May 27: On This Day
Events, births, deaths, holidays and observances for May 27.
Events 55
- 1096 – Count Emicho enters Mainz, where his followers massacre Jewish citizens. At least 600 Jews are killed.
- 1120 – Richard III of Capua is anointed as Prince two weeks before his untimely death.
- 1153 – Malcolm IV becomes King of Scotland.
- 1199 – John is crowned King of England.
- 1257 – Richard of Cornwall, and his wife, Sanchia of Provence, are crowned King and Queen of the Germans at Aachen Cathedral.
- 1595 – A Gaelic Irish army successfully ambushes an English force in the battle of Clontibret during the Nine Years' War.
- 1644 – Manchu regent Dorgon defeats rebel leader Li Zicheng of the Shun dynasty at the Battle of Shanhai Pass, allowing the Manchus to enter and conquer the capital city of Beijing.
- 1703 – Tsar Peter the Great founds the city of Saint Petersburg.
- 1798 – The Pitt–Tierney duel takes place on Putney Heath outside London. A bloodless duel between the prime minister of Great Britain William Pitt the Younger and his political opponent George Tierney.
- 1798 – The Battle of Oulart Hill takes place in Wexford, Ireland; Irish rebel leaders defeat and kill a detachment of militia.
- 1799 – War of the Second Coalition: Austrian forces defeat the French at Winterthur, Switzerland.
- 1813 – War of 1812: In Canada, American forces capture Fort George.
- 1832 – An Egyptian army under Ibrahim Pasha captures Acre from the Ottomans after a five-months siege.
- 1860 – Giuseppe Garibaldi begins the Siege of Palermo, part of the wars of Italian unification.
- 1863 – American Civil War: The first Union infantry assault of the Siege of Port Hudson occurs.
- 1874 – The first group of Dorsland trekkers under the leadership of Gert Alberts leaves Pretoria.
- 1883 – Alexander III is crowned Tsar of Russia.
- 1896 – The F4-strength St. Louis–East St. Louis tornado hits in St. Louis, Missouri, and East St. Louis, Illinois, killing at least 255 people and causing over $10 million in damage.
- 1905 – Russo-Japanese War: The Battle of Tsushima begins.
- 1915 – HMS Princess Irene explodes and sinks off Sheerness, Kent, with the loss of 352 lives.
- 1917 – Pope Benedict XV promulgates the 1917 Code of Canon Law, the first comprehensive codification of Catholic canon law in the legal history of the Catholic Church.
- 1919 – The NC-4 aircraft arrives in Lisbon after completing the first transatlantic flight.
- 1927 – The Ford Motor Company ceases manufacture of the Ford Model T and begins to retool plants to make the Ford Model A.
- 1930 – The 1,046 feet (319 m) Chrysler Building in New York City, the tallest man-made structure at the time, opens to the public.
- 1933 – New Deal: The U.S. Federal Securities Act is signed into law requiring the registration of securities with the Federal Trade Commission.
- 1935 – New Deal: The Supreme Court of the United States declares the National Industrial Recovery Act to be unconstitutional in A.L.A. Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States, (295 U.S. 495).
- 1937 – In California, the Golden Gate Bridge opens to pedestrian traffic, creating a vital link between San Francisco and Marin County, California.
- 1940 – World War II: In the Le Paradis massacre, 99 soldiers from a Royal Norfolk Regiment unit are shot after surrendering to German troops; two survive.
- 1941 – World War II: U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaims an "unlimited national emergency".
- 1941 – World War II: The German battleship Bismarck is sunk in the North Atlantic, killing almost 2,100 men.
- 1942 – World War II: In Operation Anthropoid, Reinhard Heydrich is fatally wounded in Prague; he dies of his injuries eight days later.
- 1950 – The Linnanmäki amusement park is opened for the first time in Helsinki.
- 1958 – First flight of the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II.
- 1960 – In Turkey, a military coup removes President Celâl Bayar and the rest of the democratic government from office.
- 1962 – The Centralia mine fire is ignited in the town's landfill above a coal mine.
- 1965 – Vietnam War: American warships begin the first bombardment of National Liberation Front targets within South Vietnam.
- 1967 – Australians vote in favor of a constitutional referendum granting the Australian government the power to make laws to benefit Indigenous Australians and to count them in the national census.
- 1967 – The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy is launched by Jacqueline Kennedy and her daughter Caroline.
- 1971 – The Dahlerau train disaster, the worst railway accident in West Germany, kills 46 people and injures 25 near Wuppertal.
- 1971 – Pakistani forces massacre over 200 civilians, mostly Bengali Hindus, in the Bagbati massacre.
- 1975 – 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.
- 1977 – A plane crash at José Martí International Airport in Havana, Cuba, kills 67.
- 1980 – 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.
- 1984 – The Danube–Black Sea Canal is opened, in a ceremony attended by the Ceaușescus. It had been under construction since the 1950s.
- 1988 – 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.
- 1996 – First Chechen War: Russian president Boris Yeltsin meets with Chechen rebels for the first time and negotiates a cease-fire.
- 1997 – The 1997 Central Texas tornado outbreak occurs, spawning multiple tornadoes in Central Texas, including the F5 that killed 27 in Jarrell.
- 1998 – 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.
- 1999 – Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on STS-96, the first shuttle mission to dock with the International Space Station.
- 2001 – 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.
- 2006 – The 6.4 Mw Yogyakarta earthquake shakes central Java with an MSK intensity of VIII (Damaging), leaving more than 5,700 dead and 37,000 injured.
- 2014 – The football club Kerala Blasters FC and its first supporters' group Manjappada are formed.
- 2016 – Barack Obama is the first president of the United States to visit Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and meet Hibakusha.
- 2017 – Andrew Scheer takes over after Rona Ambrose as the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.
- 2018 – 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.
Births 261
- 742 – Emperor Dezong of Tang (died 805)
- 1332 – Ibn Khaldun, Tunisian historian and theologian (died 1406)
- 1378 – Zhu Quan, Chinese military commander, historian and playwright (died 1448)
- 1519 – Girolamo Mei, Italian historian and theorist (died 1594)
- 1537 – Louis IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Marburg (died 1604)
- 1576 – Caspar Schoppe, German author and scholar (died 1649)
- 1584 – Michael Altenburg, German theologian and composer (died 1640)
- 1601 – Antoine Daniel, French-Canadian missionary and saint (died 1648)
- 1626 – William II, Prince of Orange (died 1650)
- 1651 – Louis Antoine de Noailles, French cardinal (died 1729)
- 1652 – Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine of Germany (died 1722)
- 1738 – Nathaniel Gorham, American merchant and politician, 14th President of the Continental Congress (died 1796)
- 1756 – Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria (died 1825)
- 1774 – Francis Beaufort, Irish hydrographer and officer in the Royal Navy (died 1857)
- 1794 – Cornelius Vanderbilt, American businessman and philanthropist (died 1877)
- 1812 – George K. Teulon, English-Texian journalist and freemason (died 1846)
- 1814 – John Rudolph Niernsee, Viennese-born American architect (died 1885)
- 1815 – Henry Parkes, English-Australian politician, 7th Premier of New South Wales (died 1896)
- 1818 – Amelia Bloomer, American journalist and activist (died 1894)
- 1819 – Julia Ward Howe, American poet and songwriter (died 1910)
- 1827 – Samuel F. Miller, American lawyer and politician (died 1892)
- 1832 – Zenas Ferry Moody, American surveyor and politician, 7th Governor of Oregon (died 1917)
- 1836 – Jay Gould, American businessman and financier (died 1892)
- 1837 – Wild Bill Hickok, American police officer (died 1876)
- 1852 – Billy Barnes, English cricketer (died 1899)
- 1857 – Theodor Curtius, German chemist (died 1928)
- 1860 – Manuel Teixeira Gomes, Portuguese politician, 7th President of Portugal (died 1941)
- 1860 – Margrethe Munthe, Norwegian songwriter (died 1931)
- 1863 – Arthur Mold, English cricketer (died 1921)
- 1867 – Arnold Bennett, English author and playwright (died 1931)
- 1868 – Aleksa Šantić, Bosnian poet and author (died 1924)
- 1871 – Georges Rouault, French painter and illustrator (died 1958)
- 1875 – Frederick Cuming, English cricketer (died 1942)
