Constantine the Great was born on February 27, c. 272 AD, in Naissus, a city in the Roman province of Moesia (modern-day Niš, Serbia). He holds a pivotal position in history as the first Roman emperor to embrace Christianity. His reign fundamentally altered the religious landscape of the Roman Empire, ushering in the ascent of Christianity as a dominant faith.
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| Head of a bronze colossus of Constantine by Wilfredor |
Constantine's legacy includes the establishment of Constantinople as a new imperial capital, a strategic move that reshaped the empire's administrative and cultural center. He is also remembered for his role in promoting religious tolerance, most notably through the issuance of the Edict of Milan, which granted Christians legal recognition and freedom of worship.
English publisher Edward Cave was born on February 27, 1691.The first periodical called a
magazine was the
Gentleman's Magazine launched by Edward Cave in January 1731. In an age of lousy yellow journalism, the punchy periodical featured stories about fire-eating as well as essays by a young upstart named Samuel Johnson.
The actress
Elizabeth Taylor was born in London on February 27, 1932. Her parents, Francis Lenn Taylor and Sara Sothern, were originally from Arkansas City, Kansas and were living in England. They returned to the United States on the onset of World War II. Elizabeth Taylor began her movie career as a child actress in the early 1940s, making her screen debut in a minor role in There's One Born Every Minute (1942). Her breakthrough role came two years later in National Velvet.
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| Colorized Film still of Elizabeth Taylor, late 1950s. |
For more February 27 anniversaries, including the oldest surviving English opera, the marriage of Wilhelm II, German Emperor to Princess Augusta Victoria, the founding of the FC Bayern Munich football club and Pokémon first hitting the shelves in Japan, check out
OnThatDay.
