What Happened in March 1927

Historical Events

American National Bank

Mar 1 Bank of Italy (later Bank of America) becomes an American National Bank

Ruth Highest-Paid

Mar 4 Babe Ruth becomes the highest-paid player in MLB history when he signs 3-year, $70,000 per season contract with the New York Yankees

  • Mar 5 1,000 US marines land in China to protect American property
  • Mar 7 Earthquake measuring 8 on Richter scale strikes Tango, Japan
  • Mar 8 Pan American Airlines incorporates
  • Mar 10 Albania mobilizes due to threats from the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes

Bavaria Lifts Hitler Ban

Mar 10 Bavaria lifts ban on Adolf Hitler's speeches

  • Mar 11 1st armored commercial car hold-up in US (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
  • Mar 11 1st boxing Golden Gloves tournament
  • Mar 11 Samuel Rothafel opens the 5,920 seat Roxy Theater in New York City, with silent film "The Love of Sunya" starring Gloria Swanson; largest movie theatre at the time of construction
  • Mar 17 US government doesn't sign League of Nations disarmament treaty
  • Mar 19 Bloody battles between communists & Nazis in Berlin
  • Mar 21 Guomindang Army conquers Shanghai as British marines flee
  • Mar 22 Federico Garcia Lorca's first play "El Maleficio" (The Butterfly's Evil Spell) premieres in Madrid
  • Mar 24 Dutch 1st Chamber condemns Belgian and Netherlands Wielingen Treaty
  • Mar 25 86th Grand National: 8/1 favourite Sprig wins; ridden by jockey Ted Leader, trained by his father Tom Leader
  • Mar 26 Alfred Hugenberg purchases German film company UFA
  • Mar 26 Gaumont-British Film Corporation forms
  • Mar 28 Majestic Theater opens at 245 W 44th St, NYC; designed with a modern Spanish exterior and French revival style interior by architect Herbert J. Krapp, it is largest of 3 theater and hotel development cuilt by Irving Chanin
  • Mar 29 Henry Segrave races his Sunbeam to a record 203.79 mph at Daytona
1927 History

Famous Birthdays

Harry Belafonte (1927-2023)

Mar 1 Jamaican-American Grammy, Tony, and Emmy Award-winning calypso singer ("Banana Boat Song"), actor (Buck & the Preacher), and human rights activist, born in Harlem, New York

  • Mar 1 Robert Bork, American lawyer, government official (US Solicitor General, 1973-77), jurist (US Court of Appeals, 1982-88), rejected Supreme Court nominee (1987), and professor (Yale), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 2012)
  • Mar 2 Ray Prosser, Welsh rugby union prop (22 caps Wales, 1 British & Irish Lions; Pontypool) and coach (Pontypool RFC 1969-87), born in Pontypool, Wales (d. 2020)
  • Mar 2 Roger Walkowiak, French road cyclist (Tour de France 1956), born in Montluçon, France (d. 2017)
  • Mar 2 Siegfried Köhler, German composer (Tausend Sterne sind ein Dom), born in Meissen, Germany (d. 1984)
  • Mar 2 Witold Szalonek, Polish composer (Satire), educator, and musicologist, born in Czechowice-Dziedzice, Poland (d. 2001) [1]
  • Mar 3 Bruton Smith, American motor sports promoter and owner (CEO NASCAR; track owner Speedway Motorsports, Inc.), born in Oakboro, North Carolina (d. 2022)
  • Mar 3 Charles O. Whitley, American politician (Rep-D-NC, 1977-87), born in Siler City, North Carolina (d. 2002)
  • Mar 3 Frank Singleton, English newspaper librarian (The Guardian, 1957-92), born in Bollington, England (d. 1994)
  • Mar 3 Pierre Aubert, Swiss lawyer and politician (Member of the Swiss Federal Council, 1978-87), born in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland (d. 2016)
  • Mar 3 William Kurelek, Canadian artist and writer (The Maze, Passion of Christ series), born near Whitford, Alberta (d. 1977)
  • Mar 4 Dick Savitt, American tennis player (Wimbledon, Australian C'ships 1951), born in Bayonne, New Jersey (d. 2023)
  • Mar 4 Philip Batt, American politician (Governor of Idaho, 1995-99), born in Wilder, Idaho (d. 2023)
  • Mar 4 Robert DiDomenica, American flautist, composer and educator, born in New York City (d. 2013)
  • Mar 4 Robert Orben, American comedy writer, magician, and speechwriter for US Vice President Gerald Ford, born in New York City (d. 2023)
  • Mar 4 Syd Fischer, Australian yachtsman (Fastnet Race 1971, World C'hip One Ton Cup 1971, Round State Race Hawaii 1980; 2 x Sydney-Hobart Line honours), born in Sydney, Australia (d. 2023)
  • Mar 4 Thayer David, American actor (Eiger Sanction, Rocky, Nero Wolfe, Savages), born in Medford, Massachusetts (d. 1978)
  • Mar 5 Jack Cassidy, American stage and screen actor (Shangri-La; The Eiger Sanction: She Loves Me; Columbo), and Grammy Award-winning singer, born in Richmond Hill, Virginia (d. 1976)
  • Mar 6 (Adanelle) "Norman" Treigle, American operatic bass-baritone, born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 1975)

