The Edict of Thessalonica is issued on February 27, 380, by Emperors Theodosius I, Gratian, and Valentinian II, declares Nicene Christianity as the official state religion of the Roman Empire., Mandating all subjects to follow the faith of the bishops of Rome and Alexandria, branding other Christian sects, specifically Arianism, as heretical.
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On This Day in History: February 27
Explore the historical events that shaped our world on February 27th. From major milestones to cultural achievements, see what happened on this day in history. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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The Peace Treaty of Stolbovo was signed on February 27, 1617 ending the 7-year Ingrian War between Sweden and Russia which had been fought between 1610 and 1617. Sweden secured major territorial gains, including Ingria and Kexholm, while Russia lost its access to the Baltic Sea
Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 8 in F Major Op. 93, premieres on February, 27, 1814 in Vienna, Austria. Ludwig at the Grosser Redoutensaal. Beethoven, despite his increasing deafness, conducted the orchestra himself for this performance.
The city’s new Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) tradition, begins on February 27, 1827, when a group of students, donned masks and costumes and staged their own Fat Tuesday festivities. Over time, Mardi Gras grew into a more formal event, one now deeply embedded in New Orleans culture.
The Dominican Republic declares independence from the Republic of Haiti on February 27, 1844,. The War of Independence ended twelve years later on January 24, 1856.
Before the war, the island of Hispaniola had been united for 22 years. when the newly independent nation, previously known as the Captaincy General of Santo Domingo, was unified with the Republic of Haiti in 1822. The criollo class within the country overthrew the Spanish crown in 1821 before unifying with Haiti a year later. More
The Reichstag fire in Berlin on February 27, 1933, allows Adolf Hitler to claim on the following day that it was a communist conspiracy and to seize emergency powers, which suspended civil liberties, allowed for mass arrests, and enabled the crackdown on political opposition. Leading ultimately to Nazi dictatorship in Germany.
The USS Langley, the U.S. Navy's first aircraft carrier is attacked by Japanese aircraft on February 27, 1942, while transporting U.S. Army P-40's to the Netherlands East Indies. The damaged carrier was scuttled by her escorting destroyers. More
British physicist James Stanley Hey discovered that the Sun emits radio waves, on February 27, 1942. His accidental discovery gave birth to solar radio astronomy and was crucial for both military radar development and the expansion of astronomy beyond the visible spectrum.
Hay had been tasked with solving WWII radar jamming; determined that the intense, noise-like interference was originating from a large sunspot and not from enemy jamming. Proving the Sun was a source of, not just visible light, but radio emission from an active sunspot. The finding was kept quiet for military reasons, Hey went back to study the radio waves after the war and confirmed in 1946 that these intense radio bursts from the Sun coincided with solar flares. More
CBS anchor Walter Cronkite declares on-air, on February 27, 1968, that the U.S. was "mired in stalemate and that negotiations were the only rational way out. argued that the war was a "standoff" and that further military escalation would not lead to victory, but rather to a prolonged, costly conflict."
The pessimistic assessment by America's most trusted reporter made following a trip to Vietnam after the Tet Offensive, challenged the official optimism and it is believed to have contributed to a major shift in public opinion, prompting President Johnson to seek a negotiated peace decision and not to seek re-election.
A magnitude-8.8 earthquake strikes central Chile on February 27, 2010, causing widespread damage and triggering a devastating tsunami with waves reaching up to 29 meters (95 feet). It caused over 500 deaths, destroyed 370,000 homes, affecting 12 million people with an estimated 30 billion in damage. It was the most powerful earthquake to strike the region since the 9.5 magnitude, 1960 earthquake and one of the 10 strongest earthquakes ever recorded.