What Happened in May 1927

Historical Events

Shostakovich's 1st Symphony

May 5 Dmitri Shostakovich's 1st Symphony premieres in Berlin

May 7 Angelos Sikelianos organizes the first Delphic Festival in Delphi to celebrate the ancient Greek Delphic ideal.
May 7 SF Municipal Airport (Mills Field) dedicated
May 9 52nd Preakness: Whitey Abel aboard Bostonian wins in 2:01.6
May 9 Canberra replaces Melbourne as the capital of Australia, and the Australian Parliament convenes there for the first time.
May 11 England's football team beat Belgium 9-1
May 11 Louis B Mayer forms Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences
May 13 "Black Friday" on Berlin Stock Exchange
May 13 VVOG soccer team forms in Harderwijk
May 14 "Ain't She Sweet?" hits #1 on the singles chart by Ben Bernie
May 14 53rd Kentucky Derby: HOF jockey Linus McAtee aboard Whiskery defeats Osmand by a nose in the stretch in 2:06
May 14 Cap Arcona is launched at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg
May 14 The University of Chicago's local collegiate organization, Phi Sigma, becomes incorporated under Illinois law as Eta Sigma Phi, the National Honorary Classical Fraternity
May 16 NY Yankee Bob Meusel steals 2nd, 3rd & home
May 16 US Supreme Court ruled bootleggers must pay income tax
May 17 Chicago Cubs beat Boston Braves, 4-3, in 22 innings
May 17 U.S. Army aviation pioneer Major Harold Geiger dies in the crash of his Airco DH.4 de Havilland plane at Olmstead Field, Pennsylvania
May 18 "Slide Lake" in Gros Ventre, Wyoming, collapses
May 18 Bath School Disaster, Bath MI. Andrew Kehoe blows up Bath Consolidated School killing 38 children, 2 teachers.
May 18 Grauman's Chinese Theater opens in Hollywood, California
May 18 Ritz Hotel opens in Boston, Massachusetts

Lindbergh Departs NY

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

Treaty of Jeddah

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 22 8.3 Nan-Shan earthquake strikes Tsinghai, China, over 40,900 killed
May 22 Dodgers beat Phillies, 20-4

Model T Production Ends

May 25 Henry Ford announces that he is ending production of the Model T Ford

The Last Model T

May 26 Henry Ford and the Ford Motor Company produce the last (and 15th million) Model T Ford / Tin Lizzie

May 27 Japanese military intervention in Chinese civil war

Masaryk Re-elected President

May 27 Tomáš Masaryk re-elected President of Czechoslovakia for a second time

May 28 Hammond scores his 1,000th cricket run of the season after 22 days
May 30 Indianapolis 500: First-time starter George Souders wins by 8 laps, largest margin since 1913; first driver to win full-500 mile race with no help from relief driver or riding mechanic

Walter Johnson's Record Shutout

May 30 Walter Johnson records 110th and final shutout of his Baseball HOF career, the most in MLB history; Washington Senators score 3-0 win over Boston Red Sox

May 31 Tiger 1st baseman Johnny Neun makes an unassisted triple play

Events in 1927

Famous Birthdays

May 1 Bernard Vukas, Croatian soccer forward (59 caps, Yugoslavia; Hajduk Split; Olympic silver 1948, 52), born in Zagreb, Croatia (d. 1983)
May 1 Billy Byers, American jazz trombonist and arranger, born in Los Angeles, California (d. 1996)
May 1 Greta Andersen, Danish swimmer (Olympic gold 100m freestyle, silver 4×100m freestyle 1948), born in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 2023)
May 1 Israr Ali, Pakistan cricket all-rounder (4 Tests; member of Pakistan's first Test team that played against India 1952–53), born in Jalandhar, Punjab, India (d. 2016)
May 1 Roland Verhavert, Flemish screenwriter (Sea Gulls Die in the Harbor)
May 2 Raymond "Ray" Barrett, Australian actor (The Troubleshooters, Gillette Summer Sports Reel), born in Brisbane, Queensland (d. 2009)
May 4 Owen "Terry" Scott, British actor and comedian (Terry and June, Carry On Films), born in Watford, Hertfordshire (d. 1994)
May 5 Charles Rosen, American pianist and musicologist (Sonata Forms), born in New York City (d. 2012)
May 5 Pat Carroll, American comedienne and Emmy Award-winning actress (The Little Mermaid - "Ursula"; Make Room for Daddy), born in Shreveport, Louisiana (d. 2022)
May 5 Sid O'Linn, South African cricketer (soccer for South Africa 1947, cricket 1960), born in Oudtshoorn, Cape Province (d. 2016)
May 6 Ettore Manni, Italian actor (Street People, Divine Nymph, Fatal Desire, Heroes in Hell), born in Rome, Italy (d. 1979)
May 6 Michael Frederick, Barbadian cricketer (one Test WI v England 1954, scored 0 & 30), born in St Peter, Barbados (d. 2014)
May 7 Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, German-American novelist and screenwriter, born in Cologne, Germany (d. 2013)
May 8 Ian Denholm, Scottish shipping CEO (Murray Investment Trust), born in Kilmacolm, Scotland (d. 2018)
May 8 Murray Lerner, American documentary and experimental film director and producer (Secrets of the Reef), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2017)
May 8 Philip Wilkinson, British bank executive (National Westminster Bank) (d. 2007)

