On This Day

What Happened on November 27 in History

8 events that happened on November 27, oldest first. Every entry is written in our own words and links to its source.

The Young Republic and the Civil War Era

1863
The Union Army of the Potomac moved against Lee in the Mine Run Campaign.
General George Meade tried to strike the Confederate flank south of the Rapidan River in Virginia. He found Lee's lines too strong and pulled back in early December.
Source: battlefields.org
1868
Custer's 7th Cavalry attacked Black Kettle's Cheyenne village on the Washita River.
The dawn assault in present-day Oklahoma struck a band led by a peace chief. It is now preserved as Washita Battlefield National Historic Site.
Source: nps.gov; history.com
1895
Alfred Nobel signed the will that created the Nobel Prizes.
He signed it at the Swedish-Norwegian Club in Paris, leaving most of his fortune to fund annual prizes. The first prizes were awarded in 1901.
Source: nobelprize.org; history.com

1901
The U.S. Army War College was established to train officers for high command.
Secretary of War Elihu Root created it by General Order 155 after the Spanish-American War exposed weaknesses in Army planning. The first class did not meet until 1904.
Source: armywarcollege.edu; army.mil

1973
The U.S. Senate voted 92 to 3 to confirm Gerald Ford as vice president.
Ford was chosen to succeed Spiro T. Agnew, who had resigned as vice president.
Source: archive.nytimes.com
1978
San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk were shot dead at City Hall.
Former supervisor Dan White killed both men. Milk had been one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States.
Source: history.com; archive.nytimes.com

2008
Iraq's parliament approved a security pact setting terms for U.S. troop withdrawal.
The Council of Representatives passed a Strategic Framework Agreement and a Security Agreement with the United States. The security deal governed the presence and eventual withdrawal of American forces.
Source: georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov; npr.org
2015
A gunman killed three people at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs.
A police officer was among the dead, and at least nine other people were hurt, including four officers. A suspect was taken into custody.
Source: npr.org