January 27

Scott Winters January 27, 2026 2 Comments

A quick look at Today in History, check out some Celebrity Birthdays, and find out what Days of the Year to celebrate.

TODAY IN HISTORY:

1785 – The University of Georgia was founded. It was the first public university in the United States.

1870 – The first women’s sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, was founded at Indiana Asbury University (now DePauw University) in Greencastle, IN.

1880 – Thomas Edison patented the electric incandescent lamp.

1883 – The first electric lights in Michigan were installed at Metcalf’s dry goods store in Detroit.

1888 – The National Geographic Society was founded in Washington, DC when 33 explorers and scientists gathered to organize “a society for the increase and diffusion of geographical knowledge”.

1926 – A Scottish inventor, named John Baird, demonstrated a pictorial transmission machine called “television”.

1927 – United Independent Broadcasters Inc. started a radio network with contracts with 16 stations. The company later became Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS).

1948 – Wire Recording Corporation of America announced the first magnetic tape recorder. The ‘Wireway’ machine with a built-in oscillator sold for $149.50.

1951 – Atomic testing in the Nevada desert began as an Air Force plane dropped a one-kiloton bomb on Frenchman Flats.

1963 – The first inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame were announced.

1967 – At Cape Kennedy, FL, astronauts Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom, Edward H. White and Roger B. Chaffee (from Grand Rapids, MI) died in a flash fire during a test aboard their Apollo I spacecraft. A spark in their capsule ignited the flammable oxygen atmosphere the astronauts were breathing.

1967 – More than 60 nations signed the Outer Space Treaty which banned the orbiting of nuclear weapons and placing weapons on celestial bodies or space stations.

1973 – The Vietnam peace accords were signed in Paris.

1976 – The television show “Laverne & Shirley” premiered on ABC.

1977 – The Vatican reaffirmed the Roman Catholic Church’s ban on female priests.

1981 – President Ronald Reagan greeted the 52 former American hostages released by Iran at the White House.

1984 – Carl Lewis beat his own two-year-old record by 9-1/4 inches when he set a new indoor world record with a long-jump mark of 28 feet, 10-1/4 inches.

1985 – The Coca-Cola Company, of Atlanta, GA, announced a plan to sell its soft drinks in the Soviet Union.

1992 – Former world boxing champion Mike Tyson went on trial for allegedly raping an 18-year-old contestant in the 1991 Miss Black America Contest.

1998 – First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton appeared on NBC’s “Today” show. She charged that the allegations against her husband were the work of a “vast right-wing conspiracy.”

1999 – The U.S. Senate blocked dismissal of the impeachment case against President Bill Clinton and voted for new testimony from Monica Lewinsky and two other witnesses.

2003 – Altria Group, Inc. became the name of the parent company of Kraft Foods, Philip Morris USA, Philip Morris International and Philip Morris Capital Corporation.

2003 – The first selections for the National Recording Registry were announced by the Library of Congress. Among the original 50 selections were recordings of Abbott and Costello’s “Who’s on First?”, Orson Welles “War of the Worlds”, and Kate Smith’s “God Bless America”.

2006 – Western Union discontinued its Telegram and Commercial Messaging services.

2010 – Steve Jobs unveiled the Apple iPad.

BIRTHDAYS:

George Follmer – 92 years old (1934) – Race car driver

Samuel C. C. Ting – 90 years old (1936) – Physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

James Cromwell – 86 years old (1940) – Actor

Nedra Talley – 80 years old (1946) – Singer

Cal Schenkel – 79 years old (1947) – Painter and illustrator

Mikhail Baryshnikov – 78 years old (1948) – Russian-American dancer, choreographer, and actor

Seth Justman – 75 years old (1951) – Keyboard player and songwriter

Brian Gottfried – 74 years old (1952) – Tennis player

Billy Johnson – 74 years old (1952) – Football player and coach

Tam O'Shaughnessy – 74 years old (1952) – Tennis player, psychologist, and academic

G. E. Smith – 74 years old (1952) – Guitarist and songwriter

Peter Laird – 72 years old (1954) – Author and illustrator

John Roberts – 71 years old (1955) – Lawyer and judge, 17th Chief Justice of the United States

Mimi Rogers – 70 years old (1956) – Actress

Frank Miller – 69 years old (1957) – Illustrator, director, producer, and screenwriter

James Grippando – 68 years old (1958) – Lawyer and author

Susanna Thompson – 68 years old (1958) – Actress

Cris Collinsworth – 67 years old (1959) – Football player and sportscaster

Keith Olbermann – 67 years old (1959) – Journalist and author

Narciso Rodriguez – 65 years old (1961) – Fashion designer

Bridget Fonda – 62 years old (1964) – Actress

Alan Cumming – 61 years old (1965) – Scottish-American actor

Tamlyn Tomita – 60 years old (1966) – Japanese-American actress and singer

Tracy Lawrence – 58 years old (1968) – Country singer

Mike Patton – 58 years old (1968) – Singer, composer, and voice artist

Matt Stover – 58 years old (1968) – Football player

Patton Oswalt – 57 years old (1969) – Comedian and actor

Josh Randall – 54 years old (1972) – Actor

Bryant Young – 54 years old (1972) – Football player and coach

Clint Ford – 50 years old (1976) – Screenwriter and voice actor

Danielle George MBE FIET – 50 years old (1976) – Professor

Fred Taylor – 50 years old (1976) – Football player

Lonny Baxter – 47 years old (1979) – Basketball player

Chanda Gunn – 46 years old (1980) – Ice hockey player and coach

Gavin Floyd – 43 years old (1983) – Baseball player

Katy Rose – 39 years old (1987) – Singer-songwriter and producer

Tim Beckham – 36 years old (1990) – Baseball player

Braeden Lemasters – 30 years old (1996) – Actor, musician, and singer

Devin Druid – 28 years old (1998) – Actor

TODAY IS:

National Chocolate Cake Day: Indulge in this delectable cocoa-based dessert, make the original pioneering recipe or put a modern twist on this classic by adding flavors like matcha.
National Geographic Day: Explore the world without leaving your couch! Stunning photos, captivating stories, and amazing discoveries await you in this iconic publication.
Up-Helly-Aa:
National Plan for Vacation Day: Established in 2017 by the U.S. Travel Association, National Plan for Vacation Day acts as an annual reminder that people have vacation days to use – and they should be using them!
Thomas Crapper Day: Revolutionizing plumbing, an innovator's legacy transformed the way we handle necessities, leaving an enduring mark on sanitation.
Speak Up and Succeed Day: In today’s modern world, the idea of speaking up—whether it has to do with being a whistleblower, standing up for yourself or others, or simply sharing ideas—is becoming more valued.
World Breast Pumping Day:
Punch the Clock Day: Efficiently tracking work hours, these devices signal the day's bookends, ensuring time's rhythm and fair compensation.
Vietnam Peace Day:
Auschwitz Liberation Day:
International Holocaust Remembrance Day: By learning about the Holocaust, we can honor the victims and survivors and work towards preventing such atrocities in the future.
Catholic Schools Week:
National School Choice Week: