May 27
May 27 is the 148th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 218 days remain until the year's end. It falls in spring (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Gemini.
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Astronomy
On May 27 the Sun's declination is approximately +21.4°. At this latitude the Sun is north of the celestial equator, giving the Northern Hemisphere longer days than nights.
For specific rise/set times at your location, see the U.S. Naval Observatory, or the NASA APOD archive for any imagery published on a May 27.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
No widely-observed holidays catalogued for this day in our base set. See the external almanacs above for region-specific observances.
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
1703 — Tsar Peter the Great founded the city of Saint Petersburg. ↗(323 years ago)more
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd (Петроград) and later Leningrad (Ленинград), is the second-largest city in Russia, after Moscow, the nation's capital. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea.
1937 — The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco opened to pedestrian traffic. ↗(89 years ago)more
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the one-mile-wide (1.6 km) strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean in California, United States. The structure links San Francisco—the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula—to Marin County, carrying both U.S.
1941 — The German battleship Bismarck was sunk in the Atlantic. ↗(85 years ago)more
Bismarck was the first of two Bismarck-class battleships built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine. Named after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1936 and launched in February 1939. Work was completed in August 1940, when she was commissioned into the German fleet.
Notable births
1837 — Wild Bill Hickok, American Old-West gunfighter. ↗(189 years ago)more
James Butler Hickok, better known as "Wild Bill" Hickok, was a folk hero of the American Old West known for his life on the frontier as a soldier, scout, lawman, cattle rustler, gunslinger, gambler, showman, and actor, and for his involvement in many famous gunfights.
1907 — Rachel Carson, American marine biologist (Silent Spring). ↗(119 years ago)more
Rachel Louise Carson was an American marine biologist, writer, and conservationist whose sea trilogy (1941–1955) and book Silent Spring (1962) are credited with advancing marine conservation and the global environmental movement.
1923 — Henry Kissinger, U.S. Secretary of State. ↗(103 years ago)more
Henry Alfred Kissinger was an American diplomat, political scientist, and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 7th national security advisor from 1969 to 1975 and as the 56th United States secretary of state from 1973 to 1977, serving under presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.
Notable deaths
1564 — John Calvin, French Protestant reformer. ↗(462 years ago)more
John Calvin was a French theologian, pastor and reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was the principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism, including its doctrines of predestination and of God's absolute sovereignty in the salvation of the human soul from death and eternal damnation.
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (148) | 2^2 × 37 · composite (no) |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (218) | 2 × 109 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 27052026 · no palindrome in next 200 years |
| Sun declination | +21.43° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 24 days |