1827 CE

In Laos, King Anouvong of Vientiane leads the Laotian Rebellion against Siam and successfully attacks Nakhon Ratchasima (the Siamese later invade Vientiane and nearly destroy the whole city). Zarafa, the first giraffe to be seen in Europe for over three centuries, arrives in Marseille as a gift from the Ottoman Viceroy of Egypt, Mehmet Ali Pasha, to King Charles X of France. The giraffe then begins a 50-day journey to Paris, walking with its handlers toward Paris where it will arrive on July 9. A banquet is held in the Thames Tunnel under construction in London, attended by the Duke of Wellington and Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

In the 1820s, the 19th century.

1827 at a glance

World population: about 1.14 billion Our World in Data
U.S. president: John Quincy Adams Wikidata
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, head of state: George IV of the United Kingdom Wikidata

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

January 30 – The first public theatre in Norway, the Christiania Offentlige Theater, is inaugurated in Christiania (modern-day Oslo).source
30 January – The Rosanna leaves the Hokianga Harbour for Sydney signalling the end of the attempt by the 1825 New Zealand Company to settle New Zealand.New Zealand source
13 February - The Chilean presidential election, 1827 is held, electing Ramon Frieire as Eyzaguirre's successor.Chile source
March 11 – The new state constitution for the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas is ratified, including a phasing-out of slavery in its Article 13, which declares that "From and after the promulgation of the constitution in the capital of each district, no one shall be born a slave in the state, and after six months the introduction of slaves under any pretext shall not be permitted." The prohibition of importing slaves from the United States is lifted when Texas declares independence in 1836, and the Republic of Texas Constitution will provide specifically that Africans and "the descendants of Africans" will not be considered "citizens of the republic".source
April 10 – George Canning succeeds Lord Liverpool as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.source
10 April – George Canning succeeds Lord Liverpool as British prime minister following the latter's resignation due to ill health after almost fifteen years in office.United Kingdom source
25 April – Sir Stapleton Cotton is created Viscount Combermere.Wales source
May 21 – The Maryland Democratic Party is founded by supporters of Andrew Jackson in Baltimore, and hosts its first meeting at the Baltimore Atheneum.source
9 June - Norra begravningsplatsen is inaugurated.Sweden source
July 6 – Greek War of Independence: The Treaty of London between France, Britain and Russia, demands that the Turks agree to an armistice in Greece.source
August 31 – F. J. Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich, becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom following the death of George Canning.source
November 24 – Voting is completed in elections for France's 430 member Chamber of Deputies. The Ultraroyalistes, supporters of King Charles X, lose their 233-seat majority and finish with 180 seats, the same number as the opposition Doctrinaires.source
December 20 – Mexico passes its first "expulsion law", providing for citizens of Spain to be expelled within the next six months, and to remain barred from re-entry until the Kingdom of Spain recognizes Mexico's 1810 declaration of independence. Ultimately, because of all the exemptions within the expulsion act, only 1,779 of the 6,610 Spaniards are required to leave.source
Elections overwhelmingly in favour of the Parti Patriote much to the annoyance of the British.Canada source
In exile, José María de Torrijos y Uriarte and Manuel Flores Calderón form the Liberal Board in London, with Torrijos as military chief.Spain source

