What happened on September 27 ?

1275 - John II of Brabant (d. 1312)

1389 - Cosimo de Medici, ruler of Florence (d. 1464)

1601 - King Louis XIII of France (d. 1643)

1627 - Jacques Benigne Bossuet, French bishop and author (d. 1704)

1643 - Solomon Stoddard, American Puritan clergyman

1696 - Alphonsus Liguori, Italian founder of the Redemptionist order (d. 1787)

1719 - Abraham Gotthelf Kästner, German mathematician (d. 1800)

1722 - Samuel Adams, American revolutionary leader (d. 1803)

1729 - Michael Denis, Austrian poet (d. 1800)

1803 - Samuel Francis du Pont, American admiral (d. 1865)

1805 - George Müller, Prussian orphanage builder (d. 1898)

1818 - Adolph Wilhelm Hermann Kolbe, German chemist (d. 1884)

1821 - Henri Frederic Amiel, Swiss writer (d. 1881)

1824 - William "Bull" Nelson, American Civil War general (d. 1862)

1830 - William Babcock Hazen, American Civil War general (d. 1887)

1840 - Thomas Nast, German-born political cartoonist (d. 1902)

1842 - Alphonse Francois Renard, Belgian geologist (d. 1903)

1843 - Gaston Tarry, French mathematician (d. 1913)

1866 - Eurosia Fabris, Italian Catholic Blessed (d. 1932)

1871 - Grazia Deledda, Italian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1936)

1879 - Hans Hahn, Austrian mathematician (d. 1934)

1879 - Cyril Scott, English composer (d. 1970)

1885 - Harry Blackstone, Sr., American magician (d. 1965)

1894 - Lothar von Richthofen German WWI pilot, brother of Manfred von Richthofen (d. 1922)

1896 - Sam Ervin, U.S. Senator from North Carolina (d. 1985)

1906 - William Empson, British poet and critic (d. 1984)

1907 - Maurice Blanchot, French philosopher and writer (d. 2003)

1907 - Bhagat Singh, Indian freedom fighter (d. 1931)

1913 - Albert Ellis, American psychologist

1918 - Martin Ryle, English radio astronomer, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics (d. 1984)

1919 - James H. Wilkinson, American mathematician (d. 1986)

1920 - William Conrad, American actor (d. 1994)

1920 - Jayne Meadows, American actress

1922 - Carl Ballantine, American actor

1922 - Arthur Penn, American director

1924 - Fred Singer, American environmental scientist

1927 - Romano Scarpa, Italian comic book artist

1927 - Steve Stavro, Canadian businessman and sports team owner (d. 2006)

1932 - Roger C. Carmel, American actor (d. 1986)

1932 - Michael Colvin, Canadian tenor

1932 - Oliver E. Williamson, American economist

1933 - Will Sampson, American actor (d. 1987)

1934 - Wilford Brimley, American actor

1934 - Claude Jarman Jr., American actor

1934 - Dick Schaap, American sports reporter (d. 2001)

1936 - Don Cornelius, American television host

1936 - Gordon Honeycombe, British author, playwright, and actor

1939 - Kathy Whitworth, American golfer

1942 - Dith Pran, Cambodian-born photojournalist

1942 - Alvin Stardust, English singer

1943 - Randy Bachman, Canadian musician

1945 - Jack Goldstein, Canadian-born artist (d. 2003)

1946 - Robin Nedwell, English comedy actor (d. 1999)

1947 - Barbara Dickson, Scottish singer

1947 - Meat Loaf, American singer and actor

1948 - Michele Dotrice, English actor

1948 - A. Martinez, American actor

1949 - Graham Richardson, Australian politician and broadcaster

1949 - Mike Schmidt, baseball player

1949 - Jahn Teigen, Norwegian singer

1951 - Jim Shooter, American comic book writer, editor and publisher

1951 - Paul Craig, British law professor

1952 - Dumitru Prunariu, cosmonaut

1953 - Diane Julie Abbott, British politician

1953 - Mick Wagner, American monologist and DJ

1953 - Mata Amritanandamayi, Indian religious leader

1958 - Shaun Cassidy, American singer and actor

1961 - Irvine Welsh, Scottish writer

1961 - Andy Lau, Hong Kong actor and singer

1965 - Steve Kerr, Lebanese-born basketball player

1965 - Peter MacKay, Canadian political leader

1965 - Alexis Stewart, American radio personality, daughter of Martha Stewart

1972 - Sylvia Crawley, American Basketball player

1972 - Clara Hughes, Canadian cyclist

1972 - Gwyneth Paltrow, American Actress

1976 - Francesco Totti, Italian footballer

1977 - Andrus Värnik, Estonian athlete

1978 - Brad Arnold, American singer and songwriter (3 Doors Down)

1981 - Lakshmipathy Balaji, Indian cricketer

1981 - Brendon McCullum, New Zealand cricketer

1982 - Lil Wayne, American rapper and record producer

1984 - Avril Lavigne, Canadian singer and songwriter