On This Day for April 27 - Independence for Sierra Leone, Coretta Scott King is featured, and more

This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, click here to view. April 27 FEATURED BIOGRAPHY Coretta Scott King READ MORE   FEATURED EVENT 1961 Independence for Sierra Leone READ MORE   Advertisement Advertisement   MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY 2014: Pope John Paul II was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI. [Take our pope quiz.] 1992: British politician Betty Boothroyd became the first woman to be elected speaker of the House of Commons; she held the post until 2000. [ Test your knowledge of some famous firsts for women.] 1960: After several years as an autonomous republic in the French Union, the West African country of Togo became independent. 1828: The London Zoo opened in Regent's Park. 1822: Ulysses S. Grant, who commanded the Union armies during the late years (1864–65) of the American Civil War and later served as president of the United States (1869–77), was born. [ Can you identify where each president was born?] 1791: Samuel F.B. Morse, an American painter and the inventor of an electric telegraph and the Morse Code, was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts. [ Test your knowledge of inventors and their inventions quiz.] SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1822 Ulysses S. Grant president of United States 1927 Coretta Scott King American civil-rights activist 1759 Mary Wollstonecraft English author 1967 Willem-Alexander, king of the Netherlands king of the Netherlands 1820 Herbert Spencer British philosopher 1932 Casey Kasem American disc jockey SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY   Advertisement   FOLLOW: To unsubscribe from Britannica e-mails, click here. Encyclopædia Britannica 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Chicago, Illinois 60654 United States © 2020 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Privacy Policy • Help