27th February
Posted: 27 Feb 2015, 07:161848 The birth of Hubert Parry, English composer. As a composer he is best known for the choral song 'Jerusalem', based on Blake's poem that begins with the lines - 'And did those feet in ancient time. Walk upon England's mountains green.' The term 'dark Satanic Mills', referenced in the poem, is interpreted as referring to the early Industrial Revolution that destroyed nature and human relationships.
1868 Benjamin Disraeli became Prime Minister of Britain.
1860 – Abraham Lincoln makes a speech at Cooper Union in the city of New York that is largely responsible for his election to the Presidency.
1870 – The current flag of Japan is first adopted as the national flag for Japanese merchant ships.
1900 – The British Labour Party is founded.
1902 – Second Boer War: Australian soldiers Harry 'Breaker' Morant and Peter Handcock are executed in Pretoria for war crimes.
1932 The birth, in London, of the film actress Elizabeth Taylor. Her first success was in the 1944 film National Velvet. She played the title role in Cleopatra (1963) and married her co-star Richard Burton (twice).
1964 – The Government of Italy asks for help to keep the Leaning Tower of Pisa from toppling over.
1991 – Gulf War: U.S. President George H. W. Bush announces that "Kuwait is liberated".
2002 Spike Milligan, Irish comedian and writer died, aged 83. After the death of his friend Harry Secombe from cancer on 11th April 2001, Milligan said, "I'm glad he died before me, because I didn't want him to sing at my funeral." On his headstone is inscribed "I'Duirt mé leat go raibh mé breoite", which is Irish for "I told you I was ill." He was the favourite comic of Prince Charles who wrote a letter congratulating Milligan on winning a Lifetime Achievement Award, whereupon the comic, on live TV, jokingly labelled the Prince a "grovelling little bastard".
2012 The first 12 Nature Improvement Areas (NIAs) were announced, to help protect and enhance wildlife and ecosystems.
2014 An 'unreserved apology' was issued by the government to the family of 47 year old Sheila Holt from Rochdale who was sent a letter encouraging her to find work, even though she had been in a coma for two months. She was sectioned under the Mental Health Act in December after struggling to cope with the government’s controversial new back-to-work scheme and had a heart attack on 17th December.
Births
1807 – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet and educator (d. 1882)
1899 – Charles Herbert Best, American-Canadian scientist, co-discovered Insulin (d. 1978)
1902 – John Steinbeck, American author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1968)
1905 – Franchot Tone, American actor (d. 1968)
1912 – Lawrence Durrell, Indian-English author (d. 1990)
1930 – Joanne Woodward, American actress
1932 – Elizabeth Taylor, English-American actress (d. 2011)
1938 – Jake Thackray, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and journalist (d. 2002)
1941 – Paddy Ashdown, Indian-English soldier and politician
1957 – Timothy Spall, English actor
1971 – Derren Brown, English magician
Deaths
1887 – Alexander Borodin, Russian composer and chemist (b. 1833)
1892 – Louis Vuitton, French businessman, founded Louis Vuitton (b. 1821)
1902 – Breaker Morant, English-Australian lieutenant (b. 1864)
1902 – Peter Handcock, Australian lieutenant (b. 1868)
1968 – Frankie Lymon, American singer-songwriter (The Teenagers) (b. 1942)
1987 – Joan Greenwood, English actress and director (b. 1921)
2002 – Spike Milligan, Indian-Irish comedian, actor, and author (b. 1918)
1868 Benjamin Disraeli became Prime Minister of Britain.
1860 – Abraham Lincoln makes a speech at Cooper Union in the city of New York that is largely responsible for his election to the Presidency.
1870 – The current flag of Japan is first adopted as the national flag for Japanese merchant ships.
1900 – The British Labour Party is founded.
1902 – Second Boer War: Australian soldiers Harry 'Breaker' Morant and Peter Handcock are executed in Pretoria for war crimes.
1932 The birth, in London, of the film actress Elizabeth Taylor. Her first success was in the 1944 film National Velvet. She played the title role in Cleopatra (1963) and married her co-star Richard Burton (twice).
1964 – The Government of Italy asks for help to keep the Leaning Tower of Pisa from toppling over.
1991 – Gulf War: U.S. President George H. W. Bush announces that "Kuwait is liberated".
2002 Spike Milligan, Irish comedian and writer died, aged 83. After the death of his friend Harry Secombe from cancer on 11th April 2001, Milligan said, "I'm glad he died before me, because I didn't want him to sing at my funeral." On his headstone is inscribed "I'Duirt mé leat go raibh mé breoite", which is Irish for "I told you I was ill." He was the favourite comic of Prince Charles who wrote a letter congratulating Milligan on winning a Lifetime Achievement Award, whereupon the comic, on live TV, jokingly labelled the Prince a "grovelling little bastard".
2012 The first 12 Nature Improvement Areas (NIAs) were announced, to help protect and enhance wildlife and ecosystems.
2014 An 'unreserved apology' was issued by the government to the family of 47 year old Sheila Holt from Rochdale who was sent a letter encouraging her to find work, even though she had been in a coma for two months. She was sectioned under the Mental Health Act in December after struggling to cope with the government’s controversial new back-to-work scheme and had a heart attack on 17th December.
Births
1807 – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet and educator (d. 1882)
1899 – Charles Herbert Best, American-Canadian scientist, co-discovered Insulin (d. 1978)
1902 – John Steinbeck, American author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1968)
1905 – Franchot Tone, American actor (d. 1968)
1912 – Lawrence Durrell, Indian-English author (d. 1990)
1930 – Joanne Woodward, American actress
1932 – Elizabeth Taylor, English-American actress (d. 2011)
1938 – Jake Thackray, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and journalist (d. 2002)
1941 – Paddy Ashdown, Indian-English soldier and politician
1957 – Timothy Spall, English actor
1971 – Derren Brown, English magician
Deaths
1887 – Alexander Borodin, Russian composer and chemist (b. 1833)
1892 – Louis Vuitton, French businessman, founded Louis Vuitton (b. 1821)
1902 – Breaker Morant, English-Australian lieutenant (b. 1864)
1902 – Peter Handcock, Australian lieutenant (b. 1868)
1968 – Frankie Lymon, American singer-songwriter (The Teenagers) (b. 1942)
1987 – Joan Greenwood, English actress and director (b. 1921)
2002 – Spike Milligan, Indian-Irish comedian, actor, and author (b. 1918)