This Day That Year

January 27

in History

Trajan Becomes Emperor — Rome's greatest conqueror takes the throne
Cologne, Roman EmpireClassical
98

Trajan Becomes Emperor

Rome's greatest conqueror takes the throne

Upon the death of his adoptive father Nerva, Trajan ascended to the throne of the Roman Empire. Under his rule, the empire would reach its maximum territorial extent, stretching from the misty shores of Britain to the sunbaked deserts of Mesopotamia. Trajan's military conquests, monumental building projects, and generous social programs earned him the Senate's honorific as Optimus Princeps, the best of rulers, a title that endured long after his death.

98 AD
Hyman Rickover Was Born — The father of the nuclear navy arrives
Makow Mazowiecki, PolandEarly 20th Century
1900

Hyman Rickover Was Born

The father of the nuclear navy arrives

Hyman George Rickover was born in what is now Poland, a future admiral who would revolutionize naval warfare. Emigrating to America as a child, he rose through the ranks of the U.S. Navy to become the driving force behind nuclear-powered submarines and ships. His relentless pursuit of excellence and safety created a naval nuclear program that remains unmatched. Rickover's legacy includes two Congressional Gold Medals and the world's first commercial nuclear power plant.

1900 AD
Cold War — Cold War: The Soviet Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom sign the Outer Space Treaty in Washington, D.
1947–1991 geopolitical rivalry between US and USSRLate 20th Century
1967

Cold War

Cold War: The Soviet Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom sign the Outer Space Treaty in Washington, D.

The Cold War was a period of international geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which began in the aftermath of the Second World War and ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

1967 AD