July 27 is the 208th day of the year (209th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 157 days remaining until the end of the year.
- 1214 - Battle of Bouvines: In France, Philip II of France defeats John of England.
- 1549 - Jesuit priest Francis Xavier's ship reached Japan.
- 1663 - The British Parliament passes the second Navigation Act requiring that all goods bound for the American colonies have to be sent in English ships from English ports.
- 1689 - Glorious Revolution: Battle of Killiecrankie ends.
- 1694 - A Royal Charter is granted to the Bank of England.
- 1720 - The second important victory of the Russian Navy - the Battle of Grengam.
- 1778 - American Revolution: First Battle of Ushant - British and French fleets fight to a standoff.
- 1789 - The first U.S. federal government agency, the Department of Foreign Affairs, is established (later renamed Department of State).
- 1794 - French Revolution: Maximilien Robespierre is arrested after encouraging the execution of more than 17,000 "enemies of the Revolution." (See 9 Thermidor.)
- 1862 - Sailing from San Francisco to Panama, the SS Golden Gate catches fire and sinks off Manzanillo, Mexico, killing 231.
- 1865 - Welsh settlers arrive at Chubut in Argentina.
- 1866 - The Atlantic Cable is successfully completed, allowing transatlantic telegraph communication for the first time.
- 1880 - Second Anglo-Afghan War: Battle of Maiwand - In a pyrrhic victory, Afghan forces led by Ayub Khan defeat the British Army in battle near Maiwand, Afghanistan.
- 1914 - Felix Manalo registers the Iglesia ni Cristo with the Filipino government.
- 1917 - The Allies reach the Yser Canal at the Battle of Passchendaele.
- 1921 - Researchers at the University of Toronto led by biochemist Frederick Banting announce the discovery of the hormone insulin.
- 1928 - Tich Freeman becomes only bowler ever to take 200 first-class wickets before end of July.
- 1940 - The animated short A Wild Hare is released, introducing the character of Bugs Bunny.
- 1941 - Japanese troops occupy French Indo-China.
- 1949 - Initial flight of the de Havilland Comet, the first jet-powered airliner.
- 1953 - Korean War ends: The United States, People's Republic of China, and North Korea, sign an armistice agreement. Syngman Rhee, president of South Korea, refuses to sign but pledges to observe the armistice.
- 1955 - The Allied occupation of Austria stemming from World War II, ends (started on May 9, 1945).
- 1964 - Vietnam War: 5,000 more American military advisers are sent to South Vietnam bringing the total number of United States forces in Vietnam to 21,000.
- 1972 - The F-15 Eagle flies for the first time.
- 1974 - Watergate Scandal: The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee votes 27 to 11 to recommend the first article of impeachment against President Richard Nixon: obstruction of justice.
- 1976 - Former Japanese prime minister Kakuei Tanaka is arrested on suspicion of violating foreign exchange and foreign trade laws in connection with the Lockheed bribery scandals.
- 1981 - British television: On Coronation Street, Ken Barlow marries Deirdre Langton, which proves to be a national event, with massive viewer numbers earned for the show.
- 1983 - Black July: 18 Tamil political prisoners at the Welikada high security prison in Colombo were massacred by the Sinhalese prisoners, the second such massacre in two days.
- 1987 - First expedited salvaging of Titanic wreckage begins by RMS Titanic, Inc.
- 1990 - The Supreme Soviet of the Belarusian Soviet Republic declares independence of Belarus from the Soviet Union. Until 1996 the day was celebrated as the Independence Day of Belarus; after a referendum held that year the celebration of independence was transferred to June 3.
- 1990 - The Jamaat al Muslimeen stage a coup d'état attempt in Trinidad and Tobago, occupying Parliament and the studios of Trinidad and Tobago Television, holding Prime Minister A. N. R. Robinson and most of his Cabinet, as well as the staff at the television station hostage for 6 days.
- 1995 - In Washington, DC, the Korean War Veterans Memorial is dedicated.
- 1996 - Centennial Olympic Park bombing: In Atlanta, Georgia, a pipe bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park during the 1996 Summer Olympics. Alice Hawthorne was killed, and a cameraman suffered a heart attack fleeing the scene. 111 injured.
- 1997 - Si Zerrouk massacre in Algeria; about 50 people killed.
- 2002 - Ukraine airshow disaster: A Sukhoi Su-27 fighter crashes during an air show at Lviv, Ukraine killing 85 and injuring more than 100 others, the largest air show disaster in history.
