On this day in history - Today, December 27

Today in History

• 2007 Benazir Bhutto assassinated

  The former Prime Minister of Pakistan was killed after a shooting and the detonation of a suicide bomb while campaigning for the upcoming elections in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

• 1949 Indonesia gains independence from the Dutch

  The Southeast Asian country's independence came after 4 years of revolution and struggle. In August 1945, Sukarno signed the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, which was formally accepted and recognized by the Dutch in 1949.

• 1918 Greater Poland Uprising of 1918–1919 begins

  The revolt against the Germans began in Poznań after a speech by the Polish Prime Minster, Ignacy Paderewski. The uprising led to newer territory being added to Poland in the Treaty of Versailles.

• 1845 Anesthesia used for the first time for childbirth

  Dr. Crawford W. Long, an American physician, gave ether to his wife during the birth of their second child. The event revolutionalized the use of anesthesia in medicine and surgery.

• 1831 Charles Darwin begins his journey on the HMS Beagle

  It was during this 5-year long voyage that the English naturalist worked on his Theory of Evolution. He published the evidence supporting it in his 1859 book, On the Origin of Species.