Today in History - Dec. 27

Today is Wednesday, Dec. 27, the 361st day of 2006. There are four days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Dec. 27, 1831, naturalist Charles Darwin set out on a round-the-world voyage aboard the HMS Beagle. (Darwin's discoveries during the almost five-year-long journey helped to form the basis of his theories on natural selection and evolution.)

On this date:

In 1822, scientist Louis Pasteur was born in Dole, France.

In 1904, James Barrie's play "Peter Pan: The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up" opened at the Duke of York's Theater in London.

In 1906, American composer, musician, actor and wit Oscar Levant was born in Pittsburgh.

In 1927, the musical play "Show Boat," with music by Jerome Kern and libretto by Oscar Hammerstein II, opened at the Ziegfeld Theater in New York.