- 2005 - STS-114: NASA grounds the Space shuttle, pending an investigation of the external tank's continued foam-shedding problem. During ascent, the external tank of the Space Shuttle Discovery sheds a piece of foam slightly smaller than the piece that caused the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster; this foam does not strike the spacecraft.
- 2006 - The Federal Republic of Germany is deemed guilty in the loss of Bashkirian 2937 and DHL Flight 611, because it is illegal to outsource flight surveillance.
- 2007 - Phoenix News Helicopter Collision: News helicopters from Phoenix, Arizona television stations KNXV and KTVK collide over Steele Indian School Park in central Phoenix while covering a police chase; there were no survivors. This was the first known incidence of two news helicopters colliding in mid-air, and the worst civil aviation incident in Phoenix history.
- 1452 - Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan (d. 1508)
- 1667 - Johann Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician (d. 1748)
- 1733 - Jeremiah Dixon, English surveyor and astronomer (d. 1779)
- 1740 - Jeanne Baré, French explorer (d. 1803)
- 1752 - Samuel Smith, American politician
- 1768 - Charlotte Corday, French aristocrat who killed Jean-Paul Marat (d. 1793)
- 1773 - Jakob Aall, Norwegian journalist and statesman (d. 1844)
- 1777 - Thomas Campbell, Scottish poet (d. 1844)
- 1777 - Henry Trevor, 21st Baron Dacre, British peer and soldier (d. 1853)
- 1781 - Mauro Giuliani, Italian composer (d. 1828)
- 1784 - Denis Davydov, Russian general and poet (d. 1839)
- 1812 - Thomas Clingman, American Confederate general (d. 1897)
- 1824 - Alexandre Dumas, fils, French author (d. 1895)
- 1833 - Thomas George Bonney, English geologist (d. 1923)
- 1835 - Giosuè Carducci, Italian writer, Nobel laureate (d. 1907)
- 1848 - Loránd Eötvös, Hungarian physicist (d. 1919)
- 1853 - Vladimir Korolenko, Russian writer (d. 1921)
- 1857 - José Celso Barbosa, Puerto Rican politician (d. 1921)
- 1866 - António José de Almeida, Portuguese politician and 6th President of Portugal (d. 1929)
- 1867 - Enrique Granados, Spanish composer (d. 1916)
- 1870 - Hilaire Belloc, English writer (d. 1953)
- 1877 - Ernő Dohnányi, Hungarian composer and conductor (d. 1960)
- 1879 - Jack Laviolette, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1960)
- 1881 - Hans Fischer, German chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1945)
- 1882 - Geoffrey de Havilland, British aircraft designer (d. 1965)
- 1886 - Ernst May, German architect (d. 1970)
- 1889 - Vera Karalli, Russian ballerina and actress (d. 1972)
- 1896 - Henri Longchambon, French politician (d. 1969)
- 1903 - Nikolai Cherkasov, Russian actor (d. 1966)
- 1903 - Michail Stasinopoulos, Greek politician (d. 2002)
- 1905 - Leo Durocher, American baseball player and manager (d. 1991)
- 1906 - Herbert Jasper, Canadian physiologist and neurologist (d. 1999)
- 1906 - Jerzy Giedroyc, Polish writer and activist (d. 2000)
- 1908 - Joseph Mitchell, American writer (d. 1996)
- 1910 - Julien Gracq, French writer (d. 2007)
- 1911 - Rayner Heppenstall, British novelist (d. 1981)
- 1913 - Gérard Côté, Quebec marathon runner (d. 1993)
- 1913 - George L. Street III American Navy Submariner (d. 2000)
- 1915 - Mario Del Monaco, Italian singer (d. 1982)
- 1915 - Josef Priller, German fighter pilot (d. 1961)
- 1916 - Elizabeth Hardwick, American literary critic and novelist (d. 2007)
- 1916 - Keenan Wynn, American actor (d. 1986)
- 1917 - Bourvil, French actor (d. 1970)
- 1918 - Leonard Rose, American cellist (d. 1984)
- 1921 - Émile Genest, Quebec actor (d. 2003)
- 1922 - Norman Lear, American television writer and producer
- 1922 - Adolfo Celi, Italian actor (d. 1986)
- 1923 - Masutatsu Oyama, Japanese Kyokushin founder (d. 1994)
- 1924 - Vincent Canby, American film critic (d. 2000)
