1748
Science
Marriage to Jean-André Lepaute
She married royal clockmaker Jean-André Lepaute on 27 August 1748, beginning a partnership that supported her later astronomical work.
View detailsThis Day
27August
21 indexed achievements across recorded history.
1850
Literature
Delivers graduation address "A Plea for the Oppressed" at Oberlin College
As president of Oberlin's Ladies' Literary Society, Stanton delivered a powerful abolitionist commencement address titled 'A Plea for the Oppressed.'
View details1869
Activism
Rebecca Gratz passed away
Rebecca Gratz passed away on August 27, 1869, in Philadelphia.
View details1872
Activism
Birth of Mary Anderson
Mary Anderson was born on her parents’ farm outside Lidköping, Sweden, later becoming a leading U.S. labor organizer.
View details1875
Activism
Birth of Katharine Dexter McCormick
Katharine Dexter McCormick was born in Dexter, Michigan.
View details1886
1916
1918
Aviation
Birth of Ann Gilpin Baumgartner
Born at Fort Gordon, Georgia, in a U.S. Army hospital; she would later become the first woman to fly a jet‑powered aircraft.
View details1923
Science
Released from Civil War imprisonment
Markievicz was released from prison on 27 August 1923 following her detention during the Irish Civil War for anti-Treaty activities.
View details1942
Arts
First leading role as Tosca in Athens
First leading role: Callas debuts as Tosca at the Olympia Theatre in Athens, establishing herself as a leading soprano in Greece.
View details1946
Science
Birth of Flossie Wong-Staal in Hong Kong
Flossie Wong-Staal (née Wong Yee Ching) was born in Hong Kong on August 27, 1946, later becoming a pioneering Chinese-American virologist.
View details1950
Sports
NASCAR start at Hamburg Speedway
Finished 14th at Hamburg Speedway in New York, one of her final documented NASCAR starts.
View details1953
Arts
U.S. Premiere of "Roman Holiday"
"Roman Holiday" premiered in the U.S., featuring Hepburn in her first major film role.
View details1964
Arts
Death of Gracie Allen
Gracie Allen died on August 27, 1964, in Hollywood, California.
View details1978
Arts
Kennedy Center Honors recipient
Lucille Ball received the Kennedy Center Honors for her lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts.
View details1982
Exploration
Completion of first spaceflight (Soyuz T-7 mission)
Completed her first spaceflight, returning from Salyut 7.
View details1986
Aviation
Birth of Katie Higgins Cook
Katie Higgins Cook was born on August 27, 1986, in Maryland.
View details1994
Science
Commonwealth Games 400m gold and Aboriginal flag victory lap
Freeman won 400m gold at the 1994 Commonwealth Games and carried the Aboriginal flag on her victory lap, a landmark act of Indigenous pride.
View details1998
Literature
Death of Essie Summers
Essie Summers passed away on August 27, 1998, in Taradale, New Zealand.
View details2013
Sports
First senior World Judo Championship title (Kosovo's first)
Kelmendi wins gold in women's −52kg at the 2013 World Judo Championships in Rio, becoming Kosovo's first senior world judo champion.
View details2021
Science
First solo retrospective by an Asian American woman at the National Portrait Gallery
The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery opened 'Portraits of Promised Lands,' its first-ever solo retrospective by an Asian American woman.
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