2018 Central Maryland flood
Maryland Flood Event: A flood occurs throughout the Patapsco Valley, causing one death, destroying the entire first floors of buildings on Main Street in Ellicott City, and causing cars to overturn.
What happened on May 27
36 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 1923 to 2025.
Standout on May 27
2016
Barack Obama
Barack Obama is the first president of the United States to visit Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and meet Hibakusha.
About May 27
May 27 is the 147th day of the year. These facts are computed from the calendar, not copied from anywhere.
- Day of the year
- Day 147 of 365 (148 in leap years)218 days left in the year (218 in leap years)
- Falls on
- Wednesday in 2026, Thursday in 2027, Saturday in 2028, Sunday in 2029, Monday in 2030
- Week
- ISO week 22 of 2026 · Q2
- Zodiac sign
- ♊ Gemini (May 21 – June 20)
- Season
- Spring in the north · Autumn in the south
- May birthstone
- Emeraldrebirth, love and wisdom
- May birth flower
- Lily of the valley / Hawthornsweetness, humility and hope
- Next occurrence
- In 212 days
- Roman numerals
- XXVII.Vday.month — see the Roman numeral date tool
Anniversaries in 2026
- 30thFirst Chechen War1996
- 30thKim Jae-hwan (singer)1996
- 25thAbu Sayyaf2001
- 25thDos Palmas kidnappings2001
- 20th2006 Yogyakarta earthquake2006
- 10thBarack Obama2016
- 5thPoul Schlüter2021
- 1stFreddie Aguilar2025
May 27 through the years
- 10 years ago2016
- Barack Obama
- 25 years ago2001
- Dos Palmas kidnappings · Abu Sayyaf
- 50 years ago1976
- Nothing recorded
- 100 years ago1926
- Nothing recorded
- 200 years ago1826
- Nothing recorded
Born on May 27 — ages this year
- 2003Franco Colapintoturns 23
- 2002Jérémy Dokuturns 24
- 2002Gabri Veigaturns 24
- 2000Abner Viníciusturns 26
- 1999Lily-Rose Deppturns 27
- 1999Matheus Cunhaturns 27
Historical events 36
A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Andrew Scheer
Andrew Scheer takes over after Rona Ambrose as the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.
Barack Obama
Barack Obama is the first president of the United States to visit Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and meet Hibakusha.
Kerala Blasters FC
The football club Kerala Blasters FC and its first supporters' group Manjappada were formed.
2006 Yogyakarta earthquake
An earthquake registering 6.4 Mw struck near the city of Yogyakarta on the southern side of the Indonesian island of Java, killing more than 5,700 people.
Dos Palmas kidnappings
Twenty tourists were kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf militants in Palawan, Philippines, triggering a hostage crisis that lasted for more than a year.
Abu Sayyaf
Members of Abu Sayyaf, an Islamist separatist group, seize twenty hostages from an affluent island resort on Palawan in the Philippines; the hostage crisis would not be resolved until June 2002.
Space Shuttle Discovery
Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on STS-96, the first shuttle mission to dock with the International Space Station.
Oklahoma City bombing
Oklahoma City bombing: Michael Fortier is sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined $200,000 for failing to warn authorities about the terrorist plot.
Jarrell tornado
A destructive F5-rated tornado tracked through a subdivision of homes northwest of Jarrell, Texas, killing 27 people.
1997 Central Texas tornado outbreak
The 1997 Central Texas tornado outbreak occurs, spawning multiple tornadoes in Central Texas, including the F5 that killed 27 in Jarrell.
First Chechen War
First Chechen War: Russian president Boris Yeltsin meets with Chechen rebels for the first time and negotiates a cease-fire.
Bosnian War
Bosnian War: Forces of the Army of Republika Srpska captured a United Nations post at Vrbanja Bridge in Sarajevo; six soldiers of both sides were killed when French forces retook the post later in the day.
Christopher Reeve
American actor Christopher Reeve was thrown from his horse, leaving him quadriplegic; he later became an activist on behalf of people with spinal cord injuries.
Somaliland War of Independence
Somaliland War of Independence: The Somali National Movement launches a major offensive against Somali government forces in Hargeisa and Burao, then the second- and third-largest cities of Somalia.
Danube–Black Sea Canal
The Danube–Black Sea Canal is opened, in a ceremony attended by the Ceaușescus. It had been under construction since the 1950s.
Benton fireworks disaster
An explosion at an illegal fireworks factory near Benton, Tennessee, killed eleven people.
Gwangju Uprising
The Gwangju Massacre: Airborne and army troops of South Korea retake the city of Gwangju from civil militias, killing at least 207 and possibly many more.
Aeroflot Flight 331
A plane crash at José Martí International Airport in Havana, Cuba, kills 67.
Bus
The deadliest road accident in England took place when the brakes on a coach failed and it crashed in North Yorkshire, killing 32 people.