- 1927 - Sat Mahajan, Indian politician
- 1928 - Karloff Lagarde, Mexican lucha libre wrestler (d. 2007)
- 1929 - Jack Higgins, British novelist
- 1930 - Shirley Williams, British politician
- 1931 - Jerry Van Dyke, American actor
- 1931 - Khieu Samphan, Cambodian politician
- 1933 - Ted Whitten, Australian rules footballer (d. 1995)
- 1933 - Nick Reynolds, American folk singer
- 1935 - Billy McCullough, Northern Irish footballer
- 1936 - J. Robert Hooper, American politician
- 1937 - Don Galloway, American actor
- 1938 - Isabelle Aubret, French singer
- 1938 - Gary Gygax, American role-playing game creator (d. 2008)
- 1939 - Michael Longley, Northern Irish poet
- 1940 - Pina Bausch, German dancer
- 1942 - Dennis Ralston, American tennis player
- 1942 - John Pleshette, American actor
- 1942 - Édith Butler, Canadian singer and songwriter
- 1944 - Tony Capstick, English comedian (d. 2003)
- 1944 - Jean-Marie Leblanc, French cyclist
- 1944 - Bobbie Gentry, American singer and songwriter
- 1946 - Rade Šerbedžija, Croatian actor
- 1947 - Kazuyoshi Miura, Japanese businessman (d. 2008)
- 1948 - Betty Thomas, American actor and film director
- 1948 - Peggy Fleming, American figure skater
- 1949 - André Dupont, Quebec ice hockey player
- 1949 - Maureen McGovern, American singer
- 1950 - Simon Jones, English actor
- 1952 - Hannu-Pekka Hänninen, Finnish sports commentator
- 1953 - Yahoo Serious, Australian comedian
- 1954 - G. S. Bali, Indian politician
- 1954 - Philippe Alliot, French racecar driver
- 1955 - Cat Bauer, American novelist
- 1955 - Allan Border, Australian cricketer
- 1956 - Carol Leifer, American actress
- 1957 - Bill Engvall, American comedian
- 1957 - Matt Osborne, American professional wrestler
- 1958 - Christopher Dean, English figure skater
- 1959 - Hugh Green, American football player
- 1959 - Joe DeSa, American baseball player (d. 1986)
- 1962 - Karl Mueller, American bassist (Soul Asylum) (d. 2005)
- 1963 - Karrin Allyson, American Jazz musician & songstress
- 1963 - Donnie Yen, Hong Kong film actor
- 1964 - Rex Brown, American musician (Pantera)
- 1965 - José Luis Chilavert, Paraguayan footballer
- 1967 - Juliana Hatfield, American musician
- 1967 - Sasha Mitchell, American actor
- 1967 - Kellie Waymire, American actress (d. 2003)
- 1967 - Craig Wolanin, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1967 - Neil Smith, Former England cricketer
- 1968 - Cliff Curtis, New Zealand actor
- 1968 - Tom Goodwin, American baseball player
- 1968 - Julian McMahon, Australian actor
- 1968 - Ricardo Rosset, Brazilian Formula One driver
- 1969 - Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Italian actress
- 1969 - Triple H, American professional wrestler
- 1969 - Jonty Rhodes, South African cricketer
- 1970 - Nikolaj Coster Waldau, Danish actor
- 1972 - Jill Arrington, American sports reporter
- 1972 - Takako Fuji, Japanese actress
- 1972 - Maya Rudolph, American actress and comedian
- 1972 - Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, first Malaysian in space
- 1973 - Abe Cunningham, American musician (Deftones)
- 1973 - Gorden Tallis, Australian rugby league footballer
- 1973 - Erik Nijs, Belgian long jumper
- 1974 - Eason Chan, Hong Kong singer
- 1974 - Pete Yorn, American musician
- 1975 - Shea Hillenbrand, American baseball player
- 1975 - Fred Mascherino, American musician
- 1975 - Alex Rodriguez, American baseball player
- 1975 - Alessandro Pistone, Italian footballer
- 1976 - Scott Mason, Australian cricketer (d. 2005)
- 1977 - Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Irish actor
- 1977 - Foo Swee Chin, Singaporean comic book artist
- 1979 - Shannon Moore, American wrestler
- 1979 - Jorge Arce, Mexican boxer
- 1980 - Nick Nemeth, American professional wrestler
- 1980 - Allan Davis, Australian cyclist
- 1981 - Susan King Borchardt, American basketball player
