1. On January 27, 1875, the Arizona Territorial Legislature passed a law that created the University of Arizona. This law authorized the establishment of a university in Tucson and granted the institution 40,000 acres of land.

2. In 1947, on January 27, the U.S. Army began a series of nuclear weapons tests known as Operation Crossroads at Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. Scientists from the University of Arizona participated in these tests, which aimed to study the effects of atomic bombs on ships and other structures.

3. On January 27, 1969, Arizona State University hired Frank Kush as its head football coach. Kush would go on to lead the ASU Sun Devils to six conference championships and a victory in the 1975 Fiesta Bowl. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1995.

4. Fourteen years later, on January 27, 1983, former Arizona State University football player Pat Tillman was born in San Jose, California. Tillman would go on to play in the National Football League for the Arizona Cardinals before voluntarily enlisting in the U.S. Army in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. He was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2004.

5. Finally, on January 27, 2007, Randy Johnson, one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history, signed a one-year contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Johnson had previously played for the Diamondbacks from 1999 to 2004, helping the team win the World Series in 2001. He would retire from baseball in 2009 with over 300 wins and 4,800 strikeouts.