Discover what happened on April 27 in history, along with notable events that shaped government programs, pop culture, and technology.
What Happened on April 27 in History?
From the first Social Security payments to the rise and fall of a legendary nightclub and the debut of a revolutionary computer tool, April 27 highlights moments that changed everyday life.
APRIL 27 – TODAY IN HISTORY:
4977 B.C. – German Astronomer Johannes Kepler claimed that the world was created on this date.
1880 – Francis Clarke and M.G. Foster patented the electrical hearing aid.
1897 – Grant’s Tomb was dedicated.
1937 – The first Social Security checks were issued.
1938 – A colored baseball was used for the first time in any baseball game. The ball was yellow and was used between Columbia and Fordham Universities in New York, NY.
1953 – The U.S. offered $50,000, and political asylum, to any Communist pilot that delivered a MIG jet.
1956 – Heavyweight boxing champion Rocky Marciano retired with a perfect record of 49-0.
1960 – The submarine Tullibee was launched from Groton, CT. It was the first sub to be equipped with closed-circuit television.
1961 – ABC’s “Wild World of Sports” premiered on TV.
1965 – “Pampers” were patented by R.C. Duncan.
1971 – Curt Flood, the baseball player whose court case resulted in free agency in all sports, quit the Washington Senators and moved to Denmark.
1973 – Opryland opened in Nashville, TN.
1978 – Former President Richard Nixon aide John D. Ehrlichman was released from an Arizona prison after serving 18 months for Watergate-related crimes.
1980 – Studio 54 in New York, NY shut down due to various questionable activities three years and a day after opening its doors.
1981 – Xerox PARC introduced the computer mouse.
1982 – The trial of John W. Hinckley Jr. began in Washington, DC. Hinckley was later acquitted by reason of insanity for the shooting of President Ronald Reagan and three others.
1983 – Nolan Ryan, of the Houston Astros, broke a 55-year-old major league baseball record when he struck out his 3,509th batter of his career.
1985 – “We Are the World”, an album by the all-star assembly of artists calling itself USA for Africa, hit #1 in Billboard. It remained in that spot for three weeks.
1986 – Captain Midnight (John R. MacDougall) interrupted HBO.
2005 – The A380, the world’s largest jetliner, completed its maiden flight. The passenger capability was 840.
2005 – President George Bush signed a law that allowed for up to three years in prison for anyone that pirated music or films on the Internet.
2005 – Former American Idol hopeful Corey Clark claimed he and judge Paula Abdul had sex in the guest room of her house while he was still a contestant on the show.
2006 – In New York, NY, construction began on the 1,776-foot Freedom Towner on the site of the former World Trade Center.
2011 – From 8 am on April 27th to 8 am on April 28th, the United States saw more tornadoes in a 24 hour period than in any other period in history.
2014 – Popes John XXIII and John Paul II were declared saints in the first papal canonization since 1954.
2020 – The Blue Angels flew over Detroit, MI to thank essential workers who worked so hard during COVID-19.
2020 – The U.S. Defense Department declassified and released videos of unidentified “aerial phenoma” from 2004 and 2015.
2024 – In the Midwestern, Southern U.S., and High Plains, it was the worst day of the tornado outbreak sequence of April 25–28, with 42 tornadoes, including one confirmed EF4 tornado, and two confirmed EF3 tornadoes, which killed 4 people in total.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS ON APRIL 27:
Lee Roy Jordan – 85 years old (1941) – Football player
Ruth Glick – 84 years old (1942) – Author
Jim Keltner – 84 years old (1942) – Drummer
Herb Pedersen – 82 years old (1944) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist
G. K. Butterfield – 79 years old (1947) – African-American soldier, lawyer, and politician
Ann Peebles – 79 years old (1947) – Soul singer-songwriter
Frank Abagnale Jr. – 78 years old (1948) – Security consultant and criminal
Kate Pierson – 78 years old (1948) – Singer-songwriter and bass player
Larry Elder – 74 years old (1952) – Lawyer and talk show host
George Gervin – 74 years old (1952) – Basketball player
Arielle Dombasle – 73 years old (1953) – French-American actress and model
Herman Edwards – 72 years old (1954) – Football player, coach, and sportscaster
Eric Schmidt – 71 years old (1955) – Engineer and businessman
Willie Upshaw – 69 years old (1957) – Baseball player and manager
Sheena Easton – 67 years old (1959) – Scottish-American singer-songwriter, actress, and producer
Andrew Schlafly – 65 years old (1961) – Lawyer and activist, founded Conservapedia
Jason Whitlock – 59 years old (1967) – Football player and journalist
Dana Milbank – 58 years old (1968) – Journalist and author
Cory Booker – 57 years old (1969) – African-American lawyer and politician
Frank Catalanotto – 52 years old (1974) – Baseball player
Chris Carpenter – 51 years old (1975) – Baseball player
Ari Graynor – 43 years old (1983) – Actress and producer
Patrick Stump – 42 years old (1984) – Musician, singer, and songwriter
Taylor Chorney – 39 years old (1987) – Ice hockey player
Lizzo – 38 years old (1988) – Singer and rapper
Austin Dillon – 36 years old (1990) – Race car driver
Keenan Allen – 34 years old (1992) – Football player
Corey Seager – 32 years old (1994) – Baseball player
Xavier Worthy – 23 years old (2003) – Football player
Arch Manning – 22 years old (2004) – Football player
DAYS OF THE YEAR FOR APRIL 27:
No events found for this date.
For additional information check out websites like: www.on-this-day.com, www.born-today.com, www.famousbirthdays.com, www.daysoftheyear.com, and www.nationaldaycalendar.com.