May 9 John McDermott, Lord Justice of Appeal (Northern Ireland)
May 9 Juan José Pizzuti, Argentine soccer striker and manager (12 caps; Racing Club de Avellaneda), born in Buenos Aires, Argentina (d. 2020)
May 9 Manfred Eigen, German physicist/chemist (Nobel 1967)
May 9 Ray Katt, baseball player
May 10 Mike Souchak, American golfer (15 PGA Tour titles; Ryder Cup 1959, 61), born in Berwick, Pennsylvania (d. 2008)
May 10 Nayantara Sahgal, Indian author
May 11 Anthony Hollis, British High Court Judge, (d. 2003)
May 11 Gene Savoy, American author, explorer, scholar and cleric (d. 2007)
May 11 Mort Sahl, American stand-up comedian, political satirist, writer, and TV personality (The Big Party), born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 2021)
May 11 Zilpha Keatly Snyder, American sci-fi author (Headless Cupid)
May 13 Clive Barnes, American drama critic (NY Times, NY Post)
May 13 Herbert Ross, American director, producer and choreographer (Footloose, Steel Magnolias), born in New York City (d. 2001)
May 13 Karl-Heinz Köper, German conductor, and composer (Tuba-Tabu; Pop Corn Concerto), born in Hanover, Germany (d. 2011)
May 14 Herbert W. Franke, Austrian writer
May 14 Shirley Spork, American golfer and administrator (co-founder LPGA; Women's PGA C'ship runner-up 1962), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2022)

May 16 John Walford, solicitor
May 16 Nílton Santos, Brazilian footballer, (d. 2013)
May 16 Paul Angerer, Austrian violist, violinist, conductor (Concilium Musicum Wien), harpsichordist, composer and radio host, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 2017)
May 17 Ronald Halstead, deputy CEO (British Steel)
May 18 Richard Body, British politician (C), born in Eton, Buckinghamshire
May 19 John Thompson, American football executive (GM Seattle Seahawks 1976-82; NFL Executive of the Year 1978), born in South Bend, Washington (d. 2022)
May 20 David Barlow, British composer and pedagogue, born in Rothwell, England (d. 1977)
May 20 David Hedison, American actor (Colbys, Voyage to Bottom of Sea), born in Providence, Rhode Island
May 20 Franciszek Macharski, Polish Cardinal, Archbishop of Kraków (1978-2005), born in Kraków (d. 2016)
May 20 Harry "Bud" Grant, American Pro Football HOF coach (NFL Coach of the Year 1969 Minnesota Vikings; 4 x Grey Cup C'ship Winnipeg Blue Bombers) and basketball forward (NBA C'ship 1950 Minnesota Lakers), born in Superior, Wisconsin (d. 2023) [1]
May 20 Walter Aschaffenburg, German-American composer, born in Essen, Germany (d. 2005)
May 21 George Levy, English antique dealer and heritage campaigner (d. 1996)
May 21 Kay Kendall [Justine McCarthy], British actress (Genevieve, The Constant Husband, Les Girls), born in Withernsea, East Riding of Yorkshire (d. 1959)
May 22 Eric Petrie, New Zealand cricket wicketkeeper (14 Tests, 25 dismissals, 1 x 50; Auckland, Northern Districts), born in Ngāruawāhia, New Zealand (d. 2004)
May 22 Glenn Bassett, American tennis coach (UCLA 1967-93; 7 x NCAA C'ships), born in Salt Lake City, Utah (d. 2020)