- 1875 – Jorge Newbery, Argentine aviator (died 1914)
- 1876 – Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski, Polish journalist and author (died 1945)
- 1876 – William Stanier, English engineer (died 1965)
- 1878 – Anna Cervin, Swedish artist (died 1972)
- 1879 – Karl Bühler, German-American linguist and psychologist (died 1963)
- 1879 – Hans Lammers, German judge and politician (died 1962)
- 1883 – Jessie Arms Botke, American painter (died 1971)
- 1884 – Max Brod, Czech journalist, author, and composer (died 1968)
- 1887 – Frank Woolley, English cricketer (died 1978)
- 1888 – Louis Durey, French composer (died 1979)
- 1891 – Claude Champagne, Canadian violinist, pianist, and composer (died 1965)
- 1891 – Jaan Kärner, Estonian poet and author (died 1958)
- 1894 – Louis-Ferdinand Céline, French physician and author (died 1961)
- 1894 – Dashiell Hammett, American detective novelist and screenwriter (died 1961)
- 1895 – Douglas Lloyd Campbell, Canadian educator and politician, 13th Premier of Manitoba (died 1995)
- 1897 – John Cockcroft, English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1967)
- 1897 – Dink Templeton, American rugby player and coach (died 1962)
- 1898 – David Crosthwait, American engineer, inventor and writer (died 1976)
- 1899 – Johannes Türn, Estonian chess and draughts player (died 1993)
- 1900 – Lotte Toberentz, German overseer of the Nazi Uckermark concentration camp (died 1964)
- 1900 – Uładzimir Žyłka, Belarusian poet and translator (died 1933)
- 1906 – Buddhadasa, Thai monk and philosopher (died 1993)
- 1906 – Harry Hibbs, English footballer (died 1984)
- 1906 – Antonio Rosario Mennonna, Italian bishop (died 2009)
- 1907 – Nicolas Calas, Greek-American poet and critic (died 1988)
- 1907 – Rachel Carson, American biologist, environmentalist, and author (died 1964)
- 1909 – Dolores Hope, American singer and philanthropist (died 2011)
- 1909 – Juan Vicente Pérez, Venezuelan supercentenarian, oldest living man, last man born in 1900s decade (died 2024)
- 1911 – Hubert Humphrey, American journalist and politician, 38th Vice President of the United States (died 1978)
- 1911 – Teddy Kollek, Hungarian-Israeli politician, Mayor of Jerusalem (died 2007)
- 1911 – Vincent Price, American actor (died 1993)
- 1912 – John Cheever, American novelist and short story writer (died 1982)
- 1912 – Sam Snead, American golfer and sportscaster (died 2002)
- 1912 – Terry Moore, American baseball player, coach, and manager (died 1995)
- 1915 – Ester Soré, Chilean singer-songwriter (died 1996)
- 1915 – Herman Wouk, American novelist (died 2019)
- 1917 – Harry Webster, English engineer (died 2007)
- 1918 – Yasuhiro Nakasone, Japanese commander and politician, 45th Prime Minister of Japan (died 2019)
- 1921 – Bob Godfrey, Australian-English animator, director, and voice actor (died 2013)
- 1922 – Otto Carius, German lieutenant and pharmacist (died 2015)
- 1922 – Christopher Lee, English actor (died 2015)
- 1922 – John D. Vanderhoof, American banker and politician, 37th Governor of Colorado (died 2013)
- 1923 – Henry Kissinger, German-American political scientist and politician, 56th United States Secretary of State, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2023)
- 1923 – Sumner Redstone, American businessman and philanthropist (died 2020)
- 1924 – Jaime Lusinchi, Venezuelan physician and politician, President of Venezuela (died 2014)
- 1924 – John Sumner, English-Australian director, founded the Melbourne Theatre Company (died 2013)
- 1925 – Tony Hillerman, American journalist and author (died 2008)
- 1927 – Jüri Randviir, Estonian chess player and journalist (died 1996)
- 1928 – Thea Musgrave, Scottish-American composer and educator
- 1930 – John Barth, American novelist and short story writer (died 2024)
- 1930 – William S. Sessions, American civil servant and judge, 8th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (died 2020)
- 1930 – Eino Tamberg, Estonian composer and educator (died 2010)
- 1931 – André Barbeau, French-Canadian neurologist (died 1986)
- 1931 – John Chapple, English field marshal and politician, Governor of Gibraltar (died 2022)
