published, inspiring an environmental movement and the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

1964 – The British TSR-2 aircraft XR219 makes its maiden flight from Boscombe Down in Wiltshire.

1968 – The stage musical Hair opens at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London, where it played 1,998 performances until its closure was forced by the roof collapsing in July 1973.

1975 – The last use of capital punishment in Spain sees the executions of five members of militant organisations, sparking worldwide protests against the Spanish government and the withdrawal of numerous ambassadors.

1979 – The United States Department of Education receives final approval from the U.S. Congress to become the 13th US Cabinet agency.

1983 – Richard Stallman announces the GNU Project to develop a free Unix-like operating system.

1988 – National League for Democracy is formed by Aung San Suu Kyi and various others to help fight against dictatorship in Myanmar.

1993 – The Sukhumi massacre takes place in Abkhazia.

1996 – In Afghanistan, the Taliban capture the capital city Kabul after driving out President Burhanuddin Rabbani and executing former leader Mohammad Najibullah.

1996 – The Julie N., a tanker ship, spills thousands of gallons of oil after crashing into the Million Dollar Bridge in Portland, Maine.

1998 – The Google internet search engine retrospectively claims this as its birthday.

2001 – Zug massacre: In Zug, Switzerland, Friedrich Leibacher shoots 18 citizens, killing 14 and then himself.

2003 – SMART-1 satellite is launched.

2007 – NASA launches the Dawn probe.

2008 – CNSA astronaut Zhai Zhigang becomes the first Chinese person to perform a spacewalk while flying on Shenzhou 7.

2012 – A mass shooting takes place at Accent Signage Systems, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, killing six people, including the gunman who committed suicide, and wounding two others.

2014 – Eruption of Mount Ontake in Japan occurs.

Births

808 – Ninmyō, Japanese emperor (d. 850)

823 – Ermentrude of Orléans (d. 869)

1271 – Wenceslaus II of Bohemia (d. 1305)

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

1300 – Adolf, Count Palatine of the Rhine (d. 1327)

1433 – Stanisław Kazimierczyk, Polish canon regular and saint (d. 1489)

1442 – John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk (d. 1491)

1496 – Hieronymus Łaski, Polish diplomat (d. 1542)

1507 – Guillaume Rondelet, French physician (d. 1566)

1544 – Takenaka Shigeharu, Japanese samurai (d. 1579)

1601 – Louis XIII of France (d. 1643)

1627 – Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, French bishop and theologian (d. 1704)

1643 – Solomon Stoddard, American pastor and librarian (d. 1729)

1657 – Sofia Alekseyevna of Russia (d. 1704)

1677 – Giovanni Carlo Maria Clari, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1754)

1696 – Alphonsus Maria de' Liguori, Italian bishop and saint (d. 1787)

1719 – Abraham Gotthelf Kästner, German mathematician and epigrammatist (d. 1800)

1722 – Samuel Adams, American philosopher and politician, 4th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1803)

1729 – Michael Denis, Austrian lepidopterist, author, and poet (d. 1800)

1739 – Francis Russell, Marquess of Tavistock, Irish politician (d. 1767)

1765 – Antoine Philippe de La Trémoille, French general (d. 1794)

1783 – Agustín de Iturbide, Mexican royalist turned insurgent; first emperor of Mexico (d. 1824)

1803 – Samuel Francis Du Pont, American admiral (d. 1865)

1805 – George Müller, German-English evangelist and missionary, founded the Ashley Down Orphanage (d. 1898)

1818 – Hermann Kolbe, German chemist and academic (d. 1884)

1821 – Henri-Frédéric Amiel, Swiss philosopher, poet, and critic (d. 1881)

1824 – William "Bull" Nelson, American general (d. 1862)

1830 – William Babcock Hazen, American general (d. 1887)

1838 – Lawrence Sullivan Ross, American general and politician, 19th Governor of Texas (d. 1898)

1840 – Alfred Thayer Mahan, American captain and historian (d. 1914)

1840 – Thomas Nast, German-American cartoonist (d. 1902)

1842 – Alphonse François Renard, Belgian geologist and petrographer (d. 1903)