May 22 Michael Constantine [Ioannides], American actor (Room 222 - "Mr. Kaufman"; Don't Drink the Water; My Big Fat Greek Wedding), born in Reading, Pennsylvania (d. 2021)
May 22 Phil Tucker, American film director (Robot Monster), born in Kansas City, Missouri (d. 1985)
May 24 Charles "Majeed" Greenlee, American jazz trombonist (Archie Shepp), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 1993)
May 24 John Kelly Jr, American rower (Olympic bronze single sculls 1956; president US Olympic Committee 1985) and brother of Grace Kelly, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1985)
May 24 Martinus J Mentz, South African MP (Conservative)
May 24 Timothy Bevan, British lawyer and CEO (Barclays Bank) (d. 2016)
May 25 Robert Ludlum, American spy novelist (Bourne Identity), born in New York City (d. 2001)
May 26 David Edgerton, American entrepreneur and founder of Burger King, born in Lebanon, Pennsylvania (d. 2018)
May 26 Jacques Bergerac, French actor (Gigi, Les Girls, Thunder in Sun) and business executive (Revlon), born in Biarritz, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France (d. 2014)
May 27 Bryan Cowgill, deputy chairman (Mirror Group)
May 27 Jan Blokker, Dutch writer/journalist (VPRO, People's Newspaper)
May 28 Bernhard Lewkovitch, Danish organist and composer (Tre Madrigali di Torquato Tasso), born in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 2024)
May 28 Francois Nourissier, French writer (Un petit bourgeois)
May 28 Norman Ireland, CEO (Bowater)
May 28 Robert Evans, CEO (British Gas)
May 29 Carl Toms, British stage designer (1 Million BC, Moon Zero Two), born in Nottinghamshire, England (d. 1999)
May 29 Dick Hillenius, Dutch biologist and writer, born in Amsterdam (d. 1987)
May 29 Trevor Holdsworth, English CEO (National Power), born in Bradford, Yorkshire, England (d. 2010)
May 30 Dick Noel, American TV host (It's a Small Wonder), born in Brooklyn, New York
May 30 Evelyn Wesler Zemel, American author (American Glass Animals)
May 30 Norman "Clint" Walker, American actor (Kodiak, Cheyenne, Dirty Dozen), born in Hartford, Illinois
May 31 (James) "Red" Holloway, American jazz tenor saxophonist, born in Helena, Arkansas (d. 2012)
May 31 James Eberle, British admiral, director of the Royal Institute of International Affairs)
May 31 Michael Sandberg, Baron Sandberg, British businessman who was executive chairman of HSBC, born in Surrey, England (d. 2017)

Born in 1927

Famous Weddings

Ernest Hemingway

May 10 American "The Sun Also Rises" novelist Ernest Hemingway (27) weds for second time, to American journalist Pauline Pfeiffer (31); divorce in 1940

Fredric March

May 30 Academy Award-winning actor Fredric March (29) marries actress Florence Eldridge

Famous Deaths

May 2 Ernest Starling, British physiologist (Frank–Starling law of the heart), dies at 61
May 5 Charles Boissevain, Dutch editor of Amsterdam Algemeen Handelsblad (1885-1908), dies at 84
May 9 Tommy Routledge, South African cricketer (4 Tests for South Africa 1892-96), dies at 60
May 11 Juan Gris, Spanish cubist painter (Still Life Before an Open Window), dies at 40
May 17 Harold Geiger, U.S. Army aviation pioneer (b. 1884)
May 18 Andrew Kehoe, American mass murderer (Bath School disaster), commits suicide at 55 after killing his wife and blowing up a school
May 23 Henry Edwards Huntington, American railroad executive (owned Pacific Electric Railway), dies at 77
May 25 Payne Whitney, American businessman (b. 1876)
May 28 Boris Kustodiev, Russian painter (b. 1878)
May 28 Georges Eekhoud, Belgian writer (Belgian Kempen), dies at 73

On This Day