Gabriel García Márquez (1927-2014)

Mar 6 Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist (1982 Nobel Prize in Literature), born in Aracataca, Colombia

  • Mar 6 Gordon Cooper, American aerospace engineer, test pilot and astronaut (Mercury-Atlas 9, Gemini 5), born in Shawnee, Oklahoma (d. 2004)
  • Mar 6 John Fairchild, American magazine publisher and editor (Women's Wear Daily, 1960-96; W Magazine, 1972-97), born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 2015)
  • Mar 6 William J Bell, American television writer and producer (The Young and The Restless; The Bod and the Beautiful), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2005)
  • Mar 7 Henri Landwirth, Belgian-American hotel owner and philanthropist (Give Kids the World), born in Antwerp, Belgium (d. 2018)
  • Mar 7 James Broderick, American actor and director (Dog Day Afternoon, Family), born in Charlestown, New Hampshire (d. 1982)
  • Mar 7 Jean-Paul Desbiens, Quebec writer and teacher (d. 2006)
  • Mar 8 Dick Hyman, American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, conductor, and organist, born in New York City
  • Mar 8 Jaromir Podešva, Czech composer (Fragments of the Quinguennium), music theorist, and pedagogue, born in Brno, Czechoslovakia (d. 2000)
  • Mar 8 Josef Berg, Czech composer and musicologist, born in Brno, Czechoslovakia (d. 1971)
  • Mar 8 Stanisław Kania, Polish communist politician, born in Wrocanka, Poland (d. 2020)
  • Mar 9 Hans Ludwig Schilling, German composer, born in Mayen, Germany (d. 2012)
  • Mar 9 Jackie Jensen, American baseball player (AL MVP 1958), born in San Francisco, California (d. 1982)
  • Mar 9 John Beckwith, Canadian composer, pianist, educator, and musicologist, born in Victoria, British Columbia (d. 2022)
  • Mar 10 Barbara Sinatra, American model and philanthropist, born in Bosworth, Missouri (d. 2017)
  • Mar 10 Claude Laydu, Belgian-born Swiss actor (Diary of a Country Priest), born in Brussels, Belgium (d. 2011)
  • Mar 10 Donn Trenner, American jazz pianist, arranger, and orchestra leader (Steve Allen's Westinghouse Show), born in New Haven, Connecticut (d. 2020)
  • Mar 10 Paul Wunderlich, German lithographer, surrealist painter, and sculptor, born in Eberswalde, Germany (d. 2010)
  • Mar 11 Alan Betts, emeritus professor (Royal Veterinary College)
  • Mar 11 Raymond Jackson, British illustrator and political cartoonist (Evening Standard, 1952-97), born in Marylebone, London, England (d. 1997)
  • Mar 11 Robert Mosbacher, American businessman, yachtsman and political appointee (US Secretary of Commerce, 1989-92), born in Mount Vernon, New York (d. 2010)
  • Mar 11 Ron Todd, British trade unionist (TGWU General Secretary, 1985-92), born in Walthamstow, London, England (d. 2005)
  • Mar 12 Raúl Alfonsín, President of Argentina (1983-89), born in Chascomús, Buenos Aires (d. 2009)
  • Mar 13 Charles Sickman Corsen, Dutch Antillean poet, born in Curacao, Costa Rica (d. 1994)
  • Mar 13 Robert Denning, American interior designer, born in New York City (d. 2005)
  • Mar 14 Bill Rexford, American auto racer (NASCAR Grand National Series championship 1950, youngest Cup champion [23]), born in Conewango Valley, New York (d. 1994)
