What happened on December 27 ?

537 - The Hagia Sophia is completed.

1703 - Portugal and England sign the Methuen Treaty which gives preference to Portuguese imported wines into England.

1831 - Charles Darwin embarks on his journey aboard the HMS Beagle, where he will formulate the theory of evolution.

1836 - The worst ever avalanche in England occurs at Lewes, Sussex, killing 8 people.

1845 - Ether anesthetic is used for childbirth for the first time (Dr. Crawford Williamson Long in Jefferson, Georgia).

1904 - James Barrie's play Peter Pan premieres in London.

1904 - The Abbey Theatre opens.

1918 - The Great Poland Uprising against the Germans begins.

1932 - Radio City Music Hall opens.

1945 - The World Bank is created with the signing of an agreement by 28 nations.

1947 - Howdy Doody, a children's television program, makes its debut (NBC).

1949 - Indonesian National Revolution: Queen Juliana of the Netherlands grants Indonesia sovereignty.

1968 - The long-running radio program The Breakfast Club signs off for the last time (ABC radio).

1978 - Spain becomes a democracy after 40 years of dictatorship.

1979 - The Soviet Union seizes control of Afghanistan and Babrak Karmal replaces overthrown and executed President Hafizullah Amin.

1985 - Palestinian guerrillas kill eighteen people inside Rome and Vienna airports.

1996 - Taliban forces retake the strategic Bagram air base which solidifies their buffer zone around Kabul.

1997 - Protestant paramilitary leader Billy Wright is assassinated in Northern Ireland.

2001 - The People's Republic of China is granted permanent normal trade relations with the United States.

2002 - Two truck bombs kill 72 and wound 200 at the pro-Moscow headquarters of the Chechen government in Grozny, Chechnya.