Once again, it should be reiterated, that this does not pretend to be a very extensive history of what happened on this day (nor is it the most original - the links can be found down below). If you know something that I am missing, by all means, shoot me an email or leave a comment, and let me know!
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history
Jan 27, 1926: Baird demonstrates TV
On January 27, 1926, John Logie Baird, a Scottish inventor, gives the first public demonstration of a true television system in London, launching a revolution in communication and entertainment. Baird's invention, a pictorial-transmission machine he called a "televisor," used mechanical rotating disks to scan moving images into electronic impulses. This information was then transmitted by cable to a screen where it showed up as a low-resolution pattern of light and dark. Baird's first television program showed the heads of two ventriloquist dummies, which he operated in front of the camera apparatus out of view of the audience.
Baird based his television on the work of Paul Nipkow, a German scientist who patented his ideas for a complete television system in 1884. Nipkow likewise used a rotating disk with holes in it to scan images, but he never achieved more than the crudest of shadowy pictures. Various inventors worked to develop this idea, and Baird was the first to achieve easily discernible images. In 1928, Baird made the first overseas broadcast from London to New York over phone lines and in the same year demonstrated the first color television.
The first home television receiver was demonstrated in Schenectady, New York, in January 1928, and by May a station began occasional broadcasts to the handful of homes in the area that were given the General Electric-built machines. In 1932, the Radio Corporation of America demonstrated an all-electronic television using a cathode-ray tube in the receiver and the "iconoscope" camera tube developed by Russian-born physicist Vladimir Zworykin. These two inventions greatly improved picture quality.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) inaugurated regular high-definition public broadcasts in London in 1936. In delivering the broadcasts, Baird's television system was in competition with one promoted by Marconi Electric and Musical Industries. Marconi's television, which produced a 405-line picture--compared with Baird's 240 lines--was clearly better, and in early 1937 the BBC adopted the Marconi system exclusively. Regular television broadcasts began in the United States in 1939, and permanent color broadcasts began in 1954.
Jan 27, 1302: Dante is exiled from Florence
On this day, poet and politician Dante Alighieri is exiled from Florence, where he served as one of six priors governing the city. Dante's political activities, including the banishing of several rivals, led to his own banishment, and he wrote his masterpiece, The Divine Comedy, as a virtual wanderer, seeking protection for his family in town after town.
Dante was born to a family with noble ancestry that had fallen in fortunes. He began writing poetry in his teens and received encouragement from established poets, to whom he sent sonnets as a young man.
At age nine, Dante first caught a glimpse of Beatrice Portinari, also nine, who would symbolize for him perfect female beauty and spiritual goodness in the coming decades. Despite his fervent devotion to Portinari, who did not seem to return his feelings, Dante became engaged to Gemma Donati in 1277, but the two did not marry until eight years later. The couple had six sons and a daughter.
About 1293, Dante published a book of prose and poetry called The New Life, followed a few years later by another collection, The Banquet. It wasn't until his banishment that he began work on his Divine Comedy. In the poem's first book, the poet takes a tour through Hell with the poet Virgil as a guide. Virgil also guides the poet through Purgatory in the second book. The poet's guide in Paradise, however, is named Beatrice. The work was written and published in sections between 1308 and 1321. Although Dante called the work simply Comedy, the work became enormously popular, and a deluxe version published in 1555 in Venice bore the title The Divine Comedy. Dante died of malaria in Ravenna in 1321.
Jan 27, 1944: Siege of Leningrad is lifted
On this day, Soviet forces permanently break the Leningrad siege line, ending the almost 900-day German-enforced containment of the city, which cost hundreds of thousands of Russian lives.
The siege began officially on September 8, 1941. The people of Leningrad began building antitank fortifications and succeeded in creating a stable defense of the city, but as a result were cut off from all access to vital resources in the Soviet interior, Moscow specifically. In 1942, an estimated 650,000 Leningrad citizens perished from starvation, disease, exposure, and injuries suffered from continual German artillery bombardment.
Barges offered occasional relief in the summer and ice-borne sleds did the same in the winter. Slowly but surely a million of Leningrad's young, sick, and elderly residents were evacuated, leaving about 2 million to ration available food and use all open ground to plant vegetables. On January 12, Soviet defenses punctured the siege, ruptured the German encirclement, and allowed more supplies to come in along Lake Ladoga. The siege officially ended after 872 days (though it is often called the 900-day siege), after a Soviet counteroffensive pushed the Germans westward.
Jan 27, 1943: Americans bomb Germans for first time
On this day, 8th Air Force bombers, dispatched from their bases in England, fly the first American bombing raid against the Germans, targeting the Wilhelmshaven port. Of 64 planes participating in the raid, 53 reached their target and managed to shoot down 22 German planes—and lost only three planes in return.
The 8th Air Force was activated in February 1942 as a heavy bomber force based in England. Its B-17 Flying Fortresses, capable of sustaining heavy damage while continuing to fly, and its B-24 Liberators, long-range bombers, became famous for precision bombing raids, the premier example being the raid on Wilhelmshaven. Commanded at the time by Brig. Gen. Newton Longfellow, the 8th Air Force was amazingly effective and accurate in bombing warehouses and factories in this first air attack against the Axis power.