1843 – Gaston Tarry, French mathematician and academic (d. 1913)

1861 – Corinne Roosevelt Robinson, American poet and author (d. 1933)

1864 – Andrej Hlinka, Slovak priest and politician (d. 1938)

1866 – Eurosia Fabris, Italian saint (d. 1932)

1871 – Grazia Deledda, Italian novelist and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1936)

1879 – Hans Hahn, Austrian mathematician and philosopher (d. 1934)

1879 – Frederick Schule, American hurdler and coach (d. 1962)

1879 – Cyril Scott, English poet and composer (d. 1970)

1882 – Dorothy Greenhough-Smith, English figure skater and tennis player (d. 1965)

1885 – Harry Blackstone, Sr., American magician (d. 1965)

1885 – Charles Benjamin Howard, Canadian businessman and politician (d. 1964)

1892 – George Bambridge, English diplomat (d. 1943)

1894 – Lothar von Richthofen, German lieutenant and pilot (d. 1922)

1895 – Woolf Barnato, English race car driver and financier (d. 1948)

1896 – Gilbert Ashton, English cricketer (d. 1981)

1896 – Sam Ervin, American soldier and politician (d. 1985)

1898 – Vincent Youmans, American composer and producer (d. 1946)

1904 – Edvard Kocbek, Slovenian poet and politician (d. 1981)

1905 – Conrad Heidkamp, German footballer and manager (d. 1994)

1906 – William Empson, English poet and critic (d. 1984)

1906 – Jim Thompson, American author and screenwriter (d. 1977)

1906 – Sergei Varshavsky, Russian art collector and author (d. 1980)

1907 – Maurice Blanchot, French philosopher and theorist (d. 2003)

1907 – Bernard Miles, English actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1991)

1911 – Marcey Jacobson, American-Mexican photographer (d. 2009)

1913 – Albert Ellis, American psychologist and author (d. 2007)

1916 – S. Yizhar, Israeli academic and politician (d. 2006)

1917 – Louis Auchincloss, American novelist and essayist (d. 2010)

1917 – Carl Ballantine, American magician and actor (d. 2009)

1917 – William T. Orr, American actor and producer (d. 2002)

1917 – Benjamin Rubin, American microbiologist (d. 2010)

1918 – Martin Ryle, English astronomer and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1984)

1919 – Jayne Meadows, Chinese-American actress and author (d. 2015)

1919 – Charles H. Percy, American lieutenant and politician (d. 2011)

1919 – James H. Wilkinson, American mathematician and computer scientist (d. 1986)

1920 – William Conrad, American actor, director, and producer (d. 1994)

1921 – Miklós Jancsó, Hungarian director and screenwriter (d. 2014)

1921 – Milton Subotsky, American screenwriter and producer, co-founded Amicus Productions (d. 1991)

1921 – Bernard Waber, American author and illustrator (d. 2013)

1922 – Sammy Benskin, American pianist and bandleader (d. 1992)

1922 – Arthur Penn, American director and producer (d. 2010)

1924 – Ernest Becker, American-Canadian anthropologist, author, and academic (d. 1974)

1924 – Bud Powell, American pianist and composer (d. 1966)

1924 – Fred Singer, Austrian-American physicist and academic

1924 – Josef Škvorecký, Czech-Canadian author and publisher (d. 2012)

1925 – Robert Edwards, English physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2013)

1925 – George Gladir, American author (d. 2013)

1927 – Chrysostomos I of Cyprus (d. 2007)

1927 – Red Rodney, American trumpet player (d. 1994)

1927 – Romano Scarpa, Italian author and illustrator (d. 2005)

1927 – Steve Stavro, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (d. 2006)

1927 – Sada Thompson, American actress (d. 2011)

1928 – Margaret Rule, English archaeologist and historian (d. 2015)

1929 – Calvin Jones, American pianist, composer, and educator (d. 2004)

1929 – Bruno Junk, Estonian race walker (d. 1995)

1929 – Barbara Murray, English actress (d. 2014)