  • Mar 14 Joop Wolff, Dutch editor (Truth) and politician (CPN)
  • Mar 15 Carl Smith, American country singer ("Deep Water"; "Ten Thousand Drums"; "Why, Why"), born in Maynardville, Tennessee (d. 2010)
  • Mar 15 Philip Jebb, British architect, born in London, England (d. 1995)
  • Mar 16 (Reuben) "Ruby" Braff, American jazz trumpeter and cornetist, born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 2003)
  • Mar 16 Daniel Patrick Moynihan, American politician (US Senator from New York (D), 1977-2001), and diplomat (US ambassador to UN, 1975-79; US Ambassador to India, 1973-75), born in Tulsa, Oklahoma (d. 2003)
  • Mar 16 Karlheinz Boehm, Austrian actor (Face of Fear, Peeping Tom, Unnatural), born in Darmstadt, Germany (d. 2014)
  • Mar 16 Olga San Juan, American actress, dancer and comedian (Variety Girl, 1 Touch of Venus), born in New York City (d. 2009)
  • Mar 16 Vladimir Komarov, Soviet cosmonaut (Voshkod I, Soyuz 1) and the 1st human to die in a space flight, born in Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union (d. 1967)
  • Mar 17 Nancy Sheehan, writer
  • Mar 17 Patrick Allen, British actor (Roman Holiday;Dial "M" for Murder), born in Nyasaland, Africa (d. 2006)
  • Mar 17 Roberto Suazo Córdova, President of Honduras (1982-86), born in La Paz, Honduras (d. 2018)
  • Mar 17 Sulkhan Nasidze, Georgian composer, born in Tiflis, Transcaucasia, Soviet Union (now Tblisi, Georgia) (d. 1996)
  • Mar 18 George Plimpton, American sports writer (Paper Lion), and participatory journalist, born in New York City (d. 2003)

John Kander (97 years old)

Mar 18 American musical theater and film composer, with Fred Ebb (Cabaret; Chicago; New York, New York; Funny Lady), born in Kansas City, Missouri

  • Mar 18 Lester "Big Daddy" Kinsey, American Chicago blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player, born near Pleasant Grove, Mississippi (d. 2001)
  • Mar 18 Lillian Vernon, founder and CEO of the Lillian Vernon Corporation (first company listed on US stock exchange started by a woman), born in Leipzig, Germany (d. 2015)

Allen Newell (1927-1992)

Mar 19 American computer scientist (Logic Theory Machine, General Problem Solver, Turing Award), born in San Francisco, California

Richie Ashburn (1927-1997)

Mar 19 American Baseball Hall of Fame infielder (6 × MLB All-Star; NL batting champion 1955, 58; Philadelphia Phillies) and sportscaster (Phillies TV 1963-71), born in Tilden, Nebraska

  • Mar 20 John Joubert, British South African composer (The Raising of Lazarus; An English Requiem), and educator, born in Cape Town, Union of South Africa (d. 2019)
  • Mar 21 Hans-Dietrich Genscher, German Minister of Foreign Affairs (FDP), worked to re-unify Germany, born in Reideburg (d. 2016)
  • Mar 22 Marty Blake, NBA executive (GM Atlanta Hawks, NBA Director of Scouting), born in Wyoming, PA (d. 2013)
  • Mar 23 Monique van Vooren, Belgian-American actress (Andy Warhol's Frankenstein), and writer, born in Brussels, Belgium (d. 2020)
  • Mar 23 Osvaldo Lacerda, Brazilian composer (Piratininga), and music professor, born in São Paulo, Brazil (d. 2011)
  • Mar 24 János Decsényi, Hungarian composer (Farewell to a Vanished Century), born in Budapest, Hungary