Conflict & Security

January – In Laos, King Anouvong of Vientiane leads the Laotian Rebellion against Siam and successfully attacks Nakhon Ratchasima (the Siamese later invade Vientiane and nearly destroy the whole city).source
February 20 – Battle of Ituzaingó (Passo do Rosário): A Brazilian Imperial Army force is tactically defeated on the border of Brazil and the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata by Argentine and Uruguayan troops.source
February 20 – Cisplatine War: Battle of ItuzaingóArgentina source
March 7 – Brazilian marines sail up the Rio Negro and attack the temporary naval base of Carmen de Patagones, Argentina; they are defeated by the local citizens.source
April 8 – Battle of Monte Santiago: A squadron of the Brazilian Imperial Navy defeats Argentine vessels after a two-day naval battle.source
April 24 – Greek War of Independence: Battle of Phaleron – Ottoman troops defeat the Greek rebels.source
April 29 – The Fly Whisk Incident in Ottoman Algeria: Hussein Dey slaps French consul Pierre Deval on the face, eventually leading to the Invasion of Algiers in 1830.source
June 7 – Greek defenders in Athens surrender to Egyptian forces under the command of General Rashid Pasha.source
18 June - James Stirling establishes the Fort Wellington settlement at Raffles Bay, on the Cobourg Peninsula, Northern Territory.Australia source
28 August – The rebels establish the Junta Suprema Provisional de Gobierno del Principado de Cataluña in Manresa, presided over by Agustín Saperes.Spain source
September 3 – Ho-Chunk leader Red Bird surrenders to U.S. officials, ending the Winnebago War.United States source
September 30 – Greek War of Independence: Battle of Itea, a naval battle fought in the Gulf of Corinth.source
October 1 – Russo-Persian War, 1826–1828: The Russians under Ivan Paskevich storm Yerevan, ending a millennium of Muslim domination in Armenia.source
October 20 – Greek War of Independence: Battle of Navarino – British, French and Russian naval forces destroy the Turko-Egyptian fleet in Greece. This is the last naval action to be fought under sail alone.source
20 October - Battle of Navarino: A combined British, French and Russian naval force destroys a combined Ottoman and Egyptian armada.France source
20 October – Battle of Navarino (Greek War of Independence): British, French and Russian naval forces destroy the Turko-Egyptian fleet in Greece. This is the last naval action to be fought under sail alone.United Kingdom source
24 October - Ivan Paskevich captures the Iranian city of Tabriz in the Russo-Persian WarRussia source
87,000 people in Lower Canada sign a petition denouncing the political abuses of the Château Clique.Canada source

Exploration & Expansion

January 5 – The first regatta in Australia is held, taking place in Tasmania (called at the time Van Diemen's Land), on the River Derwent at Hobart.source
5 January - First boat regatta held on the River Derwent. On 30 April a regatta was held in Sydney.Australia source
April 23 – Scottish-born novelist John Galt founds the town of Guelph in Upper Canada.source
April 26 – The Royal Netherlands Navy's British-built paddle steamer Curaçao sets off on the first transatlantic crossing by steam, departing from Hellevoetsluis in the Netherlands to Paramaribo in the Netherlands South American colony of Dutch Guiana. The ship arrives after a voyage of four weeks.source
May 20 – Zarafa, the first giraffe to be seen in Europe for over three centuries, arrives in Marseille as a gift from the Ottoman Viceroy of Egypt, Mehmet Ali Pasha, to King Charles X of France. The giraffe then begins a 50-day journey to Paris, walking with its handlers toward Paris where it will arrive on July 9.source
May 24 – The Royal Netherlands Navy's British-built paddle steamer Curaçao completes the first transatlantic crossing by steam, arriving in Paramaribo in Dutch Guiana (now Suriname) four weeks after its April 26 departure from the Netherlands.source
6 September–October – Ordnance Survey staff survey a Lough Foyle baseline for their survey of Ireland.Ireland source
First temperance society in Canada formed in MontrealCanada source
John Guard establishes a whaling station at Te Awaiti on the Arapaoa Island shore of the Tory Channel. This is the first permanent land-based whaling station in New Zealand and the first European settlement in the South Island.New Zealand source
The Clunies-Ross family first settles on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.Scotland source
A Wesleyan mission station is established north of the Great Kei River at present day Butterworth, Eastern CapeSouth Africa source
Six Osage people depart Missouri for a three-year tour of France.United States source

Religion & Belief

July 14 – The Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu is founded in the Kingdom of Hawaii.source
31 August – Frederick John Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich is appointed prime minister following the death of Canning, continuing the Canningite Government as the Goderich Ministry; he will serve for only 144 days.United Kingdom source
14 September – The Count of Spain is appointed Captain General of Catalonia, replacing the Marquis of Campo Sagrado.Spain source
September 22 – Joseph Smith will claim in 1838 that on this day he took the golden plates from the place where they had been stored, and that he began writing down the Book of Mormon from them the following December.source
28 September – Ferdinand VII arrives in Tarragona and publishes a manifesto from the Archbishop's Palace, calling on the rebels to lay down their arms.Spain source
The missionary ship Messenger of Peace is built on Rarotonga by English Congregationalist John Williams to spread Christianity to Samoa and the Society Islands on behalf of the London Missionary Society.source
19–25 April – public theological debates in Dublin between Revs. R. T. P. Pope (Protestant) and Thomas Maguire (Roman Catholic).Ireland source
Amhlaoibh Ó Súilleabháin begins his diary, later published as Cín Lae Amhlaoibh.Ireland source
Foundation of Sällskapet för uppmuntran av öm och sedlig modersvård.Sweden source
Peroriaeth Hyfryd (collection of hymns including Caersalem by Robert Edwards)Wales source
John Jones – An Explanation of the Greek ArticleWales source