Jan 27, 1888: National Geographic Society founded
On January 27, 1888, the National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C., for "the increase and diffusion of geographical knowledge."
The 33 men who originally met and formed the National Geographic Society were a diverse group of geographers, explorers, teachers, lawyers, cartographers, military officers and financiers. All shared an interest in scientific and geographical knowledge, as well as an opinion that in a time of discovery, invention, change and mass communication, Americans were becoming more curious about the world around them. With this in mind, the men drafted a constitution and elected as the Society's president a lawyer and philanthropist named Gardiner Greene Hubbard. Neither a scientist nor a geographer, Hubbard represented the Society's desire to reach out to the layman.
Nine months after its inception, the Society published its first issue of National Geographic magazine. Readership did not grow, however, until Gilbert H. Grosvenor took over as editor in 1899. In only a few years, Grosvenor boosted circulation from 1,000 to 2 million by discarding the magazine's format of short, overly technical articles for articles of general interest accompanied by photographs. National Geographic quickly became known for its stunning and pioneering photography, being the first to print natural-color photos of sky, sea and the North and South Poles.
The Society used its revenues from the magazine to sponsor expeditions and research projects that furthered humanity's understanding of natural phenomena. In this role, the National Geographic Society has been instrumental in making possible some of the great achievements in exploration and science. To date, it has given out more than 1,400 grants, funding that helped Robert Peary journey to the North Pole, Richard Byrd fly over the South Pole, Jacques Cousteau delve into the sea and Jane Goodall observe wild chimpanzees, among many other projects.
Today, the National Geographic Society is one of the world's largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions. National Geographic continues to sell as a glossy monthly, with a circulation of around 9 million. The Society also sees itself as a guardian of the planet's natural resources, and in this capacity, focuses on ways to broaden its reach and educate its readers about the unique relationship that humans have with the earth.
Jan 27, 1970: John Lennon writes and records "Instant Karma" in a single day
"I wrote it for breakfast, recorded it for lunch and we're putting it out for dinner." That's the way John Lennon told the story of "Instant Karma," one of his most memorable songs as a solo artist and the third Lennon single to appear before the official breakup of the Beatles. The only exaggeration in John's description was the part about dinner: "Instant Karma" wasn't actually released to the public until 13 days after it was written and recorded over the course of a single Tuesday, on January 27, 1970. By any measure, it was one of the fastest pop songs ever to come to market.
"Instant Karma" came during a tumultuous time for John Lennon personally and for the band he was in the midst of leaving behind. The Beatles had spent the better part of 1969 trying to decide whether or not they were still a band, abandoning recording sessions that had just begun and canceling plans for their first live performances in more than three years. The material for both of the band's last two albums—Abbey Road and Let it Be—was recorded that year, but Let it Be sat unreleased and without an agreed-upon producer. Lennon, meanwhile, was moving in a new direction. "Give Peace a Chance," recorded during the famous June 1969 "bed-in," had already come out under the name "The Plastic Ono Band," as had "Cold Turkey," his wrenching account of kicking heroin that same year. By January 1970, John had walked away from the Beatles, and the Plastic Ono Band was the only musical entity he considered himself part of.
The January 27 session came about spontaneously. Lennon wrote the song that morning and, as he said, "I knew I had a hit record." What got the record finished that same day and gave it its incredible sound, however, was the unexpected appearance of Phil Spector that evening in the EMI studios. After several run-throughs under Spector's direction, John said, "Suddenly we went in the room and heard what he'd done to it...it was fantastic. It sounded like there was [sic] fifty people playing." John's happiness with the results would lead directly to Spector's taking over the dormant Let it Be project—a development that ended up driving a further wedge between Lennon and McCartney prior to the official breakup of the Beatles.
January 27, 1991 - New York Giants defeat the Buffalo Bills in the closest Super Bowl ever
The one thing that I personally remember happening on this date specifically would be the Giants defeating the Buffalo Bills by a single point in Super Bowl XXV. It was probably the best sports memory I ever had as soon as it happened, and remains one of my favorite sports-related memories still to date, probably behind only France winning the World Cup in 1998, which I was fortunate enough to have been in the host country (France itself) at the time. The Giants have won two Super Bowls since, much more recently, but somehow, those did not quite feel the same way as the Super Bowl run in January of 1991. The Giants had started the season like a juggernaut at 10-0, but then lost three of their next four, including losses to future playoff opponents in the San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills. The Giants ended the regular season with shaky looking victories against weak opponents, and many were writing them off. Their starting quarterback, Phil Simms, had been injured, and Jeff Hostetler, who had very limited experience to that point, was the designated starter. But in the playoffs, his arm proved quite reliable, and his running game added a unique and unpredictable diminsion to the Giants' offense. They surprised many people by blowing out the Bears in the divisional round, setting up a rematch against the hot dynasty of that era, the San Francisco 49ers. On a sunny, beautiful day in Candlestick Park, the Giants and 49ers played what I still think might have been the most physically and psychologically intense football game I've ever seen. Evrry single point counted. There was only one touchdown in the entire game, and seven field goals overall. The Giants relied on the leg of veteran placekicker Matt Bahr to keep them in the game and, eventually, to win it for them on a 40-yard field goal on what was literally the last play of the game, ending San Francisco's dynasty. New York had defeated the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXI four seasons earlier, and had been a heavy favorite, being that season's powerhouse. But in 1991, the Buffalo Bills had the hottest team and were the fashionable pick to win the big game. One Bills player was not worried about expressing his confidence, when he let everyone know that he was getting his finger sized for a ring. But in a back and forth game that was more like a chess match than anything, the Giants surprised many by keeping Buffalo's dangerous offense, which had scored 51 points in the AFC Championship, and 96 points overall in the two prior playoff games. The Giants held on to the ball for more than 2/3rds of the game, and held off the favored Bills, ultimately winning it, 20-19, when Scott Norwood's 47-yard field goal attempt sailed just wide right with 4 seconds left to play, icing the game, and another championship, for the New York Giants.
Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:
1606 - The trial of Guy Fawkes and his fellow conspirators began. They were executed on January 31. 1870 - Kappa Alpha Theta, the first women’s sorority, was founded at Indiana Asbury University (now DePauw University) in Greencastle, IN. 1880 - Thomas Edison patented the electric incandescent lamp. 1888 - The National Geographic Society was founded in Washington, DC. 1900 - In China, foreign diplomats in Peking, fearing a revolt, demanded that the imperial government discipline the Boxer rebels. 1926 - John Baird, a Scottish inventor, demonstrated a pictorial transmission machine called television. 1927 - United Independent Broadcasters Inc. started a radio network with contracts with 16 stations. The company later became Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS). 1931 - NBC radio debuted "Clara, Lu ’n’ Em" on its Blue network (later, ABC radio). 1943 - During World War II, the first all American air raid against Germany took place when about 50 bombers attacked Wilhlemshaven. 1944 - The Soviet Union announced that the two year German siege of Leningrad had come to an end. 1945 - Soviet troops liberated the Nazi concentration camps Auschwitz and Birkenau in Poland. 1948 - Wire Recording Corporation of America announced the first magnetic tape recorder. The ‘Wireway’ machine with a built-in oscillator sold for $149.50. 1951 - In the U.S., atomic testing in the Nevada desert began as an Air Force plane dropped a one-kiloton bomb on Frenchman Flats. 1957 - The "CBS Radio Workshop" was heard for the first time. 1967 - At Cape Kennedy, FL, astronauts Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, Edward H. White and Roger B. Chaffee died in a flash fire during a test aboard their Apollo I spacecraft. 1967 - More than 60 nations signed the Outer Space Treaty which banned the orbiting of nuclear weapons and placing weapons on celestial bodies or space stations. 1973 - The Vietnam peace accords were signed in Paris. 1977 - The Vatican reaffirmed the Roman Catholic Church's ban on female priests. 1981 - U.S. President Reagan greeted the 52 former American hostages released by Iran at the White House. 1984 - Carl Lewis beat his own two-year-old record by 9-1/4 inches when he set a new indoor world record with a long-jump mark of 28 feet, 10-1/4 inches. 1984 - Wayne Gretzky set a National Hockey League (NHL) record for consecutive game scoring. He ended the streak at 51 games. 1985 - The Coca-Cola Company, of Atlanta, GA, announced a plan to sell its soft drinks in the Soviet Union. 1992 - Former world boxing champion Mike Tyson went on trial for allegedly raping an 18-year-old contestant in the 1991 Miss Black America Contest. 1996 - Mahamane Ousmane, the first democratically elected president of Niger, was overthrown by a military coup. Colonel Ibrahim Bare Mainassara declared himself head of state. 1997 - It was revealed that French national museums were holding nearly 2,000 works of art stolen from Jews by the Nazis during World War II. 1998 - U.S. First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton appeared on NBC's "Today" show. She charged that the allegations against her husband were the work of a "vast right-wing conspiracy." 1999 - The U.S. Senate blocked dismissal of the impeachment case against President Clinton and voted for new testimony from Monica Lewinsky and two other witnesses. 2002 - A series of explosions occurred at a military dump in Lagos, Nigeria. More than 1,000 people were killed in the blast and in the attempt to escape. 2003 - Altria Group, Inc. became the name of the parent company of Kraft Foods, Philip Morris USA, Philip Morris International and Philip Morris Capital Corporation. 2010 - Steve Jobs unveiled the Apple iPad.
1880 Thomas Edison was granted a patent for his incandescent light. 1944 The Soviets announced the end of the two-year siege of Leningrad. 1945 The Russians liberated Auschwitz concentration camp, where the Nazis had killed over 1.5 million people, including over 1 million Jews. 1951 The U.S. Air Force started atomic testing in the Nevada desert. 1967 The Apollo I fire killed astronauts Grissom, White, and Chaffee during a simulated launch at Cape Canaveral. 1973 Vietnam War peace accords were signed in Paris.
The following links are to web sites that were used to complete this blog entry:
http://www.historyorb.com/today/events.php
http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/jan27.htm
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history
http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory
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