Paris, France. A range of notable events, including major political developments, disasters and deaths of prominent figures, occurred on January 27 across multiple decades.
Deaths and milestones
In 1901, Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi, known for “Rigoletto”, “La Traviata” and “Aida”, died.
In 1973, a ceasefire agreement signed in Paris ended the U.S. military role in Vietnam.
In 2002, kidnappers released an image of U.S. reporter Daniel Pearl.
Also in 2002, an explosion at a military storage facility in Lagos caused over 1,000 deaths, including 120 people who drowned while trying to escape.
In 2004, an Iranian asylum seeker set himself on fire in Kuala Lumpur.
In 2005, world leaders and survivors gathered in Poland for the 60th anniversary ceremony of the liberation of the Nazi death camp in Auschwitz.
In 2006, former German President Johannes Rau, a prominent figure in post-war German politics, died at age 75.
In 2008, Indonesia’s former President Suharto died after a 32-year period in power marked by economic development, graft and human rights abuses.
In 2009, Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Updike, known for chronicling small-town American life, died.
Which of these January 27 events do you consider most significant?