- 1931 – Bernard Fresson, French actor (died 2002)
- 1931 – Faten Hamama, Egyptian actress and producer (died 2015)
- 1931 – Philip Kotler, American author and professor
- 1933 – Edward Samuel Rogers, Canadian businessman (died 2008)
- 1933 – Manfred Sommer, Spanish author and illustrator (died 2007)
- 1934 – Ray Daviault, Canadian-American baseball player (died 2020)
- 1934 – Harlan Ellison, American author and screenwriter (died 2018)
- 1935 – Daniel Colchico, American football player and coach (died 2014)
- 1935 – Mal Evans, British road manager of the Beatles (died 1976)
- 1935 – Jerry Kindall, American baseball player and coach (died 2017)
- 1935 – Ramsey Lewis, American jazz pianist and composer (died 2022)
- 1935 – Lee Meriwether, American model and actress, Miss America 1955
- 1936 – Benjamin Bathurst, English admiral (died 2025)
- 1936 – Louis Gossett Jr., American actor and producer (died 2024)
- 1936 – Marcel Masse, Canadian educator and politician, 29th Canadian Minister of National Defence (died 2014)
- 1937 – Allan Carr, American playwright and producer (died 1999)
- 1939 – Simon Cairns, 6th Earl Cairns, English courtier and businessman
- 1939 – Yves Duhaime, Canadian captain and politician
- 1939 – Sokratis Kokkalis, Greek businessman
- 1939 – Gerald Ronson, English businessman and philanthropist
- 1939 – Lionel Sosa, Mexican-American advertising and marketing executive
- 1939 – Don Williams, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2017)
- 1940 – Mike Gibson, Australian journalist and sportscaster (died 2015)
- 1942 – Lee Baca, American police officer
- 1942 – Piers Courage, English racing driver (died 1970)
- 1942 – Roger Freeman, Baron Freeman, English accountant and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
- 1942 – Robin Widdows, English racing driver
- 1943 – Cilla Black, English singer and actress (died 2015)
- 1943 – Bruce Weitz, American actor
- 1944 – Christopher Dodd, American lawyer and politician
- 1944 – Karen Fladset, Norwegian handball player
- 1944 – Ingrid Roscoe, English historian and politician, Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire (died 2020)
- 1944 – Alain Souchon, French singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
- 1945 – Bruce Cockburn, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1946 – Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Danish bassist and composer (died 2005)
- 1946 – John Williams, English motorcycle racer (died 1978)
- 1947 – Peter DeFazio, American politician
- 1947 – Marty Kristian, German-Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
- 1947 – Branko Oblak, Slovenian footballer and coach
- 1947 – Riivo Sinijärv, Estonian politician, 19th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1948 – Wubbo de Boer, Dutch civil servant (died 2017)
- 1948 – Pete Sears, English bass player
- 1948 – Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart, American occultist and author (died 2014)
- 1949 – Hugh Lowther, 8th Earl of Lonsdale, English politician (died 2021)
- 1949 – Christa Vahlensieck, German runner
- 1950 – Dee Dee Bridgewater, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1950 – Makis Dendrinos, Greek basketball player and coach (died 2015)
- 1951 – John Conteh, English boxer
- 1954 – Pauline Hanson, Australian businesswoman, activist, and politician
- 1954 – Jackie Slater, American football player and coach
- 1955 – Eric Bischoff, American wrestler, manager, and producer
- 1955 – Richard Schiff, American actor, director, and producer
- 1955 – Ian Tracey, English organist and conductor
- 1956 – Cynthia McFadden, American journalist
- 1956 – Rosemary Squire, English producer and manager, co-founded Ambassador Theatre Group
- 1956 – Giuseppe Tornatore, Italian director and screenwriter
- 1957 – Dag Terje Andersen, Norwegian politician, Norwegian Minister of Labour
- 1957 – Nitin Gadkari, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of Transport
- 1957 – Eddie Harsch, Canadian-American keyboard player and bass player (died 2016)
- 1957 – Siouxsie Sioux, English singer-songwriter, musician, and producer
