Holidays Calendar for December 27, 2013
December 27 is Constitution Day in North Korea. This public holiday commemorates the adoption of the Constitution of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in 1972.
Emergency Rescuer's Day in Russia is celebrated on December 27. It commemorates the day when the Russian Emergency Rescue Corps was created in 1990. The Corps is the forerunner of the country's Ministry of Emergency Situations.
Passport and Visa Service Employee Day is one of the many official professional holidays celebrated in the Kyrgyz Republic. It is observed annually on December 27 to commemorate the establishment of a unified passport system in the Soviet Union.
Kwanzaa is an annual week-long celebration that is observed from December 26 to January 1. This holiday is celebrated in the United States and also in diaspora in the Western Africa. Kwanzaa honors the African heritage in African-American culture.
On December 27 every year, the people of Pakistan honor the memory of Benazir Bhutto, the first female Prime Minister of Pakistan and the first woman to head a democratic government in an Islamic country. Although Benazir Bhutto’s death anniversary is not a public holiday, it is widely observed across the country and by Pakistanis abroad.
National Fruitcake Day is observed on December 27, a few days after Christmas. There is no wonder as fruitcake (sometimes spelled “fruit cake”) is a typical Christmas dish in many countries.
If you have nothing to do on December 27, visit your local zoo and check out the animals there, because it is Visit the Zoo Day. It’s one of those holidays whose origins are unclear, but that doesn’t stop people across the nation from celebrating them.
The International Day of Epidemic Preparedness is observed annually on December 27. It was included in the United Nations international days calendar after the COVID-19 pandemic had demonstrated the devastating effect of pandemics and epidemics on the global economy and health care.
Festivals on December 27, 2013
- Woodford Folk Festival in Woodford, Australia
- Junkanoo in Nassau, Bahamas
- Carnival of Putignano in Putignano, Italy
- TSB Festival of Lights in New Plymouth, New Zealand
- Crucian Christmas Carnival in Christiansted, American Virgin Islands
- Saint Kitts and Nevis National Carnival (Sugar Mas) in Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Owen Sound Festival of Northern Lights in Owen Sound, Canada
- Nišville International Jazz Festival in Niš, Serbia
- Rijeka Carnival in Rijeka, Croatia
This Day in History
- 2016 Died: Carrie Fisher, American actress, writer, producer, and humorist. She was best known for playing Princess Leia in the Star Wars film series.
- 2011 Died: Helen Frankenthaler, American painter, a major contributor to the history of postwar American painting.
- 2007 Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner of the presidential elections in Kenya. His assuming the office caused eruption of riots in Mombasa, that triggered a political, economic and humanitarian crisis.
- 2004 Radiation from an explosion on the magnetar SCG 1806-20 reached Earth. It was the brightest extrasolar event known to had been witnessed on the planet.
- 2003 Died: Enric Bernat, Spanish entrepreneur and businessman, best known as the founder of the Chupa Chups lollipop company.
- 1983 Palestinian guerrillas launched a series of terrorist attacks on two airports in Europe. 18 people were killed in Rome, Italy and Vienna, Austria.
- 1979 Died: Hafizullah Amin, Afghan politician and statesman, active during the Cold War. He was the 2nd President of Afghanistan, but his term didn't last long - from July 28, 1979 till his death.
- 1978 Died: Houari Boumediene, Algerian politician. He served as the 2nd President of Algeria from December 10, 1976 till his death.
- 1975 Born: Heather O'Rourke, American actress. Heather was discovered at the age of 5 by Steven Spielberg, who cast her in his Poltergeist (1982). She also appeared on Happy Days and made several television guest appearances before her death at the age of 12.
- 1972 Died: Lester B. Pearson, Canadian politician, educator and soldier. In 1957 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his organizing the United Nations Emergency Force to resolve the Suez Canal Crisis.
- 1971 Born: Jason Hawes, American paranormal investigator and author, known for founding The Atlantic Paranormal Society.
- 1966 The Cave of Swallows was discovered in Aquismón, San Luis Potosí, Mexico. This cave is known as the largest known cave shaft in the world.
- 1965 Born: Salman Khan, Indian actor and producer. Salman Khan is cited in media as one of the most commercially successful actors in Bollywood.
- 1958 Died: Harry Warner, Polish-born American film producer, one of the founders of Warner Bros.
- 1951 Born: Ernesto Zedillo, Mexican economist and politician. He served as the 54th President of Mexico from December 1, 1994 to November 30, 2000.
- 1948 Born: Gérard Depardieu, French actor, businessman, and filmmaker. He is one of the most prolific character actors in film history. He acted in many big budget Hollywood movies, including Green Card, Conquest of Paradise, Hamlet and Life of PI.
- 1945 29 nations singed an agreement establishing the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
- 1939 An earthquake hit the city of Erzincan, Turkey. At least 30,000 were killed.
- 1927 Show Boat, considered to be the first true American musical play, opened at Ziegfeld Theater on Broadway.
- 1923 Died: Gustave Eiffel, French engineer and architect, best known for designing world-famous Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty.
- 1914 Died: Charles Martin Hall, American inventor, businessman and chemist, best known for inventing of an inexpensive method for producing aluminum
- 1901 Born: Marlene Dietrich, German-born American actress and singer. She became internationally famous after performance in The Blue Angel, directed by Josef von Sterngerg. After signing the contract with Paramount Pictures Dietrich performed in a number of successful films, including Shanghai Express and Desire. She was one of the highest-paid actresses of the era.
- 1896 Born: Louis Bromfield, American author and conversationalist. Bromfield gained worldwide recognition winning the Pulitzer Prize and pioneering innovative scientific farming concepts.
- 1879 Born: Sydney Greenstreet, English actor. His career in Hollywood started only at the age of 62, but he enjoyed a run of notable hits, including The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca.
- 1858 Born: Juan Luis Sanfuentes, Chilean politician. He was the 17th President of Chile, serving from December 23, 1915 to December 23, 1920.
- 1845 Dr. Crawford Long in Jefferson, Georgia used ether anesthetic for childbirth for the first time.
- 1834 Died: Charles Lamb, English writer, best known for his Essays of Elia and children's books Tales from Shakespeare.
- 1831 Charles Darwin embarked on his journey aboard the HMS Beagle. He would formulate the theory of evolution during this journey.
- 1822 Born: Louis Pasteur, French chemist and biologist. Pasteur is renowned for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, microbial fermentation and the process of pasteurization, that was named after him.
- 1771 Died: Henri Pitot, French engineer and inventor. He's best known for invention of the pitot tube, a pressure measurement instrument used to measure fluid flow velocity.
- 1703 Portugal and England signed the Methuen Treaty. The treaty gave preference to Portuguese imported wines into England.