December 27
1703: The Methuen Treaty was signed between Portugal and England, giving preference to the import of Portuguese wines into England.
1777: Floating mines intended for use against British Fleet found in Delaware River.
1814: Destruction of schooner Carolina, the last of Commodore Daniel Patterson's make-shift fleet that fought a series of delaying actions that contributed to Andrew Jackson's victory at the Battle of New Orleans. After the loss, the naval guns were mounted on shore to continue the fight.
1831: HMS Beagle, with Charles Darwin on board, departs from Plymouth. It will eventually visit the Galapagos Islands where Darwin will form his theories on evolution.
1852: Heroine, a 250-tonne barque carrying emigrants bound for Port Philip, Australia, sank 3 or 4 miles off the coast from Lyme Regis after drifting helplessly in storm conditions for almost two days.
Tragically, although the entire complement of the Heroine survived (43 in total), four out of the five men who set out to assist the Heroine using an improvised lifeboat, were drowned when their pinnace was overwhelmed by the huge seas and overturned.
1904: James Barrie's play "Peter Pan" premieres in London, introducing the world to Never Never Land, the ticking Crocodile, and the dastardly Captain Hook.
1922: Japanese aircraft carrier Hosho becomes the first purpose built aircraft carrier to be commissioned in the world.
1943: Montgomery discusses Overlord with Eisenhower and Bedell Smith
1965: Britain's first off-shore drilling platform, the BP oil rig 'Sea Gem', capsized in the North Sea with the loss of 13 lives. The British cargo ship Baltrover happened to be passing and was first to spot the collapse of the Sea Gem at 1409GMT. It went to assist, sending a radio message to shore for further help.
A public inquiry into the sinking concluded metal fatigue in part of the suspension system linking the hull to the legs was to blame.