- 1958 – Nick Anstee, English accountant and politician, 682nd Lord Mayor of London
- 1958 – Neil Finn, New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician
- 1958 – Jesse Robredo, Filipino politician, 23rd Secretary of the Interior and Local Government (died 2012)
- 1960 – Gaston Therrien, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
- 1961 – José Luíz Barbosa, Brazilian runner and coach
- 1961 – Peri Gilpin, American actress
- 1962 – Marcelino Bernal, Mexican footballer
- 1962 – Ray Borner, Australian basketball player
- 1962 – Steven Brill, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1962 – Anthony A. Hyman, Israeli-English biologist and academic
- 1962 – David Mundell, Scottish lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Scotland
- 1962 – Ravi Shastri, Indian cricketer, coach and sportscaster
- 1963 – Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Cuban pianist and composer
- 1963 – Maria Walliser, Swiss skier
- 1964 – Adam Carolla, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1965 – Todd Bridges, American actor
- 1965 – Pat Cash, Australian-English tennis player and sportscaster
- 1966 – Heston Blumenthal, English chef and author
- 1967 – Paul Gascoigne, English international footballer, coach, and manager
- 1967 – Eddie McClintock, American actor
- 1968 – Jeff Bagwell, American baseball player and coach
- 1968 – Rebekah Brooks, English journalist
- 1968 – Harun Erdenay, Turkish basketball player and coach
- 1968 – Frank Thomas, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1969 – Todd Hundley, American baseball player
- 1969 – Jeremy Mayfield, American race car driver
- 1969 – Craig Federighi, American computer scientist and engineer
- 1970 – Michele Bartoli, Italian cyclist
- 1970 – Tim Farron, English educator and politician
- 1970 – Joseph Fiennes, English actor
- 1970 – Alex Archer, American-born Australian musician
- 1971 – Mathew Batsiua, Nauruan politician
- 1971 – Paul Bettany, English actor
- 1971 – Wayne Carey, Australian footballer and coach
- 1971 – Kaur Kender, Estonian author
- 1971 – Lisa Lopes, American rapper and dancer (died 2002)
- 1971 – Lee Sharpe, English footballer
- 1971 – Grant Stafford, South African tennis player
- 1971 – Sophie Walker, British politician, leader of the Women's Equality Party
- 1971 – Petroc Trelawny, British radio and television broadcaster
- 1972 – Todd Demsey, American golfer
- 1972 – Antonio Freeman, American football player
- 1972 – Maxim Sokolov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1973 – Jack McBrayer, American actor and comedian
- 1973 – Tana Umaga, New Zealand rugby player and coach
- 1974 – Skye Edwards, British singer-songwriter
- 1974 – Denise van Outen, English actress, singer, and television host
- 1974 – Derek Webb, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1974 – Danny Wuerffel, American football player
- 1975 – André 3000, American rapper
- 1975 – Michael Hussey, Australian cricketer
- 1975 – Jadakiss, American rapper
- 1975 – Jamie Oliver, English chef and author
- 1975 – Feryal Özel, Turkish astrophysicist, astronomer, and academic
- 1976 – Marcel Fässler, Swiss racing driver
- 1977 – Abderrahmane Hammad, Algerian high jumper
- 1977 – Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lankan cricketer
- 1978 – Adin Brown, American soccer player
- 1979 – Michael Buonauro, American author and illustrator (died 2004)
- 1979 – Mile Sterjovski, Australian footballer
- 1980 – Craig Buntin, Canadian figure skater
- 1981 – Alina Cojocaru, Romanian ballerina
- 1981 – Johan Elmander, Swedish footballer
- 1982 – Natalya, Canadian professional wrestler
- 1982 – Mariano Pavone, Argentine footballer
- 1983 – Clare Rustad, Canadian soccer player
- 1984 – Blake Ahearn, American basketball player
- 1984 – Miguel González, Mexican baseball pitcher
- 1985 – Chiang Chien-ming, Taiwanese baseball player
- 1985 – Roberto Soldado, Spanish footballer
- 1986 – Conor Cummins, Manx motorcycle racer
- 1986 – Bamba Fall, Senegalese basketball player
- 1986 – Lasse Schöne, Danish footballer
- 1987 – Gervinho, Ivorian footballer
- 1987 – Bella Heathcote, Australian actress
