April 27

Explorer Ferdinand Magellan is killed by indigenous warriors in the Philippines at the Battle of Mactan.

Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan was killed by warriors led by local chieftain Lapu-Lapu while attempting to assert Spanish authority and Christian conversion on the island of Mactan in the Philippines, cutting short his historic voyage before it could be completed, though his remaining crew went on to finish the first circumnavigation of the globe.

Poet John Milton sells the rights to "Paradise Lost" to a printer for ten pounds.

Blind and impoverished in his later years, English poet John Milton sold the publishing rights to his epic poem "Paradise Lost" to a printer for the modest sum of ten pounds, a work now widely regarded as one of the greatest achievements in the English literary canon despite its unremarkable initial financial return.

U.S. Marines and allied Berber forces attack the city of Derna during the First Barbary War, an episode later immortalized in the Marine Corps hymn.

American Marines and a small allied force of Berber mercenaries and Greek soldiers captured the city of Derna during the First Barbary War against Tripoli, an episode considered the first time the American flag was raised in victory on foreign soil and later commemorated in the opening line of the Marine Corps hymn.

German forces occupy Athens during their invasion of Greece in World War II.

German forces occupied Athens after a swift invasion of Greece during World War II, forcing the Greek government into exile and beginning a harsh occupation marked by severe food shortages and a devastating famine that killed tens of thousands of Greek civilians over the following years.

Italian partisans capture former dictator Benito Mussolini as he attempts to flee to Switzerland.

Italian partisans captured former dictator Benito Mussolini and his mistress, Clara Petacci, as they attempted to flee toward Switzerland disguised among retreating German soldiers, ending his final desperate bid for escape as Allied forces closed in on the collapsing remnants of his Fascist regime.

Expo 67 officially opens in Montreal, Canada, with a globally broadcast ceremony.

Expo 67, a major international exposition celebrating Canada's centennial, officially opened in Montreal with a globally broadcast ceremony, drawing millions of visitors over its run and showcasing innovative architecture and pavilions from dozens of participating nations, cementing the fair's reputation as one of the most successful World's Fairs of the 20th century.

Soviet authorities begin evacuating the city of Pripyat following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

Soviet authorities began evacuating the nearby city of Pripyat, home to Chernobyl plant workers and their families, more than 24 hours after the reactor explosion, only after radiation levels had spiked dangerously and initial official silence had already exposed thousands of residents to significant contamination.

South Africa holds its first fully democratic general election, in which Black citizens are allowed to vote for the first time.

South Africa held its first fully democratic general election, in which Black citizens were permitted to vote for the first time in the country's history, resulting in a decisive victory for Nelson Mandela's African National Congress and formally ending the apartheid system of institutionalized racial segregation.

The Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger airliner, completes its first test flight.

The Airbus A380, the largest passenger airliner ever built with capacity for over 800 passengers in an all-economy configuration, completed its first test flight from Toulouse, France, representing a major bet by European aerospace manufacturer Airbus on continued demand for very large aircraft on major international routes.

North and South Korea sign the Panmunjom Declaration, pledging to formally end the Korean War and pursue denuclearization.

Leaders of North and South Korea signed the Panmunjom Declaration during a historic summit, pledging to work toward formally ending the Korean War, which had only paused under an armistice since 1953, and pursuing the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, though substantial progress toward those goals remained elusive in subsequent years.