1930 – Paul Reichmann, Austrian-Canadian businessman, founded Olympia and York (d. 2013)

1931 – Freddy Quinn, Austrian singer, guitarist, and actor

1932 – Geoff Bent, English footballer (d. 1958)

1932 – Michael Colvin, English captain and politician (d. 2000)

1932 – Gabriel Loubier, Canadian politician

1932 – Oliver E. Williamson, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

1932 – Marcia Neugebauer, American geophysicist

1933 – Rodney Cotterill, Danish-English physicist and neuroscientist (d. 2007)

1933 – Paul Goble, English-American author and illustrator

1933 – Greg Morris, American actor (d. 1996)

1934 – Wilford Brimley, American actor

1934 – Claude Jarman, Jr., American actor and producer

1934 – Dick Schaap, American sportscaster and author (d. 2001)

1935 – Al MacNeil, Canadian ice hockey player and coach

1936 – Don Cornelius, American television host and producer (Soul Train) (d. 2012)

1936 – Gordon Honeycombe, English actor, playwright, and author (d. 2015)

1937 – Vasyl Durdynets, Ukrainian politician and diplomat, 8th Prime Minister of Ukraine

1938 – Jean-Loup Dabadie, French journalist, songwriter, and screenwriter

1939 – Nicholas Haslam, English interior designer and author

1939 – Carol Lynn Pearson, American author, poet, and playwright

1939 – Kathy Whitworth, American golfer

1940 – Josephine Barstow, English soprano and actress

1940 – Benoni Beheyt, Belgian cyclist

1941 – Peter Bonetti, English footballer and coach

1941 – Serge Ménard, Canadian lawyer and politician

1941 – Don Nix, American saxophonist, songwriter, and producer

1942 – Dith Pran, Cambodian photographer and journalist (d. 2008)

1942 – Alvin Stardust, English singer and actor (d. 2014)

1943 – Prince Amedeo, Duke of Aosta

1943 – Randy Bachman, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist

1944 – Ian Garnett, English admiral

1944 – Gary Sutherland, American baseball player and scout

1945 – Jack Goldstein, Canadian-American painter (d. 2003)

1945 – Bob Spiers, Scottish-English director and producer (d. 2008)

1946 – Nicos Anastasiades, Cypriot lawyer and politician, 7th President of Cyprus

1946 – T. C. Cannon, American painter and sculptor (d. 1978)

1947 – Barbara Dickson, Scottish singer-songwriter and actress

1947 – Denis Lawson, Scottish actor, director, and screenwriter

1947 – Meat Loaf, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor

1948 – Tom Braidwood, Canadian actor, director, and producer

1948 – Les Chapman, English footballer and manager

1948 – Duncan Fletcher, Rhodesian-Zimbabwean cricketer and coach

1949 – Graham Richardson, Australian journalist and politician, 39th Australian Minister for Health

1949 – Mike Schmidt, American baseball player and coach

1949 – Jahn Teigen, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist

1950 – Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Japanese-American actor and martial artist

1951 – Paul Craig, English author and academic

1951 – Michel Rivard, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist

1951 – Jim Shooter, American author and illustrator

1951 – David Starobin, American guitarist, producer, and director

1951 – Steve Soper, English race car driver

1952 – Katie Fforde, English author

1952 – Dumitru Prunariu, Romanian pilot, engineer, and astronaut

1953 – Diane Abbott, English journalist and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for International Development

1953 – Mata Amritanandamayi, Indian guru and saint

1953 – Claudio Gentile, Italian footballer and manager

1953 – Greg Ham, Australian keyboard player, saxophonist and songwriter (d. 2012)

1954 – Ray Hadley, Australian radio host and sportscaster

1954 – Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Russian violinist and conductor

1954 – Larry Wall, American computer programmer and author

1956 – Steve Archibald, Scottish footballer and manager

1957 – Bill Athey, English cricketer, footballer, and coach

1957 – Peter Sellars, American actor, director, and screenwriter

1958 – Shaun Cassidy, American actor, singer, producer, and screenwriter

1958 – Irvine Welsh, Scottish author and playwright

1959 – Beth Heiden, American speed skater and cyclist

1960 – Jean-Marc Barr, German-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter

1962 – Gavin Larsen, New Zealand cricketer and sportscaster

1963 – Marc Maron, American comedian, actor, and radio host

1964 – Predrag Brzaković, Serbian footballer (d. 2012)

1964 – Tracy Camp, American computer scientist and academic

1964 – Johnny du Plooy, South African boxer (d. 2013)

1964 – Stephan Jenkins, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer

1965 – Steve Kerr, American basketball player and sportscaster

1965 – Bernard Lord, Canadian lawyer and politician, 30th Premier of New Brunswick

1965 – Peter MacKay, Canadian lawyer and politician, 50th Canadian Minister of Justice

1965 – Alexis Stewart, American radio and television host

1966 – Don Jamieson, American comedian and television host

1966 – Debbie Wasserman Schultz, American politician

1966 – Stephanie Wilson, American engineer and astronaut

1966 – Lorenzo Cherubini, Italian singer-songwriter and rapper

1967 – Uche Okechukwu, Nigerian footballer

1968 – Mari Kiviniemi, Finnish politician, 41st Prime Minister of Finland

1970 – Yoshiharu Habu, Japanese chess player and author

1970 – Tamara Taylor, Canadian actress

1971 – Horacio Sandoval, Mexican illustrator

1972 – Sylvia Crawley, American basketball player and coach

1972 – Clara Hughes, Canadian cyclist and speed skater

1972 – Gwyneth Paltrow, American actress, blogger, and businesswoman

1972 – Craig L. Rice, American politician

1974 – Carrie Brownstein, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress

1976 – Matt Harding, American video game designer and dancer

1976 – Jason Phillips, American baseball player and coach

1976 – Francesco Totti, Italian footballer

1977 – Andrus Värnik, Estonian javelin thrower

1978 – Jon Rauch, American baseball player

1978 – Mihaela Ursuleasa, Romanian pianist (d. 2012)

1979 – Jon Garland, American baseball player

1979 – Zita Görög, Hungarian actress and model

1979 – Christian Jones, Australian race car driver

1979 – Steve Simpson, Australian rugby league player

1980 – Asashōryū Akinori, Mongolian sumo wrestler, the 68th Yokozuna

1980 – Ehron VonAllen, American singer-songwriter and producer

1981 – Sophie Crumb, American author and illustrator

1981 – Brendon McCullum, New Zealand cricketer

1982 – Jon McLaughlin, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer

1982 – Markus Rosenberg, Swedish footballer

1982 – Lil Wayne, American rapper, producer, and actor

1982 – Darrent Williams, American football player (d. 2007)

1983 – Jeon Hye-bin, South Korean actress and singer

1984 – Paul Bevan, Australian footballer

1984 – Davide Capello, Italian footballer

1984 – John Lannan, American baseball player

1984 – Avril Lavigne, Canadian singer-songwriter, actress, and fashion designer

1984 – Wouter Weylandt, Belgian cyclist (d. 2011)

1985 – Massimo Bertocchi, Canadian decathlete

1985 – Daniel Pudil, Czech footballer

1985 – Ibrahim Touré, Ivorian footballer (d. 2014)