- 1987 – Bora Paçun, Turkish basketball player
- 1987 – Matt Prior, Australian rugby league player
- 1987 – Martina Sáblíková, Czech speed skater and cyclist
- 1988 – Celso Borges, Costa Rican footballer
- 1988 – Vontae Davis, American football player (died 2024)
- 1988 – Irina Davydova, Russian hurdler
- 1988 – Garrett Richards, American baseball pitcher
- 1988 – Tyler Sash, American football player (died 2015)
- 1989 – Igor Morozov, Estonian footballer
- 1989 – Peakboy, South Korean rapper, record producer, and singer-songwriter
- 1990 – Yenew Alamirew, Ethiopian runner
- 1990 – Chris Colfer, American actor and singer
- 1990 – Jonas Hector, German footballer
- 1990 – Marcus Kruger, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1991 – Sebastien Dewaest, Belgian footballer
- 1991 – Tim Lafai, Samoan rugby league player
- 1991 – Ksenia Pervak, Russian tennis player
- 1991 – Mário Rui, Portuguese footballer
- 1991 – Armando Sadiku, Albanian footballer
- 1991 – Eneli Vals, Estonian footballer
- 1992 – Aaron Brown, Canadian sprinter
- 1992 – Jeison Murillo, Colombian footballer
- 1992 – Laurence Vincent-Lapointe, Canadian canoer
- 1994 – Maximilian Arnold, German footballer
- 1994 – João Cancelo, Portuguese footballer
- 1994 – Aymeric Laporte, French-Spanish footballer
- 1994 – Aleksandra Uznańska-Wiśniewska, Polish–Thai politician, political scientist, and humanitarian
- 1995 – Yoán Moncada, Cuban baseball player
- 1996 – Kim Jae-hwan, South Korean singer
- 1997 – Anna Bondar, Hungarian tennis player
- 1997 – Daniel Jones, American football player
- 1997 – Konrad Laimer, Austrian footballer
- 1998 – Josep Martínez, Spanish footballer
- 1999 – Matheus Cunha, Brazilian footballer
- 1999 – Lily-Rose Depp, French-American actress and model
- 2000 – Abner Vinícius, Brazilian footballer
- 2002 – Jérémy Doku, Belgian footballer
- 2002 – Gabri Veiga, Spanish footballer
- 2003 – Franco Colapinto, Argentine racing driver
Deaths 111
- 366 – Procopius, Roman usurper (born 325)
- 398 – Murong Bao, emperor of the Xianbei state Later Yan (born 355)
- 475 – Eutropius, bishop of Orange
- 866 – Ordoño I of Asturias (born 831)
- 927 – Simeon I of Bulgaria first Bulgarian Emperor (born 864)
- 1039 – Dirk III, Count of Holland (born 981)
- 1045 – Bruno of Würzburg, imperial chancellor of Italy (born c. 1005)
- 1178 – Godfrey van Rhenen, bishop of Utrecht
- 1240 – William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey (born 1166)
- 1444 – John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset, English commander (born 1404)
- 1508 – Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan (born 1452)
- 1525 – Thomas Müntzer, German mystic and theologian (born 1488)
- 1541 – Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury (born 1473)
- 1564 – John Calvin, French pastor and theologian (born 1509)
- 1610 – François Ravaillac, French assassin of Henry IV of France (born 1578)
- 1624 – Diego Ramírez de Arellano, Spanish sailor and cosmographer (born c. 1580)
- 1637 – John Boteler, 1st Baron Boteler of Brantfield, English politician (born c. 1566)
- 1661 – Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll, Scottish general and politician (born 1607)
- 1675 – Gaspard Dughet, Italian-French painter (born 1613)
- 1690 – Giovanni Legrenzi, Italian organist and composer (born 1626)
- 1702 – Dominique Bouhours, French priest and critic (born 1628)
- 1707 – Françoise-Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan, French mistress of Louis XIV of France (born 1640)
- 1781 – Giovanni Battista Beccaria, Italian physicist and academic (born 1716)
- 1797 – François-Noël Babeuf, French journalist (born 1760)
- 1831 – Jedediah Smith, American hunter, explorer, and author (born 1799)
- 1840 – Niccolò Paganini, Italian violinist and composer (born 1782)
- 1867 – Thomas Bulfinch American mythologist (born 1796)
- 1896 – Aleksandr Stoletov, Russian physicist, engineer, and academic (born 1839)
- 1910 – Robert Koch, German physician and microbiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1843)
- 1918 – Ōzutsu Man'emon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 18th Yokozuna (born 1869)
