Today in US history on February 27: Saccharin discovered, Nixon visits Berlin, US hockey stuns USSR

From defining moments in American democracy and scientific discovery to landmark achievements in sports and diplomacy, this day in US history captures how individual actions and decisions have shaped the nation’s political, cultural, and global trajectory across generations.

On this day in 1860, Abraham Lincoln delivered a pivotal speech at Cooper Union in New York City, a moment widely credited with boosting his national profile and helping pave the way to his election as president later that year.

In 1879, Russian-American chemist Constantin Fahlberg discovered the artificial sweetener saccharin while conducting coal tar research at Johns Hopkins University, a finding that would transform the food and pharmaceutical industries.


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The day also marks several institutional and political milestones. In 1919, the American Association for Hard of Hearing was formed in New York City, advocating for people with hearing loss. In 1922, then–Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover convened the first National Radio Conference, helping shape the future of U.S. broadcasting policy.

Sports and diplomacy feature prominently as well. In 1960, the United States men's national ice hockey team defeated the Soviet Union 3–2 on its way to Olympic gold. In 1966, American skater Peggy Fleming won the Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Davos.

Political history was made in 1969 when Richard Nixon visited West Berlin and again in 1972, when Nixon and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai issued the Shanghai Communiqué, a landmark step toward normalizing US–China relations.