Historical Events in 1927
- Apr 12 Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-shek begins counter revolution in Shanghai
- May 20 At 7:40 AM, Charles Lindbergh takes off from New York to cross the Atlantic for Paris, aboard Spirit of St Louis in the 1st solo nonstop transatlantic flight
- May 20 Treaty of Jeddah is signed between the United Kingdom and Ibn Saud recognizing the independence of the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd, the forerunner of Saudi Arabia
- May 21 Aviator Charles Lindbergh, in the Spirit of St Louis, lands in Paris after the first solo air crossing of Atlantic
- May 26 Henry Ford and the Ford Motor Company produce the last (and 15th million) Model T Ford / Tin Lizzie
- Nov 12 Leon Trotsky is expelled from the Soviet Communist Party, paving the way for Joseph Stalin to consolidate complete power
- More Events in 1927
1927 in Film & TV
- Jan 11 Louis B. Mayer head of film studio MGM announces creation of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
- Apr 7 First long distance television transmission: An image of Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover sent from Washington, D.C. to NYC by AT&T
- May 18 Grauman's Chinese Theater opens in Hollywood, California
- Aug 12 "Wings", one of only two silent films - the other being The Artist in 2011 - to win an Oscar for best picture, opens starring Clara Bow (Outstanding Picture 1929)
- Oct 6 "The Jazz Singer", directed by Alan Crosland, starring Al Jolson and May McAvoy, released, 1st film with a soundtrack (Honorary Academy Award 1928)
- Oct 8 "The Second Hundred Years" silent short film released starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy - 1st Laurel and Hardy film with them appearing as a team
1927 in Music
- Dec 4 Duke Ellington opens at the Cotton Club in Harlem
1927 in Sport
- Jun 4 1st Ryder Cup Golf, Worcester CC: US beats Great Britain, 9½-2½; Walter Hagen first American captain; Ted Ray first GB skipper
- Dec 17 Australian cricketing prodigy Don Bradman scores 118 in his 1st-class debut for NSW against South Australia at the Adelaide Oval
Did You Know?
Leontyne Price
Sidney Poitier
Benedict XVI
Janet Leigh
Roger Moore
Günter Grass
Juliette Gordon Low
Lizzie Borden
Victoria Woodhull
Isadora Duncan1927 in Pictures
Squaring Up for Radio Commentary
This was the day when the BBC broadcast live sports commentary for the first time and introduced a novel way of involving listeners in the action.January 15
Millions Come Up to See Mae West
Mae West, jailed on this day for obscenity, became one of the most successful sex symbols. Fans could not resist the offer: ‘Come up and see me some time.’April 19
Jazz Singer Sounds Death Knell for Silent Movies
The Jazz Singer was premiered on this day and audiences were thrilled to hear Al Jolson talking. The pioneer film spelled the end for the silent-movie industry.October 6
Famous Weddings in 1927
- Jan 14 American comedian Jack Benny (32) weds American salesgirl Sadie Marks (later known as Mary Livingstone) (22) at the Clayton Hotel in Waukegan, Illinois, until his death in 1974
- Apr 23 Mary Barbara Hamilton (25,)best-selling British romantic author, marries 1st husband Alexander McQorquodale
- May 10 American "The Sun Also Rises" novelist Ernest Hemingway (27) weds for second time, to American journalist Pauline Pfeiffer (31); divorce in 1940
Famous Divorces in 1927
- Mar 10 American "The Sun Also Rises" novelist Ernest Hemingway (27) and 1st wife Elizabeth Hadley Richardson (35) divorce after 6 years of marriage
- Apr 27 Inventor and electrical engineer Guglielmo Marconi (53) divorces Beatrice O'Brien after 22 years of marriage
- Aug 22 Actor Charlie Chaplin divorces his 2nd wife Lita Grey after 3 years of marriage in the largest divorce settlement at the time (US$600,000, plus trusts for children)
More Weddings & Divorces in 1927
Charles Lindbergh
Calvin Coolidge
Joseph Stalin
Stanley Baldwin