December 27 in History
December 27 is the anniversary of the death of Greg Gumbel (2024). Below are deaths, events for December 27, plus editor's picks and genealogy records.

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John I of Aragon was born in 1350, while Gaozong of Tang, 3rd emperor of the Chinese Tang dynasty died in 683.

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Famous people who died on December 27



2024
Charles Shyer (Wikipedia, opens in a new tab)
American director, screenwriter and producer (1941–2024)










2015
Meadowlark Lemon (Wikipedia, opens in a new tab)
American basketball player, actor, and minister (1932–2015)


2014
Ben Ammi Ben-Israel (Wikipedia, opens in a new tab)
Founder of the African Hebrew Israelite Nation of Jerusalem (1939–2014)








What happened on December 27
- 2025
An estimated €30 million were stolen from a Sparkasse bank in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 2019
Bek Air Flight 2100 crashes during takeoff from Almaty International Airport in Almaty, Kazakhstan, killing 13.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 2009
Iranian election protests: On the Day of Ashura in Tehran, Iran, government security forces fire upon demonstrators.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 2008
Operation Cast Lead: Israel launches three-week operation on Gaza.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 2007
Former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto is assassinated in a shooting incident.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 2007
Riots erupt in Mombasa, Kenya, after Mwai Kibaki is declared the winner of the presidential election, triggering a political, economic, and humanitarian crisis.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 2004
Radiation from an explosion on the magnetar SGR 1806-20 reaches Earth. It is the brightest extrasolar event known to have been witnessed on the planet.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 2002
Two truck bombs kill 72 and wound 200 at the pro-Moscow headquarters of the Chechen government in Grozny, Chechnya, Russia.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1999
Burger King and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission order a recall of plastic Poké Ball containers after they are determined to be a choking hazard.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1997
Protestant paramilitary leader Billy Wright is assassinated in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1996
Taliban forces retake the strategic Bagram Airfield which solidifies their buffer zone around Kabul, Afghanistan.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1991
Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 751 crashes in Gottröra in the Norrtälje Municipality in Sweden, injuring 92.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1989
The Romanian Revolution concludes, as the last minor street confrontations and stray shootings abruptly end in the country's capital, Bucharest.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1985
Palestinian guerrillas kill eighteen people inside the airports of Rome, Italy, and Vienna, Austria.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1983
Pope John Paul II visits Mehmet Ali Ağca in Rebibbia's prison and personally forgives him for the 1981 attack on him in St. Peter's Square.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab)
Births, deaths and events from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab).
Editor's picks
Born on December 27
- 1350 — John I of Aragon (died 1395)
- 1390 — Anne de Mortimer, claimant to the English throne (died 1411)
- 1459 — John I Albert, King of Poland (died 1501)
Died on December 27
- 683 — Gaozong of Tang, 3rd emperor of the Chinese Tang dynasty (born 628)
- 870 — Aeneas of Paris, Frankish bishop
- 975 — Balderic, bishop of Utrecht (born 897)
Source: Wikipedia historical listings for December 27
Quick answers
Who died on December 27? Greg Gumbel (2024), Olivia Hussey (2024), Charles Shyer (2024).
Explore genealogy records
Researching someone born in December? Search birth records
Live genealogy events
This calendar is live and has its own date controls; it is separate from the December 27 historical article above.

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Holiday Sale: 65% off AncestryDNA. Offer ends 11/19. Terms apply.
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