1986 – Vin Mazzaro, American baseball player

1986 – Matt Shoemaker American baseball player

1986 – Ricardo Risatti, Argentinian race car driver

1987 – Ádám Bogdán, Hungarian footballer

1987 – Austin Carlile, American singer-songwriter

1987 – Olga Puchkova, Russian tennis player

1988 – Lisa Ryzih, German pole vaulter

1989 – Park Tae-hwan, South Korean swimmer

1991 – Ousmane Barry, Guinean footballer

1991 – Simona Halep, Romanian tennis player

1991 – Anete Paulus, Estonian footballer

1991 – Rio Uchida, Japanese model and actress

1992 – Lachlan Burr, Australian rugby league player

1992 – Luc Castaignos, Dutch footballer

1992 – Pak Kwang-ryong, North Korean footballer

1992 – Ryan O'Shaughnessy, Irish singer-songwriter and actor

1992 – Gabriel Vasconcelos Ferreira, Brazilian footballer

1992 – Granit Xhaka, Swiss footballer

1993 – Lisandro Magallán, Argentinian footballer

1993 – Mónica Puig, Puerto Rican-American tennis player

1993 – Vinnie Sunseri, American football player

1994 – Dylan Walker, Australian rugby league player

1998 – Ioana Mincă, Romanian tennis player

Deaths

765 – Pugu Huai'en, Chinese general during the Tang Dynasty

1111 – Vekenega, Croatian Benedictine abbess

1125 – Richeza of Berg, Duchess of Bohemia (b.c. 1095)

1194 – Renaud de Courtenay, Anglo-Norman nobleman (b. 1125)

1249 – Raymond VII, Count of Toulouse (b. 1197)

1404 – William of Wykeham, English bishop (b. 1320)

1557 – Emperor Go-Nara of Japan (b. 1497)

1590 – Pope Urban VII (b. 1521)

1651 – Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria (b. 1573)

1660 – Vincent de Paul, French priest and saint (b. 1581)

1674 – Thomas Traherne, English priest, poet, and theologian (b. 1637)

1700 – Pope Innocent XII (b. 1615)

1719 – George Smalridge, English bishop (b. 1662)

1730 – Laurence Eusden, English poet and author (b. 1688)

1735 – Peter Artedi, Swedish ichthyologist and zoologist (b. 1705)

1737 – John Sidney, 6th Earl of Leicester, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Kent (b. 1680)

1742 – Hugh Boulter, Irish archbishop (b. 1672)

1783 – Étienne Bézout, French mathematician and theorist (b. 1730)

1832 – Karl Christian Friedrich Krause, German philosopher and author (b. 1781)

1833 – Ram Mohan Roy, Indian humanitarian and reformer (b. 1772)

1838 – Bernard Courtois, French chemist and pharmacist (b. 1777)

1876 – Braxton Bragg, American general (b. 1817)

1886 – Charles Gordon Greene, American journalist and politician (b. 1804)

1891 – Ivan Goncharov, Russian author and critic (b. 1812)

1911 – Auguste Michel-Lévy, French geologist and academic (b. 1844)

1915 – Remy de Gourmont, French novelist, poet, and critic (b. 1858)

1917 – Edgar Degas, French painter and sculptor (b. 1834)

1921 – Engelbert Humperdinck, German composer and educator (b. 1854)

1935 – Alan Gray, English composer and organist (b. 1855)

1940 – Walter Benjamin, German philosopher and critic (b. 1892)

1940 – Julius Wagner-Jauregg, Austrian physician and neuroscientist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1857)

1944 – Aimee Semple McPherson, Canadian-American evangelist, founded the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel (b. 1890)

1956 – Gerald Finzi, English composer and educator (b. 1901)

1956 – Babe Didrikson Zaharias, American basketball player and golfer (b. 1911)

1960 – Sylvia Pankhurst, English activist (b. 1882)

1960 – Hilda Doolittle. American poet, novelist, and memoirist (b. 1886)

1965 – Clara Bow, American actress (b. 1905)

1965 – William Stanier, English engineer, co-designed the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (b. 1876)

1967 – Felix Yusupov, Russian husband of Princess Irina Alexandrovna of Russia (b. 1887)

1972 – S. R. Ranganathan, Indian mathematician, librarian, and academic (b. 1892)

1974 – Silvio Frondizi, Argentinian lawyer and academic (b. 1907)

1975 – Jack Lang, Australian lawyer and politician, 23rd Premier of New South Wales (b. 1876)

1979 – Gracie Fields, English actress and singer (b. 1898)

1979 – Jimmy McCulloch, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1953)

1981 – Robert Montgomery, American actor, singer, director, and producer (b. 1904)

1983 – Wilfred Burchett, Australian journalist and author (b. 1911)

1984 – Chronis Exarhakos, Greek actor (b. 1932)

1985 – Lloyd Nolan, American actor (b. 1902)

1986 – Cliff Burton, American bass player and songwriter (b. 1962)

