SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2014

Today is Saturday, December 27, the 361st day of 2014. There are four days left in the year.

537 ― St. Sofia Church in Constantinople, initiated

1825 ― First public railroad using steam locomotive completed in England

1831 ― Darwin begins his voyage to South America on board the HMS Beagle

1845 ― Ether first used in childbirth in U.S., Jefferson, Ga.

1927 ― Stalin's faction wins All-Union Congress in USSR, Trotsky expelled

1945 ― International Monetary Fund established and World Bank founded

1970 ― “Hello, Dolly!" closes at St James Theater NYC after 2,844 performances

1972 ― New North Korean constitution comes into effect

1979 ― Soviet troops invade Afghanistan, President Hafizullah Amin overthrown

1981 ― Edmonton Oiler Wayne Gretzky becomes fastest NHL player to get 100 points (38th game)

1983 ― Pope John Paul II pardons man who shot him (Mehmet Ali Agca)