Year 1927 Fun Facts, Trivia, and History Events

This quick read presents a collection of fun facts, trivia, and historical events from the year 1927. Discover the year’s top news stories, most influential people, sports facts, historic firsts, entertainment news, and much more.

Take a journey through history in just minutes.

1. In 1927, The Jazz Singer, the Model A Ford, and Charles Lindbergh were all on center stage. Baked ham and butterscotch cake were crowd-pleasers, and Charles and Betty were two of the most popular baby names.
2. Calvin Coolidge (R-Massachusetts) was the president of the United States, and Charles G. Dawes (R-Illinois) was the nation’s vice president.
3. Average cost of a new car: About $515
4. Average price of a new home: About $6,296
5. Average monthly rent: About $15
6. Average price of gold: $20.67 per troy ounce
7. Average retail price for a gallon of gas: 22 cents
8. Consumer Price Index: $17.4
9. Cost of a first-class stamp: Two cents
10. Federal spending: $2.86 billion
11. Inflation rate: -1.69 percent
12. Unemployment rate: 3.3 percent
13. American companies and brands established during 1927 included 7-Eleven, CBS, Gerber baby products, La-Z-Boy Furniture, Lender's Bagels, Marriott International, Pan American Airways, and the Strand Bookstore in New York City.
14. Consumer products launched during the year included the aerosol spray dispenser, Arpege perfume, B&M canned baked beans, Blue Bonnet margarine, Craftsman tools, Kool-Aid flavored drink mixes, Lender's bagels, and Pez breath mints.
15. January 1: The British Broadcasting Company became the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
16. January 7: The first transatlantic telephone call was made from New York City to London.
17. January 7: The Harlem Globetrotters played their first basketball game in Hinkley, Illinois, which is located about 50 miles west of Chicago.
18. January 24: Alfred Hitchcock released The Pleasure Garden, his first film as a director.
19. February 18: The United States and Canada established diplomatic relations.
20. February 23: The Radio Act of 1927 created the Federal Radio Commission (FRC), which was later renamed the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
21. May 2: Author Louis Bromfield won a Pulitzer Prize for his novel, Early Autumn.
22. March 4: Babe Ruth signed "a three-year $70,000 per season contract" with the New York Yankees. It made him the highest-paid player in MLB history up to that time.
23. March 5: Over 1,000 U.S. Marines landed in China to protect American property. Tucson.com tells us that "The 4th Regiment of the U.S. Marine Corps was sent to China . . . to protect American citizens and U.S. business interests in the midst of Shanghai's ongoing civil unrest. Called the 'China Marines,' these members of the military would remain in Shanghai until 1941."
24. April 20: With the thermometer at a balmy 84 degrees, Clarence DeMar won the Boston Marathon.
25. April 22 to May 5: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 was the most destructive flood in U.S. history, with over 27,000 square miles “inundated” in depths of water of up to 30 feet. The flooding affected over 700,000 people in Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas.
26. April 30: The Federal Industrial Institute, the first federal prison for women, opened in Alderson, West Virginia.
27. May 18: In Bath, Michigan, the worst school-related mass murder in U.S. history took place. Andrew Kehoe, a disgruntled farmer who was angry about not having won reelection as the treasurer of the local school board, killed 45 people, 38 of whom were elementary school children.
28. May 18: Grauman's Chinese Theatre opened in Hollywood, California.
29. On May 20 and 21, aviator Charles Lindbergh made "the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight" from New York to Paris.
30. May 26: The last Model T Ford came off the assembly line in Highland Park, Michigan.
31. May 30: George Souders won the 15th Indianapolis 500.
32. July 17: Nicholas Frantz won the 21st Tour de France.
33. August 7: The Peace Bridge, which connects Ontario, Canada, with Buffalo, New York, opened to vehicular traffic.
34. On August 10, Mount Rushmore National Park was rededicated in Keystone, South Dakota.
35. September 18: At 3:00 PM EST, the Columbia Phonographic Broadcasting System—later known as CBS—went on the air with 47 radio stations.
36. September 29: At 1:00 PM CST, a massive tornado ripped through downtown St. Louis, destroying over 200 city blocks.
37. October 6: The Jazz Singer, an American musical drama that was "the first feature-length motion picture," opened in the United States, which ultimately led to the end of the silent film era.
38. October 8: The New York Yankees completed a four-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates to win the World Series.
39. October 19: Pan American Airways made the world's first international flight. The 80-minute, 90-mile flight from Key West to Havana transported seven bags of mail that contained 13,000 letters. Within three months, Pan Am was carrying passengers as well as mail between the U.S. and Cuba.
40. October 20: The first Model A Ford came off the assembly line at the Rouge, the Ford Motor Company's "massive factory complex" in Dearborn, Michigan.
41. On November 3 and 4, heavy rainfall throughout New England caused destructive flooding in Vermont. The National Weather Service tells us that "1,285 bridges were lost, countless homes and buildings were destroyed, and hundreds of miles of roads and railroads were swept away."
42. November 13: The Holland Tunnel, which connects Manhattan and Jersey City, New Jersey, opened to vehicular traffic.
43. November 14: On Pittsburgh's North Side, the world's largest gas tank exploded, killing 29 people and causing millions of dollars in damage.
44. December 2: The Ford Motor Company unveiled the Model A Ford to an "eager" public. The new car "was designated as a 1928 model and was available in four standard colors."
45. December 4: Jazz musician Duke Ellington opened at the Cotton Club in Harlem.
46. December 27: Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein's musical, Show Boat, opened on Broadway and went on "to become the first great classic of the American musical theatre."
47. In 1927, Sinclair Lewis's Elmer Gantry was a popular fiction book, Hoagy Carmichael's Stardust was a popular song, and The Cat and the Canary was a popular horror film.
48. Popular baby names in 1927 were Robert, John, James, William, Charles, Mary, Dorothy, Betty, Helen, and Margaret.
49. The average lifespan for men born in 1927 was 59 years; for women, it was 62.1 years.
50. Famous people born in 1927 included Andy Williams, Cesar Chavez, Coretta Scott King, Estelle Parsons, Harry Belafonte, Hubert de Givenchy, Peter Falk, Pope Benedict XVI, Rosalynn Carter, Tommy Lasorda, and Vin Scully.
51. In 1927 as well, the words "bobby socks," "Dixieland," "double park," "garlic salt," "garment bag," "Kelly green," "smoke detector," "trick or treat," "water ski," and "wind chime" all appeared in print for the first time.

References:

1. https://www.infoplease.com/year/1927
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1927_in_the_United_States
3. https://www.merriam-webster.com/time-traveler/1927
4. https://www.mclib.info/Research/Local-History-Genealogy/Historic-Prices/Historic-Prices-1920s/Historic-Prices-1927
5. https://www.foodreference.com/html/html/food-history-1925.html
6. https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1927
7. https://www.scarymommy.com/lifestyle/1920s-slang
8. https://hotpopsongs.com/number-one-hits-1927/

© 2026 Gregory DeVictor