1991 – Joe Hulme, English footballer and cricketer (b. 1904)

1993 – Jimmy Doolittle, American general, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1896)

1993 – Fraser MacPherson, Canadian saxophonist and educator (b. 1928)

1996 – Mohammad Najibullah, Afghan physician and politician, 7th President of Afghanistan (b. 1947)

1997 – Walter Trampler, American viola player and educator (b. 1915)

1998 – Doak Walker, American football player (b. 1927)

2003 – Jean Lucas, French racing driver (b. 1927)

2003 – Donald O'Connor, American actor, singer, and dancer (b. 1925)

2004 – John E. Mack, American psychiatrist and author (b. 1929)

2005 – Ronald Golias, Brazilian comedian and actor (b. 1929)

2005 – Mary Lee Settle, American novelist, essayist, and memoirist (b. 1918)

2006 – Helmut Kallmeyer, German chemist and soldier (b. 1910)

2007 – Dale Houston, American singer-songwriter (b. 1940)

2007 – Kenji Nagai, Japanese photographer and journalist (b. 1957)

2008 – Henri Pachard, American director and producer (b. 1939)

2009 – Ivan Dykhovichny, Russian director and screenwriter (b. 1947)

2009 – Charles Houston, American physician and mountaineer (b. 1913)

2009 – William Safire, American author and journalist (b. 1929)

2010 – George Blanda, American football player (b. 1927)

2010 – Balaji Sadasivan, Singaporean neurosurgeon and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Singapore (b. 1955)

2010 – Trevor Taylor, English race car driver (b. 1936)

2011 – David Croft, English director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1922)

2011 – Imre Makovecz, Hungarian architect (b. 1935)

2011 – Johnny "Country" Mathis, American singer-songwriter (b. 1933)

2012 – Eddie Bert, American trombonist (b. 1922)

2012 – Herbert Lom, Czech-English actor (b. 1917)

2012 – John Silber, American academic and politician (b. 1926)

2012 – Sanjay Surkar, Indian director and screenwriter (b. 1959)

2012 – Frank Wilson, American songwriter and producer (b. 1940)

2013 – Gates Brown, American baseball player and coach (b. 1939)

2013 – Oscar Castro-Neves, Brazilian-American guitarist, composer, and conductor (b. 1940)

2013 – Elvin R. Heiberg III, American general and engineer (b. 1932)

2013 – Tuncel Kurtiz, Turkish actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1936)

2013 – A. C. Lyles, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1918)

2013 – Albert Naughton, English rugby player (b. 1929)

2014 – Gaby Aghion, French fashion designer, founded Chloé (b. 1921)

2014 – Eugie Foster, American journalist and author (b. 1971)

2014 – Taylor Hardwick, American architect and educator, designed Haydon Burns Library and Friendship Fountain Park (b. 1925)

2014 – Wally Hergesheimer, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1927)

2014 – Abdelmajid Lakhal, Tunisian actor and director (b. 1939)

2014 – James Traficant, American lawyer and politician (b. 1941)

2015 – Syed Ahmed, Indian author and politician, 16th Governor of Manipur (b. 1945)

2015 – Wilton Felder, American saxophonist and bass player (b. 1940)

2015 – Pietro Ingrao, Italian journalist and politician (b. 1915)

2015 – Denise Lor, American singer and actress (b. 1929)

2015 – Kallen Pokkudan, Indian activist and author (b. 1937)

2015 – Frank Tyson, English-Australian cricketer, coach, and journalist (b. 1930)

2016 – David Hahn, American Boy Scout famous for attempting to build a nuclear reactor in a shed in his backyard (b. 1976)

Holidays and observances

Christian feast days:

Adheritus

Vincent de Paul

Thomas Traherne (Episcopal Church (United States))

September 27 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Consumación de la Independencia (End of Independence War)(Mexico)

French Community Holiday (French community of Belgium)

Google's official birthday

Meskel (Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Church, following Julian calendar, September 28 on leap years)

National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (United States)

Polish Underground State's Day (Poland)

World Tourism Day (International)