Economy & Finance

March 12 – In Brown v. Maryland, the United States Supreme Court ruled that imported goods in their original package are under federal jurisdiction and thus not subject to state regulation.United States source

Technology & Infrastructure

February 28 – The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad is incorporated, becoming the first railroad in the United States offering commercial transportation of both people and freight.source
February 28 – The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad is incorporated, becoming the first railroad in America offering commercial transportation of both people and freight.United States source
May 25 – Romanian inventor Petrache Poenaru receives a French patent for the invention of the first fountain pen.source
14 August – the foundation stone of the George IV Bridge in Edinburgh is laid as authorised by an Improvement Act of this year.Scotland source
September 20 – A petition for a land grant for 215 acres on the north bank of Rio Grande, just across from Paso del Norte (modern-day Ciudad Juárez), is approved; the first residence is built on what is modern-day El Paso, Texas.source
10 November – A banquet is held in the Thames Tunnel under construction in London, attended by the Duke of Wellington and Isambard Kingdom BrunelUnited Kingdom source
Centro de Apoio Social de Runa openedPortugal source
George Ballantine sets up a grocery store in Edinburgh, the predecessor of Ballantine's whisky blenders.Scotland source
J. J. Audubon's The Birds of America commences publication in the United Kingdom.United States source
A source of manganese is discovered at Y Rhiw.Wales source
Construction work begins on Marble Arch, designed by Welsh architect John Nash and erected in front of Buckingham Palace in London.Wales source

Science & Discovery

January 27 – Author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe first elaborates on his vision of Weltliteratur (world literature), in a letter to Johann Peter Eckermann, declaring his belief that "poetry is the universal possession of mankind", and that "the epoch of world literature is at hand, and each must work to hasten its coming."source
April 7 – John Walker begins selling his invention, the "Lucifer" friction match, in England.source
7 April – John Walker begins selling his invention, the "Lucifer" friction match.United Kingdom source
May 1 – Georg Ohm publishes Die galvanische Kette, mathematisch bearbeitet (tr., The Galvanic Circuit Investigated Mathematically) in which Ohm's law appears for the first time.source
June 4 – French inventor Joseph Niépce sends a package to Louis Daguerre revealing the existence of his invention, "heliography", where an image can be reproduced onto a pewter plate and then reprinted. In 1829, the two will begin a partnership, and Daguerre will perfect Niépce's photographic process to reproduce images more quickly.source
Between June 4–July 18 – In Saint-Loup-de-Varennes, France, Nicéphore Niépce makes the first photograph, View from the Window at Le Gras.source
John James Audubon begins publication of the 10-volume The Birds of America, in the United Kingdom.source
Autumn: The Icelandic Literary Society's journal Skírnir begins being published.Iceland source
Scottish botanist Robert Brown observes the phenomenon of Brownian motion.United Kingdom source

Health & Medicine

March 11 – The predecessor of Qasr El Eyni Hospital and Cairo University School of Medicine is established in Egypt under the direction of Antoine Clot as the first medical school in the region.source
Ngāti Toa chief Te Rauparaha begins attacks on South Island tribes.New Zealand source
Count Baltzar von Platen is appointed Governor-general of Norway.Norway source
Physician Richard Bright first describes the renal condition which will become known as Bright's disease.United Kingdom source

Crime & Justice

7 March – Shrigley abduction: Ellen Turner, a wealthy 15-year-old heiress from Cheshire, is abducted by Edward Gibbon Wakefield. On 14 May Wakefield, his brother and a servant are sentenced to three years' imprisonment for the crime. Wakefield later becomes a colonial politician.United Kingdom source
18 May – Red Barn Murder in Suffolk: Maria Marten is shot by her lover.United Kingdom source
September 25 – Madawaska is annexed by the United States, and John Baker is arrested.United States source
29 November – Burke and Hare sell their first corpse for dissection by Robert Knox in Edinburgh.Scotland source
Robert Davies (Bardd Nantglyn) – Diliau BarddasWales source

Disasters & Accidents

September 4 – The Great Fire of Turku destroys three-quarters of the city (at this time Finland's largest), with 27 human casualties.source
December 27 – Arson is suspected in a building fire in Huntsville, Alabama that destroyed public land records at the surveyor general's office.United States source

Culture & Society

1 January – Johan Ludvig Heiberg (poet) publishes the literary journal Kjøbenhavns flyvende Post for the first time.Denmark source
January 15 – Furman University, founded in 1826, begins its first classes with 10 students, as the Furman Academy and Theological Institution, located in Edgefield, South Carolina. By the end of 2016, it will have 2,800 students at its main campus in Greenville, South Carolina.source
1 March – Official opening of St David's College, Lampeter. Llewelyn Lewellin becomes its first principal, with Alfred Ollivant as vice-principal.Wales source
March 15 – The University of Toronto is established by royal charter as King's College at York. It is the first institution of higher education in Upper Canada.source
March 15 – The University of Toronto is charteredCanada source
March 16 – Freedom's Journal, the first African-American owned and published newspaper in the United States, is founded in New York City by John Russwurm.source
March 29 — Thousands crowd the streets of Vienna to attend the funeral of Beethoven after his March 26 death. His contemporaries Franz Schubert, Johann Nepomuk Hummel and Carl Czerny serve as torchbearers and Chancellor Metternich speaks.source
July 9 – Zarafa, the giraffe given by the Ottoman Viceroy of Egypt to King Charles X of France, arrives at the royal palace in Paris.source
12 September - The newspaper El Mercurio's Valparaiso edition is first printed.Chile source
November – The term "socialist" is coined by Robert Owen in his London periodical, The Co-operative Magazine and Monthly Herald.source
Klausturpósturinn, the first monthly magazine published in Icelandic is discontinued.Iceland source
Christiania Offentlige Theater is founded by Johan Peter Strömberg.Norway source
KTH Royal Institute of Technology is founded.Sweden source
John Neal opens the first public gymnasium in the United States founded by an American in Portland, Maine.United States source

Births

January 7 – Sir Sandford Fleming, Scottish-Canadian engineer, inventor (died 1915)source
January 27 - Nakahama Manjirō (died 1898), translatorJapan source
March 8 – Wilhelm Bleek, German linguist (died 1875)source
April 2 – William Holman Hunt, British Pre-Raphaelite painter (died 1910)source
April 5 – Joseph Lister, English surgeon, medical pioneer (died 1912)source
April 8 – Ramón Emeterio Betances, Puerto Rican politician, medical doctor and diplomat (died 1898)source
May 31 – Frederic Thesiger, 2nd Baron Chelmsford, British general (died 1905)source
June 13 – Alberto Henschel, German-Brazilian photographer, businessman (died 1882)source
June 24 – Louis Brière de l'Isle, French general (died 1897)source
June 26 – Amédée Courbet, French admiral (died 1885)source
July 18 – Mangal Pandey, Indian soldier (died 1857)source
July 24 – Francisco Solano López, President of Paraguay (died 1870)source
August 5 – Deodoro da Fonseca, 1st President of Brazil (died 1892)source
5 August: Deodoro da Fonseca, first President of Brazil and military officer (died 1892)Brazil source
13 August – Francisco Gomes de Amorim, poet, dramatist, and novelist (died 1891).Portugal source
November 26 – Ellen G. White, American religious leader, cofounder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (died 1915)source
December 23 – Wilhelm von Tegetthoff, Austrian admiral (died 1871)source
? – Jalal al-Din Mirza Qajar, Iranian historian.Iran source

Deaths

January 5 – Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, heir-presumptive to the British throne (born 1763)source
February 17 – Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, Swiss pedagogue (born 1746)source
February 19 – Armand Augustin Louis de Caulaincourt, French general, diplomat (born 1773)source
February 20 – Federico de Brandsen, French-born military officer and veteran of Argentine War of Independence, killed in actionArgentina source
March 5 – Pierre-Simon Laplace, French mathematician (born 1749)source
March 5 – Alessandro Volta, Italian physicist (born 1745)source
March 26 – Ludwig van Beethoven, German composer (born 1770)source
26 March – Ludwig van Beethoven, German composer (born 1770)Germany source
27 April – Joaquín Blake, military general, commander of the Army of Galicia during the Peninsular War (born 1759)Spain source
April 29 – Deborah Sampson, first American female soldier (born 1760)source
April 29 – Rufus King, American lawyer, politician and diplomat (born 1755)source
May 5 – Frederick Augustus I of Saxony (born 1750)source
July 14 – Augustin-Jean Fresnel, French physicist (born 1788)source
August 8 – George Canning, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (born 1770)source
August 12 – William Blake, English poet and artist (born 1757)source
September 10 – Ugo Foscolo, Greek-born Italian writer, revolutionary and poet (born 1778)source
6 November – Miguel Pereira Forjaz, Count of Feira, general (born 1769)Portugal source
November 10 – St. George Tucker, United States federal judge (born 1752)source