On This Day

Discover events that happened On This Day including famous birthdays and notable deaths. Each day we highlight famous people, past and present, who have impacted our world. Browse sections by selecting the links below or click the calendar to view events on another day.

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January 27

January 27

Events on This Day

1880

133 years ago
Inventor Thomas Edison receives a patent for his incandescent lamp, making it possible to have electric light in homes.
1967

46 years ago
Gus Grissom and two fellow astronauts are the first Americans to be killed in a spacecraft when Apollo I catches fire during a launch simulation.

Read more at History.com
1976

37 years ago
Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams star as roommates in the Happy Days spin-off Laverne & Shirley.
1984

29 years ago
Michael Jackson is seriously burned when his hair catches fire after a special effect goes wrong while filming a Pepsi-Cola commercial.

January 27

Born on This Day

- In these groups:
- Best Supporting Actress Oscar Winners
- TV Moms: 1950s
- Primetime Soap Stars
Donna Reed

Television Actress / 1921 - 1986

Actress Donna Reed charmed audiences in the film It's a Wonderful Life and on television's The Donna Reed Show.

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Donna Reed
Born: January 27, 1921
Birthplace: Denison, Iowa, United States
Occupation: Television Actress
- In these groups:
- Vegans
- Famous Aquarians
- Famous People Named Steve
Steve Wynn

Entrepreneur / 1942 -

Casino resort developer Steve Wynn brought new life to the Las Vegas strip by renovating the Golden Nugget and opening The Mirage and The Bellagio.

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Steve Wynn
1942 | 71 years old
Entrepreneur
- In these groups:
- Studio 54 Patrons
- Famous Defectors
- Famous Movie Dancers
Mikhail Baryshnikov

Ballet Dancer / 1948 -

Mikhail Baryshnikov is a Russian-American ballet dancer who choreographed several iconic pieces which have made him one of the greatest ballet dancers of the 20th century.

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Mikhail Baryshnikov
1948 | 65 years old
Ballet Dancer
- In these groups:
- Famous Children's Authors
- Famous Aquarians
- Famous People Named Lewis
Lewis Carroll

Author / 1832 - 1898

Lewis Carroll was the pen name of Charles L. Dodgson, author of the children's classics "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking-Glass."

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Lewis Carroll
Born: January 27, 1832
Birthplace: Daresbury, England
Occupation: Author
- In these groups:
- Famous Aquarians
- Famous Actresses
- Famous Film Actresses
Bridget Fonda

Film Actress / 1964 -

Bridget Fonda is a film actor and the daughter of Peter Fonda, the granddaughter of Henry Fonda, and the niece of Jane Fonda.

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Bridget Fonda
1964 | 49 years old
Film Actress
- In these groups:
- Famous Lefties
- Famous Aquarians
- Famous Pianists
Wolfgang Mozart

Songwriter, Pianist / 1756 - 1791

A prolific artist, Austrian composer Wolfgang Mozart created a string of operas, concertos, symphonies and sonatas that profoundly shaped classical music.

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Wolfgang Mozart
1756 | 35 years old
Songwriter, Pianist

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January 27

Died on This Day

- In these groups:
- Famous Harlem Residents
- Famous Capricorns
- Columbia University Alumni
J.D. Salinger

Author / 1919 - 2010

With his landmark novel Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger was an influential 20th-century American writer.

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J.D. Salinger
Died: January 27, 2010
Age: 91 years old
Place: Cornish, New Hampshire , United States
Occupation: Author
- In these groups:
- Famous Pisceans
- Famous People Named John
- Famous Fiction Authors
John Updike

Author / 1932 - 2009

Writer John Updike's works are known for their subtle depiction of American middle-class life. His popular Rabbit series earned him two Pulitzer prizes.

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John Updike
2009 | 76 years old
Author
- In these groups:
- Daring Female Adventurers
- Famous Irish-Americans
- Famous Taureans
Nellie Bly

Journalist / 1864 - 1922

Nellie Bly was an American journalist known for her investigative and undercover reporting. She earned acclaim in 1887 for her exposé on the conditions of patients at Bellevue Hospital in New York City, and achieved further fame after the New York World sent her on a trip around the world in 1889.

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Nellie Bly
1922 | 57 years old
Journalist

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- In these groups:
- Shorties with Authority
- Fantastically French
- Famous Aquarians
Nicolas Sarkozy

World Leader / 1955 -

Nicolas Sarkozy served as France's 23rd president from 2007 to 2012. His term was marked by controversy, which included his marriage to Carla Bruni in 2008.

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Nicolas Sarkozy
January 28, 1955
World Leader
- In these groups:
- Female Talk Show Hosts
- Where Are They Now
- Child Stars
Sara Gilbert

Film Actress, Television Actress, Talk Show Host / 1975 -

Sara Gilbert is an actress best known for her role as Darlene Conner-Healy from in the sitcom Roseanne and the creator of the series The Talk.

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Sara Gilbert
January 29, 1975
Film Actress
- In these groups:
- Famous Aquarians
- Famous Actresses
- Famous Television Actresses
Brett Butler

Television Actress / 1958 -

Brett Butler found fame on TV as Grace Kelly, a divorced, working-class mother of three on the hit 1990s comedy Grace Under Fire.

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Brett Butler
January 30, 1958
Television Actress
- In these groups:
- Famous Aquarians
- Famous French People
- Famous People Born on January 31
Michel-Guillaume-Saint-Jean de Crèvecoeur

Diplomat, Journalist / 1735 - 1813

Michel-Guillaume-Saint-Jean de Crèvecoeur was a French writer and naturalist who traveled to America in the 1700s and wrote Letters from an American Farmer.

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Michel-Guillaume-Saint-Jean de Crèvecoeur
January 31, 1735
Diplomat

Famous Aquarians

- In these groups:
- Famous Aquarians
- Famous Engineers
- Famous Chemists
Lisa Perez Jackson

Civil Servant, Engineer, Chemist / 1962 -

Lisa Perez Jackson is a chemical engineer who in 2008 became the first African American to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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Lisa Perez Jackson
February 8, 1962
Civil Servant, Engineer, Chemist
- In these groups:
- Fitness Gurus
- Famous Aquarians
- Reality TV Stars
Jillian Michaels

Entrepreneur, Reality Television Star / 1974 -

A high-profile trainer and life coach, Jillian Michaels starred on the reality TV show The Biggest Loser and has created her own fitness franchise.

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Jillian Michaels
February 18, 1974
Entrepreneur, Reality Television Star

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