This Day In History, December 27th.
Five Historical Events That Happened on December 27th
The Byzantine Emperor Justinian I completes and dedicates the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey.
The Flushing Remonstrance, a petition to Dutch Governor Peter Stuyvesant condemning his restriction on Quaker worship in the province, is signed in New Amsterdam (later New York City) in 1657.
Charles Darwin sets off on the HMS Beagle on his famous trip that would eventually lead to his theory of evolution.
J.M. Barrie's play "Peter Pan" opens in London, England in 1904.
In Rawalpindi, Pakistan, former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto is killed.
537 – The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey is completed and inaugurated by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.
The Hagia Sophia is one of Istanbul's most famous and distinctive structures. The Byzantine Emperor Justinian I erected it as a church in 537 AD, and it functioned as the primary church of the Eastern Orthodox Church for about a thousand years. The Ottoman Empire eventually transformed it into a mosque in 1453, and the Turkish Republic converted it into a museum in 1935. It was turned back into a mosque in 2020. The Hagia Sophia is famous for its huge dome, exquisite mosaics, and long history as a Christian and Islamic icon.
1657 – The Flushing Remonstrance is signed in New Amsterdam (later New York City), a petition to Dutch Governor Peter Stuyvesant protesting his ban on Quaker worship in the colony.
The Flushing Remonstrance is a significant early example of religious tolerance and free expression in the United States. In 1657, a group of English Quakers in Flushing, then part of the Dutch colony of New Netherland (later New York), petitioned Dutch ruler Peter Stuyvesant to overturn the territory's prohibition on Quaker worship. The Flushing Remonstrance petition claimed that everyone should be free to worship according to their conscience without fear of persecution or penalty. The petitioners were finally successful, and the prohibition on Quaker worship was repealed. The Flushing Remonstrance is today seen as a forerunner of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guarantees freedom of expression.
1831 – Charles Darwin embarks on his famous voyage aboard the HMS Beagle, which would eventually lead to his theory of evolution.
In 1831, a young naturalist named Charles Darwin went on a five-year research trip aboard the HMS Beagle that would take him across the world and eventually lead to his breakthrough theory of evolution. Throughout the voyage, Darwin made numerous observations of plants, animals, and geology, amassing a vast amount of data that he would later analyze and synthesize into his theory of evolution by natural selection. Darwin's life and career were transformed by the Beagle trip, which he subsequently described as "by far the most important event in my life and has determined my entire career." Darwin's theory of evolution would go on to revolutionize biology and have a major influence on our knowledge of the natural world.
1904 – The play "Peter Pan" by J.M. Barrie premieres in London, England.
J.M. Barrie's classic play "Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up" was written in Scotland. It depicts the adventures of Peter Pan, a mischievous little boy who can fly and never grows up, in the mythical kingdom of Neverland. The play was an instant success when it opened on December 27, 1904, at the Duke of York's Theatre in London, England. It went on to become one of the most well-known and adored pieces of children's literature, with multiple adaptations in cinema, television, and other media. The figure of Peter Pan has become a cultural symbol, reflecting the joy and wonder of childhood, and Barrie's story's continuing appeal is a monument to its timeless ideas and worldwide appeal.
2007 – Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto is assassinated in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
Benazir Bhutto, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan and a major opposition leader, was killed on December 27, 2007, while addressing a political rally in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Bhutto had returned to Pakistan from self-imposed exile in October of that year, intending to run in parliamentary elections in early 2008. Her murder stunned the globe and triggered significant demonstrations and bloodshed in Pakistan. The Pakistani government claimed Islamic extremists for the killing, although many have questioned the official version of events leading up to Bhutto's death. The killing of Benazir Bhutto was a watershed moment in Pakistan's political history, as well as a devastating loss for her followers and family.