What Happened on August 27?

August 27 is National Just Because Day — a chance to do something kind for no reason at all — on the same date Drake struck oil in 1859, Mariner 2 launched toward Venus in 1962, and nations signed the Kellogg-Briand Pact in 1928.

• 1776 — Battle of Long Island begins in the Revolutionary War

  On August 27, 1776, British forces defeated George Washington’s army in the Battle of Long Island (Brooklyn), the war’s first major battle after independence. Read the full story →

• 1859 — Drake strikes oil in Titusville, Pennsylvania

  On August 27, 1859, Edwin Drake’s well near Titusville produced oil, launching the modern U.S. petroleum industry. Read the full story →

• 1883 — Krakatoa’s final catastrophic explosions shatter the island

  On August 27, 1883, Krakatoa’s climax explosions destroyed most of the island and sent deadly tsunamis across the Sunda Strait. Read the full story →

• 1928 — Nations sign the Kellogg-Briand Pact outlawing war

  On August 27, 1928, fifteen nations signed the Kellogg-Briand Pact in Paris, pledging to renounce war as a tool of national policy. Read the full story →

• 1962 — NASA launches Mariner 2 toward Venus

  On August 27, 1962, the United States launched Mariner 2, which became the first spacecraft to fly successfully past another planet. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Lyndon B. Johnson (1908–1973) · Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770–1831) · Aaron Paul (1979) · Tom Ford (1961)

Days & observances

National Just Because Day · National Petroleum Day · World Rock Paper Scissors Day · National Pots de Crème Day