This Day That Year

March 27

in History

Pope Excommunicates Venice — A pontiff wages economic war on a maritime republic
Avignon, FranceMedieval
1309

Pope Excommunicates Venice

A pontiff wages economic war on a maritime republic

Pope Clement V imposed excommunication and interdiction upon the Republic of Venice, forbidding all commercial intercourse with the powerful maritime state. The papal sanctions were a dramatic exercise of spiritual authority against one of Europe's wealthiest and most independent cities. Venice's merchants, accustomed to trading freely across the Mediterranean, found themselves cut off by the pope's decree, demonstrating the immense economic power the papacy could still wield.

1309 AD
Aguinaldo Captured — America catches the Philippines' rebel president
Palanan, PhilippinesEarly 20th Century
1901

Aguinaldo Captured

America catches the Philippines' rebel president

Emilio Aguinaldo, the leader of the First Philippine Republic and symbol of Filipino resistance to American colonization, was captured by American forces. His arrest came after years of guerrilla warfare against U.S. troops following the Philippine-American War. Aguinaldo's capture effectively ended organized Filipino resistance, though it could not extinguish the desire for independence that would eventually be realized decades later.

1901 AD
1964 Alaska earthquake — The Good Friday earthquake, the most powerful earthquake recorded in North American history at a magnitude of 9.
Late 20th Century
1964

1964 Alaska earthquake

The Good Friday earthquake, the most powerful earthquake recorded in North American history at a magnitude of 9.

The Good Friday earthquake, the most powerful earthquake recorded in North American history at a magnitude of 9.2 strikes Southcentral Alaska, killing 125 people and inflicting massive damage to the city of Anchorage.

1964 AD