What Happened on September 27?

September 27 is World Tourism Day — celebrating thoughtful travel — on the same date Champollion announced he had deciphered hieroglyphs in 1822, Rachel Carson's Silent Spring was published in 1962, and Einstein's mass-energy paper was received in 1905.

• 1066 — William of Normandy sets sail to invade England

  On September 27, 1066, favorable winds finally let William, Duke of Normandy, launch his invasion fleet toward England. Read the full story →

• 1540 — Pope Paul III formally approves the Society of Jesus (Jesuits)

  On September 27, 1540, a papal bull approved the Society of Jesus — the Jesuit order founded by Ignatius of Loyola. Read the full story →

• 1822 — Champollion announces he has deciphered Egyptian hieroglyphs

  On September 27, 1822, Jean-François Champollion told French scholars he had cracked the Rosetta Stone's hieroglyphic code. Read the full story →

• 1825 — The Stockton and Darlington Railway opens

  On September 27, 1825, the Stockton and Darlington Railway opened in England — a pioneering public steam railway. Read the full story →

• 1905 — Einstein submits the paper that leads to E = mc²

  On September 27, 1905, Albert Einstein's short paper on mass-energy equivalence was received by the journal Annalen der Physik. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Samuel Adams (1722–1803) · Gwyneth Paltrow (1972) · Avril Lavigne (1984) · Meat Loaf (1947–2022)

Days & observances

World Tourism Day · National Chocolate Milk Day · National Crush a Can Day · Ancestor Appreciation Day