On November 27, 1863 Confederate General John Hunt Morgan and other Confederate POWs escaped Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio after tunneling their way out. Morgan later returned to battle but was killed less than a year later. Image of John Hunt Morgan with his wife Martha

Image via Wikimedia Commons, no known restrictions

Born in San Francisco on November 27, 1940 Bruce Lee came to the attention of American audiences in the role of Kato on the Green Hornet television series. Lee (shown with son Brandon) taught martial arts to a number of actors and celebrities and was poised to star in Hollywood-produced films before his death at age 32.
Image via Wikimedia Commons, no known copyright, public domain in the US.

The Yale – Princeton game, November 27, 1879 The two teams played to a scoreless tie in Hoboken, New Jersey that day and they were considered co-champions of college football that year.
Image via Library of Congress, no known restrictions

On November 27, 1945 22 US charities formed CARE (Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe). For $10.00 CARE would ship a package containing food essentials to people in war-devastated Europe. The program was extended to Japan in 1948 and eventually world-wide.

Image from Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-S1207-502 CC-BY-SA via Wikimedia Commons.

Guitarist Jimi Hendrix was born on November 27, 1942. Here he’s shown during basic training at Ft. Ord, California before he was assigned to the 101st Airborne. Image from a U.S. Army publication, public domain

An advertisement that appeared in the New York Times the night before November 27, 1910 which was the first day that Pennsylvania Station (the entire station, not just a portion) in Manhattan was opened to the public.
Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

Two GIs of the 1st Armored Division using a stove made out of German shell casings in Italy on November 27, 1944

Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

Photo of Gerald R. Ford fighting for the tip-off during a basketball game aboard the U.S.S. Monterey in 1944. 29 years later on November 27, 1973 the U.S. Senate voted 92-3 to confirm Gerald R. Ford as Vice President of the United States.
Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

“Fallen Monarchs” from 1886 by American artist William Bliss Baker who was born in New York City on November 27, 1859.
Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

On November 27, 1901, the U.S. Army War College was established by Secretary of War, Elihu Root and President Theodore Roosevelt. Two years later the building that you see, aptly named “Roosevelt Hall” at Ft. Lesley J. McNair in Washington, D.C. was built.

The building currently houses the National War College as the Army War College is now located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. 

 Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

Bob Smith, who hosted the popular TV show Howdy Doody was born on November 27, 1917 in Buffalo, New York.

Image: Bob Smith with Howdy Doody and Brownie Girl Scouts in 1950 via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

From Mailroom to the Northwest Passage

Born in Paterson, New Jersey on November 27, 1927, William E. Simon began with humble roots — the son of an insurance broker and a French mother whose immigrant family worked in textile dyeing. Starting his career in a Wall Street mailroom while raising a young family, his grit carried him into the U.S. Army infantry, where he served in postwar Japan and swam in the Pacific Olympics. Rising through finance, Simon became a senior partner at Salomon Brothers before answering the call of public service.

As America’s 63rd Secretary of the Treasury (1974–1977), he steered the nation through recession and oil crisis with a fierce belief in free markets. Beyond government, his adventurous spirit led him to own Itasca, a powerful motor yacht that became the first large luxury vessel to complete the Northwest Passage — building on the legacy of explorers like Roald Amundsen and modern pioneers like the Williwaw. Simon’s achievement symbolized not just personal adventure, but the boldness to chart new courses from modest beginnings to uncharted horizons.

Touchdown, Yale vs. Princeton, Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27, 1890.

Yale 32, Princeton 0

by American artist Frederic Remington

Aerial Salute to Peace

On November 27, 1918 — sixteen days after the Armistice ended World War I — aviators from Rockwell Field filled the skies above San Diego in a dramatic celebration of peace. The formation flight honored the war’s end and the return of hope, as crowds gathered on rooftops to witness the spectacle.