July 27: Facts & Historical Events On This Day

July 27^th is also known as Walk On Stilts Day and Take Your Houseplants For A Walk Day.

Today is the 208^th day of the year, and there are 157 days left of the year.

Were you born on this day? Or do you just want to know more about today in history? Either way, we’ve got you covered. Here you’ll find many historical events that all happened on July 27^th.

Did you know that on this day in 1940, Billboard magazine started ranking sales of recorded songs? It used a nationwide survey to compare sales of singles in retail stores.

Keep reading for more interesting facts about July 27^th in history!

What Events Happened On July 27 In History?

2013

Around 1,000 prisoners escaped from Queyfiya Prison in Benghazi, Libya.

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2012

Queen Elizabeth II of England declared the 30th Olympics opened in London, UK.

To the audience's surprise, a stand-in for the Queen made an entrance by skydiving from a helicopter with James Bond's assistance.

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1999

Tony Hawk landed the first “900” on a skateboard at the 5th annual X Games in San Francisco.

The "900" is a dangerous two-and-a-half revolution spin off a vertical ramp.

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1982

The musical “Little Shop of Horrors” by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman premiered on Broadway at Orpheum Theater, New York, US.

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1962

Martin Luther King Jr. was jailed while performing a public prayer at the city hall in Albany, Georgia, US.

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1940

Billboard magazine started ranking sales of recorded songs.

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1890

Vincent van Gogh shot himself at a wheat field in Auvers-Sur-Oise, France, and died from his wounds two days later.

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1643

Oliver Cromwell’s forces from Cambridgeshire and forces from Nottingham met near Gainsborough, ready to battle the following day in the Battle of Gainsborough.

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1586

Tobacco arrived in England for the first time.

Sir Walter Raleigh was the man to bring it from Virginia. The tales say that one of his servants who was smoking a pipe had water thrown over him as someone feared he was on fire.

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1377

The first recorded example of having to “quarantine” was written by The Ragusan Republic on this day.

The Ragusan Republic, modern-day Dubrovnik, Croatia, was the first city to implement a compulsory 30-day quarantine for anyone traveling from a high infected plague area.

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1214

The Battle of Bouvines began.

French King Philip II battled Holy Roman Emperor Otto IV and King John of England, resulting in King John losing Normandy.

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July 27 Birthday Facts, Zodiac & Birthstone

If you were born on July 27, your star sign is Leo.

Leos tend to be energetic and lead a busy life. They’re ambitious, creative, and optimistic and can use their minds to solve complex problems.

For those of you born in July, you have the Ruby birthstone. This deep red fiery stone is said to bring a life of passion and romance while also rewarding the bearer with many great fortunes throughout their life.

If you were born today, you would likely have been conceived on or around November 3 of the previous year.

Is today is your birthday? If so, you share this special day with Winnie Harlow! Check out more famous people born on this day below.