Cleopatra regains her throne as queen of Egypt on March 27, 47 BCE, three years after being ousted by her brother Ptolemy XIII. Her return was made possible when Cleopatra gained Julius Caesar as an ally and as lover, and defeats Ptolemy' forces. Her death, 20 years later, in 30 BCE, ended the 300-year Ptolemaic dynasty.
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On This Day in History: March 27
Explore the historical events that shaped our world on March 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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Pope Gregory XI dies on March 27, 1378, in Rome, just over a year after he had moved the papal court back to Rome from Avignon. His death was followed by the election of Pope Urban VI on April 8, 1378 but a subsequent dispute over the legitimacy of this election led to the Western Schism with the election on September 20, 1378 of Clement VII as a rival pope in Avignon by a majority of the cardinals seceding from Rome.
The Treaty of Medina del Campo between England (Henry VII) and Spain (Ferdinand and Isabella)is signed Monarchs on March 27, 1489. The treaty formed an alliance against France, facilitated trade, and arranged the marriage of Catherine of Aragon to Arthur, Prince of Wales.
England's King James I dies on March 27, 1625, and his son, Charles I, succeeds him as the second Stuart King of Great Britain and Ireland. Charles I's reign began with tensions with Parliament over finances and his marriage to the Catholic Henrietta Maria of France, ultimately leading to the English Civil War and his execution in 1649.
The U.S. first lady Helen Herron Taft and the Viscountess Iwa Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, plant the first two cherry trees from a gift of 3,020 trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to Washington, D.C. on March 27, 1912. The two first trees were planted on the northern bank of the Potomac River Tidal Basin.
The ceremonial event is now commemorated at the annual Washington’s National Cherry Blossom Festival. After the end of the 2024 spring’s National Cherry Blossom Festival, the National Park Service will cut down 158 cherry trees from the nearly 3,700 total to reconstruct a seawall around the Tidal Basin, fortifying the area against sea level rise and extreme precipitation events. More
Mary Mallon, Irish born American domestic, better known as Typhoid Mary, and believed to be responsible for infecting up to 57 people with Typhoid and three confirmed deaths, is placed under a quarantine on March 27, 1915 at North Brother Island, New York City, which lasted until her death in 1938. She was the first person in the U.S. to be identified as an asymptomatic carrier of Salmonella Typhi bacteria.
Nikita S. Khrushchev becomes Premier of the Soviet Union on March 27, 1958, He also remains First Secretary and therefore leader of the Communist party. The two posts had been combined and held by Stalin, highlighting his role as the new undisputed leader of the nation.
A 9.2-magnitude earthquake, struck South-central Alaska on March 27, 1964. It is the strongest earthquake in U.S. history and second-most powerful worldwide The quake lasted 4.5 minutes, causing 139 fatalities, devastating tsunamis and major structural damage.
The epicenter was in the northern Prince William Sound region, roughly 75 miles east of Anchorage. The rupture spanned 800 km (500 miles) of the Earth's crust, with the Pacific plate breaking free from the North America. The event caused massive vertical changes, some areas, like Kodiak and Hinchinbrook Island, were permanently raised by up to 30 feet, while other areas dropped up to 8 feet. Resulting tsunamis affected the coasts of Alaska, British Columbia, and Northern California. The city of Valdez experienced a massive underwater landslide, and in Anchorage, 4th Avenue dropped 3 meters. The disaster led to major improvements in scientific understanding, prompting the development of the NOAA Tsunami Warning Centers and the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program. More
The laying of the first pipeline of the 800-mile Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) began on March 27, 1975, following road and facility work, which started in April 1974. The $8 billion, 3-year project, spanning from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez, employed over 70,000 people to cross three mountain ranges. The first oil flowed June 20, 1977. More
Two Boeing 747 passenger jets collided on a runway on the Spanish island of Tenerife, the largest and most populous of the Canary Islands. Resulting in the death of 583 people and injuring 61 others. The KLM Flight 4805 initiated its takeoff run, colliding with the starboard side of Pan Am Flight 1736, which was on the runway.
An investigation by The Spanish authorities concluded that the primary cause of the accident was the KLM captain's decision to take off in the mistaken belief that air traffic control (ATC) had issued takeoff clearance. KLM admitted that its crew was responsible for the accident and the airline agreed to financially compensate the relatives of all of the victims. As of March 27, 2026, the Tenerife aircraft accident is the deadliest accident in aviation history. (not including the 911 terrorists attacks).
North Macedonia officially becomes the 30th member of NATO on March 27, 2020. This took place after the 2018 Prespa agreement ended a long-standing dispute with Greece, paving the way for membership.