February 27
February 27 is the 58th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 308 days remain until the year's end. It falls in winter (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Pisces.
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Astronomy
On February 27 the Sun's declination is approximately -9.0°. At this latitude the Sun is south of the celestial equator, giving the Northern Hemisphere shorter days than nights.
For specific rise/set times at your location, see the U.S. Naval Observatory, or the NASA APOD archive for any imagery published on a February 27.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
No widely-observed holidays catalogued for this day in our base set. See the external almanacs above for region-specific observances.
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
1801 — Washington, D.C. was placed under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress. ↗(225 years ago)more
Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia and commonly known as simply Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River across from Virginia and shares land borders with Maryland to its north and east.
1844 — The Dominican Republic gained independence from Haiti. ↗(182 years ago)more
Dominican Republic is a country on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and a land border with Haiti to the west, occupying the eastern five-eighths of Hispaniola which, along with Saint Martin, is one of only two islands in the...
1933 — The Reichstag fire damaged the German parliament building, leading Hitler to consolidate dictatorial power. ↗(93 years ago)more
The Reichstag fire was an arson attack on the Reichstag building, home of the German parliament in Berlin, on Monday, 27 February 1933, precisely four weeks after Adolf Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of Germany.
1991 — U.S. President George H. W. Bush announced that Kuwait had been liberated and a ceasefire would take effect. ↗(35 years ago)more
The Gulf War was an armed conflict between Iraq and a 42-country coalition led by the United States. The coalition's efforts were in two phases: Operation Desert Shield, which marked the military buildup from August 1990 to January 1991; and Operation Desert Storm, from the bombing campaign against Iraq on 17 January until the American-led liberation of K...
Notable births
1807 — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet. ↗(219 years ago)more
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator. His original works include the poems "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline. He was the first American to completely translate Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy and was one of the fireside poets from New England.
1932 — Elizabeth Taylor, British-American actress. ↗(94 years ago)more
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was a British and American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. She then became the world's highest-paid movie star in the 1960s, remaining a well-known public figure for the rest of her life.
Notable deaths
1936 — Ivan Pavlov, Russian physiologist and Nobel laureate. ↗(90 years ago)more
Ivan Petrovich Pavlov was a Russian and Soviet experimental neurologist and physiologist known for his discovery of classical conditioning through his experiments with dogs. Pavlov also conducted significant research on the physiology of digestion, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1904.
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (58) | 2 × 29 · composite (no) |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (308) | 2^2 × 7 × 11 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 27022026 · next palindrome year: 2072 |
| Sun declination | -9.04° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 69 days |