Martin Walser (97 years old)

Mar 24 German novelist (Marriage in Philippsburg), and dramatist, born in Wasserburg am Bodensee, Germany (d. 2023)

  • Mar 25 Leslie Claudius, Indian field hockey (Olympic gold 1948, 52, 56), born in Bilaspur, India (d. 2012)
  • Mar 27 Anthony Lewis, American columnist (NY Times) and author (Gideon's Trumpet), born in The Bronx, New York (d. 2013)
  • Mar 27 Lord Fanshawe of Richmond [Anthony Henry Fanshawe Royle], Conservative MP for Richmond (1959-83) (d. 2001)
  • Mar 27 Mo Ostin [Ostrofsky], American record company executive (Verve; Reprise; Warner Bros,; Dreamworks), born in New York City (d. 2022)

Mstislav Rostropovich (1927-2007)

Mar 27 Soviet-Russian cellist and conductor, born in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR

  • Mar 28 Marianne Fredriksson, Swedish author (Simon and the Oaks), born in Gothenburg, Sweden (d. 2007)
  • Mar 29 Arthur Ravenel Jr, American businessman and politician (Rep-R-South Carolina), born in Charleston, South Carolina
  • Mar 29 Bianco [Eugene Capobianco], American jazz, easy-listening, and session harpist, born in Hartford, Connecticut (d. 2007)
  • Mar 29 Donald Ross, Lord Ross, Scottish judge, born in Dundee, Scotland
  • Mar 29 John McLaughlin, American TV commentator (McLaughlin Group) and Nixon aide, born in Providence, Rhode Island (d. 2016)
  • Mar 29 John R. Vane, English pharmacologist (Nobel 1982), born in Tardebigg, Worcestershire (d. 2004)
  • Mar 30 Peter Marshall, American TV game show host (Hollywood Squares), born in Huntington, West Virginia
  • Mar 30 Robert Armstrong [Lord Armstrong of Ilminster], British peer and civil servant (Spycatcher trial), born in Headington, England (d. 2020)
  • Mar 30 Wally Grout, Australian cricket wicketkeeper (51 Tests, 187 dismissals, 3 x 50s), born in Mackay, Australia (d. 1968)

Cesar Chavez (1927-1993)

Mar 31 American farm labor leader (United Farm Workers), born in Yuma, Arizona

  • Mar 31 Dave Hassinger, American recording engineer and record producer, born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2007)
  • Mar 31 William Daniels, American actor (Dr Mark Craig-St Elsewhere, 1776), born in Brooklyn, New York
Born in 1927

Famous Divorces

Ernest Hemingway

Mar 10 American "The Sun Also Rises" novelist Ernest Hemingway (27) and 1st wife Elizabeth Hadley Richardson (35) divorce after 6 years of marriage

Famous Deaths

  • Mar 3 J.G. Parry-Thomas, Welsh motor-racing driver (b. 1884)
  • Mar 3 Mikhail Artsybashev, Russian writer (b. 1878)
  • Mar 4 Ira Remsen American chemist (b. 1846)
  • Mar 5 Franz Mertens, German mathematician (b. 1840)
  • Mar 12 Arthur Bernard Deacon, British anthropologist (Malekula: A Vanishing People in the New Hebrides), dies of blackwater fever (b. 1903)
  • Mar 17 James Scott Skinner, Scottish fiddler and composer, dies at 83
  • Mar 23 Paul César Helleu, French artist (b. 1859)
  • Mar 27 Joe Start, American baseball player, dies at 84
  • Mar 28 Karl Prohaska, Austrian composer, dies at 57