Oct. 27 (UPI) — On this date in history:
In 1682, the city of Philadelphia was founded by William Penn to serve as the capital of the Pennsylvania Colony.
In 1787, a New York newspaper published the first of 77 essays explaining the new Constitution and urging its ratification. The essays were written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay (and later combined as “The Federalist Papers).”
In 1795, Pinckney’s Treaty with Spain settled Florida’s northern boundary and gave navigation rights on the Mississippi River to the United States. The agreement is also known as the Treaty of San Lorenzo and the Treaty of Madrid. Florida became a U.S. territory in 1822 and a state in 1845.
In 1904, the first rapid transit subway system in America opened in New York City.
Hundreds of volunteers box up food donations for those impacted by Hurricane Mitch on November 5, 1998, in a downtown Los Angeles parking lot. The hurricane moved over the Swan Islands off the coast of Honduras on October 27, 1998, before moving on to the mainland, killing more than 10,000 people. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI
File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
In 1936, Wallis Simpson, American friend of King Edward VIII, obtained a swift divorce in the small, dingy Ipswich Court.
People celebrate the proclamation of a Catalan republic at the Sant Jaume Square in Barcelona in Spain on October 27, 2017. File Photo by Xavi Herrero/UPI
In 1946, the travel show Geographically Speaking, sponsored by Bristol-Myers, became the first television program with a commercial sponsor.
In 1954, Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., commander of the 332nd Fighter Group, the Tuskegee Airmen, became the first Black American promoted to the rank of general in the United States Air Force.
Members of the Boston Red Sox celebrate after the final out of Game 4 of the World Series beating the St. Louis Cardinals 3-0 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on October 27, 2004. Boston took the World Championship for the first time since 1918. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
In 1954, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio divorced. Among the issues that ended their much-publicized marriage was a blowup over her famous scene in The Seven-Year Itch in which a blast of air lifts her skirt. The marriage lasted nine months.
File Photo by Brian Kersey/UPI
On October 27, 1682, the city of Philadelphia was founded by William Penn to serve as the capital of the Pennsylvania Colony. File Photo by Jon Adams/UPI
In 1962, Major Rudolf Anderson, a U-2 pilot in the United States Air Force, is shot down during a reconnaissance mission over Cuba. His death makes him the only direct casualty of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
In 1986, U.S. Congress established the Great Basin National Park in Nevada, the 49th national park in the country. It officially opened in August 1987.
On October 27, 1954, Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., commander of the 332nd Fighter Group, the Tuskegee Airmen, becomes the first African American promoted to the rank of general in the United States Air Force. File Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress
In 1998, Hurricane Mitch, one of the strongest recorded Atlantic storms, began a four-day siege of Central America, causing at least 10,000 deaths.
In 2004, the Boston Red Sox won the World Series for the first time in 86 years.
In 2017, the Catalan Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence from Spain. In reaction, the Spanish government dissolved Catalonia’s legislative body.
In 2019, Cherokee actor, activist and Vietnam veteran Wes Studi became the first Native American actor to be presented with an Oscar — an honorary lifetime achievement award.
In 2022, Elon Musk officially took ownership of Twitter after purchasing it for $44 billion. He renamed the social media platform X in July 2023.
In 2023, authorities confirmed they found the body of Robert Card one day after he shot and killed 18 people in Lewiston, Maine.
File Photo by CJ Gunther/EPA-EFE