1975 Dibbles Bridge coach crash
Dibbles Bridge coach crash near Grassington, in North Yorkshire, England, kills 33, the highest ever death toll in a road accident in the United Kingdom.
Bengali Hindus
Pakistani forces massacre over 200 civilians, mostly Bengali Hindus, in the Bagbati massacre.
Dahlerau train disaster
The Dahlerau train disaster, the worst railway accident in West Germany, kills 46 people and injures 25 near Wuppertal.
USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67)
The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy is launched by Jacqueline Kennedy and her daughter Caroline.
1967 Australian referendum (Aboriginals)
Australians voted overwhelmingly to include Indigenous Australians in population counts for constitutional purposes and to allow the federal government to make special laws affecting them in states.
Vietnam War
Vietnam War: American warships begin the first bombardment of National Liberation Front targets within South Vietnam.
Bob Dylan
American singer Bob Dylan (pictured) released The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, his first album to include a significant number of original songs.
Landfill
A fire at a landfill in Centralia, Pennsylvania, spread to an abandoned coal mine, where it continues burning today.
McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II
The F-4 Phantom II, the principal air superiority jet fighter for both the U.S. Navy and Air Force, made its first flight.
J. Robert Oppenheimer
The security clearance of American nuclear physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, head of Project Y, was revoked.
World War II
World War II: The German battleship Bismarck was sunk by gun and torpedo fire by the British battleships HMS Rodney and HMS King George V and supporting cruisers.
World War II
World War II: Ninety-seven soldiers of the British Royal Norfolk Regiment were killed after surrendering to German forces.
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge, at the time the world's longest suspension bridge by span, opened between San Francisco and Marin County, California.
Supreme Court of the United States
The United States Supreme Court ruled in A.L.A. Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States that the National Industrial Recovery Act, a major component of the New Deal, was unconstitutional.
Chrysler Building
Standing at 1,047 ft (319 m), New York City's Chrysler Building opened as the world's tallest building before it was surpassed by the Empire State Building 11 months later.
André Lagache
French drivers André Lagache and René Léonard completed the most laps during the first edition of the sports car race the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Births 20
A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
Aleksandra Uznańska-Wiśniewska
Aleksandra Uznańska-Wiśniewska, Polish–Thai politician, political scientist, and humanitarian
Deaths 20
A notable person who died on this day.
Larry Kramer
Larry Kramer, American playwright, public health advocate and LGBT rights activist (born 1935)
Nils Christie
Nils Christie, Norwegian sociologist, criminologist, and author (born 1928)
Andy King (footballer, born 1956)
Andy King, English footballer and manager (born 1956)
Helma Sanders-Brahms
Helma Sanders-Brahms, German director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1940)
Roberto Vargas
Roberto Vargas, Puerto Rican-American baseball player, coach, and manager (born 1929)
Abdoulaye Sékou Sow
Abdoulaye Sékou Sow, Malian politician, Prime Minister of Mali (born 1931)
Friedrich Hirzebruch
Friedrich Hirzebruch, German mathematician and academic (born 1927)
Simeon Daniel
Simeon Daniel, Nevisian educator and politician, 1st Premier of Nevis (born 1934)
Holidays & observances 8
A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
Augustine of Canterbury
Christian feast day: Augustine of Canterbury
Public holidays in Nigeria
Children's Day (Nigeria)
Eutropius of Orange
Christian feast day: Eutropius of Orange
Julius the Veteran
Christian feast day: Julius the Veteran
Bruno (bishop of Würzburg)
Christian feast day: Bruno of Würzburg
Public holidays in Nicaragua
Armed Forces Day (Nicaragua)
Hildebert
Christian feast day: Hildebert
Beatification
Christian feast day: Blessed Lojze Grozde
Spread across the centuries
- 20th century46
- 21st century30
Earliest: André Lagache (1923). Most recent: Freddie Aguilar (2025).
What the categories mean, and how the standout is chosen
- Historical events
- A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
- Births
- A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
- Deaths
- A notable person who died on this day.
- Milestones
- A first, a founding or a turning point our editors flagged as a landmark moment.
- Holidays & observances
- A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
- Standout / notable
- Editor-written entries come first, then entries covered by the most Wikipedia language editions. For the standout tile we prefer an entry that has a picture.
Nearby and related
Questions about May 27
What day of the year is May 27?
May 27 is the 147th day of the year, with 218 days left after it.
What star sign is May 27?
May 27 falls under Gemini (May 21 – June 20), a air sign ruled by Mercury. The birthstone for the month is Emerald.
How many things happened on May 27?
We record 84 entries for May 27: 36 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 1923 to 2025.
Who was born on May 27?
Franco Colapinto (2003) is among the notable births on May 27. The births section lists the rest.
How often is the May 27 page updated?
The day is filled the first time anyone opens it and then re-checked for new entries about every 90 days. Computed facts such as the weekday and the anniversaries update every year.
Get a daily entry like May 27
One short email a day from this calendar. Kept for this site only.
Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.