- 1981 - Collins Obuya, Kenyan cricketer
- 1983 - Alsou, Russian pop-star and actress
- 1983 - Goran Pandev, Macedonian footballer
- 1985 - Benedita Pereira, Portuguese actress
- 1985 - Lou Taylor Pucci, American actor
- 1986 - Courtney Kupets, American gymnast
- 1986 - Ryan Griffen, Australian rules footballer
- 1988 - Adam Biddle, Australian footballer
- 1989 - Charlotte Arnold, Canadian actress
- 1990 - Cheyenne Kimball, American musician
- 1990 - Nick Hogan, American reality TV star
- 1990 - Indiana Evans, Australian actress
- 1994 - Spencer Achtymichuk, Canadian actor
- 1994 - Princess Mafalda-Ceceilia of Bulgaria
- 2000 - Kali Rodriguez, American actress
- 1101 - Conrad, King of Germany and Italy (b. 1074)
- 1276 - King James I of Aragon (b. 1208)
- 1365 - Duke Rudolf IV of Austria (b. 1339)
- 1656 - Salomo Glassius, German theologian (b. 1593)
- 1675 - Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne, Vicomte de Turenne, Marshal of France (b. 1611)
- 1759 - Pierre Louis Maupertuis, French mathematician (b. 1698)
- 1770 - Robert Dinwiddie, British colonial governor of Virginia (b. 1693)
- 1841 - Mikhail Lermontov, Russian author (b. 1814)
- 1844 - John Dalton, English physicist and chemist (b. 1776)
- 1863 - William Lowndes Yancey, American Confederate leader (b. 1813)
- 1876 - Albertus van Raalte, Dutch-American religious leader (b. 1811)
- 1883 - Montgomery Blair, American politician (b. 1813)
- 1917 - Emil Theodor Kocher, Swiss surgeon, Nobel laureate (b. 1841)
- 1924 - Ferruccio Busoni, Italian pianist (b. 1866)
- 1931 - Auguste-Henri Forel, Swiss entomologist (b. 1848)
- 1934 - Hubert Lyautey, Frency army general and marshal (b. 1854)
- 1941 - Alfred Henry O'Keeffe, New Zealand artist (b. 1858)
- 1946 - Gertrude Stein, American writer (b. 1874)
- 1948 - Woolf Barnato, British racing driver (b. 1898)
- 1958 - Claire Chennault, American military leader (b. 1893)
- 1962 - Richard Aldington, English poet (b. 1892)
- 1962 - James H. "Dutch" Kindelberger, American aerospace pioneer (b. 1895)
- 1965 - Henri Daniel-Rops, French writer and historian (b. 1901)
- 1968 - Babe Adams, baseball player (b. 1882)
- 1970 - António de Oliveira Salazar, Portuguese statesman (b. 1889)
- 1971 - Charlie Tully, Northern Irish footballer (b. 1924)
- 1978 - Willem van Otterloo, Dutch conductor and composer (b. 1907)
- 1980 - Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran (b. 1919)
- 1981 - William Wyler, French-born film director (b. 1902)
- 1984 - James Mason, English actor (b. 1909)
- 1985 - Smoky Joe Wood, American baseball pitcher (b. 1889)
- 1987 - Travis Jackson, baseball player (b. 1903)
- 1988 - Frank Zamboni, American inventor (b. 1901)
- 1990 - Bobby Day, American singer (b. 1928)
- 1992 - Max Dupain, Australian photographer (b. 1911)
- 1993 - Reggie Lewis, American basketball player (b. 1965)
- 1994 - Kevin Carter, Photographer (b. 1960)
- 1995 - Miklós Rózsa, Hungarian-born composer (b. 1907)
- 1998 - Binnie Barnes, British actress (b. 1903)
- 1999 - Aleksandr Danilovich Aleksandrov, Russian mathematician (b. 1912)
- 1999 - Sweets Edison, American jazz trumpet player (b. 1915)
- 2000 - Gordon Solie, American wrestling commentator (b. 1929)
- 2001 - Leon Wilkeson, American guitarist (Lynyrd Skynyrd) (b. 1952)
- 2001 - Rhonda Singh, professional wrestler (b. 1961)
- 2003 - Vance Hartke, American politician (b. 1919)
- 2003 - Bob Hope, English-born entertainer (b. 1903)
- 2005 - Swami Shantanand, Mahasamadhi Day, Indian Saint, Philosopher (b. 1934)
- 2005 - Marten Toonder, Dutch comic writer (b. 1912)
- 2006 - Maryann Mahaffey, American politician (b. 1925)
- 2007 - Lucky Grills, Australian actor (b. 1928)
- 2008 - Youssef Chahine, Egyptian film director (b. 1926)
- 2008 - Horst Stein, German conductor (b. 1928)
- 2008 - Isaac Saba Raffoul, Mexican Businessman (b. 1923)