- 1919 – Kandukuri Veeresalingam, Indian author and activist (born 1848)
- 1933 – Achille Paroche, French target shooter (born 1868)
- 1939 – Joseph Roth, Austrian-French journalist and author (born 1894)
- 1941 – Ernst Lindemann, German captain (born 1894)
- 1941 – Günther Lütjens, German admiral (born 1889)
- 1942 – Muhammed Hamdi Yazır, Turkish theologian, logician, and translator (born 1878)
- 1943 – Gordon Coates, New Zealand soldier and politician, 21st Prime Minister of New Zealand (born 1878)
- 1945 – Enno Lolling, German physician (born 1888)
- 1947 – Ed Konetchy, American baseball player and manager (born 1885)
- 1949 – Robert Ripley, American cartoonist, publisher, and businessman, founded Ripley's Believe It or Not! (born 1890)
- 1953 – Jesse Burkett, American baseball player and manager (born 1868)
- 1960 – James Montgomery Flagg, American painter and illustrator (born 1877)
- 1963 – Grigoris Lambrakis, Greek physician and politician (born 1912)
- 1964 – Jawaharlal Nehru, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of India (born 1889)
- 1965 – John Rinehart Blue, American military officer, educator, businessperson, and politician (born 1905)
- 1967 – W. Otto Miessner, American composer and educator (born 1880)
- 1967 – Ernst Niekisch, German academic and politician (born 1889)
- 1969 – Jeffrey Hunter, American actor and producer (born 1926)
- 1971 – Béla Juhos, Hungarian-Austrian philosopher from the Vienna Circle (born 1901)
- 1971 – Armando Picchi, Italian footballer and coach (born 1935)
- 1980 – Gün Sazak, Turkish agronomist and politician (born 1932)
- 1984 – Vasilije Mokranjac, Serbian composer (born 1923)
- 1986 – Murder of the Faruqis: Ismail al-Faruqi, Palestinian-American Muslim philosopher and scholar (born 1921) Lois Lamya al-Faruqi, American scholar of ethnomusicology, wife of Ismail al-Faruqi (born 1926)
- Ismail al-Faruqi, Palestinian-American Muslim philosopher and scholar (born 1921)
- Lois Lamya al-Faruqi, American scholar of ethnomusicology, wife of Ismail al-Faruqi (born 1926)
- 1986 – Ajoy Mukherjee, Indian politician, Chief Minister of West Bengal (born 1901)
- 1986 – Giorgos Tzifos, Greek actor and cinematographer (born 1918)
- 1987 – John Howard Northrop, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1891)
- 1988 – Hjördis Petterson, Swedish actress (born 1908)
- 1988 – Ernst Ruska, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1906)
- 1989 – Arseny Tarkovsky, Russian poet and translator (born 1907)
- 1990 – Robert B. Meyner, American lawyer and politician, 44th Governor of New Jersey (born 1908)
- 1991 – Leopold Nowak, Austrian musicologist and theorist (born 1904)
- 1992 – Uncle Charlie Osborne, American fiddler (born 1890)
- 1998 – Minoo Masani, Indian lawyer and politician (born 1905)
- 2000 – Kazimierz Leski, Polish engineer and pilot (born 1912)
- 2000 – Murray MacLehose, Baron MacLehose of Beoch, Scottish politician and diplomat, 25th Governor of Hong Kong (born 1917)
- 2000 – Maurice Richard, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1921)
- 2002 – Marjorie Ogilvie Anderson, Scottish historian (born 1909)
- 2003 – Luciano Berio, Italian composer and educator (born 1925)
- 2006 – Rob Borsellino, American journalist (born 1949)
- 2006 – Paul Gleason, American actor (born 1939)
- 2006 – Craig Heyward, American football player (born 1966)
- 2007 – Izumi Sakai, Japanese singer-songwriter (born 1967)
- 2007 – Gretchen Wyler, American actress and dancer (born 1932)
- 2007 – Ed Yost, American inventor, created the modern hot air balloon (born 1919)
- 2008 – Franz Künstler, Hungarian soldier (born 1900)
- 2009 – Thomas M. Franck, American lawyer and academic (born 1931)
- 2009 – Clive Granger, Welsh-American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1934)
- 2009 – Mona Grey, British nursing administrator; Northern Ireland's first Chief Nursing Officer (born 1910)
- 2009 – Abram Hoffer, Canadian biochemist, physician, and psychiatrist (born 1917)
- 2009 – Gérard Jean-Juste, Haitian-American priest and theologian (born 1946)
- 2009 – Carol Anne O'Marie, American nun and author (born 1933)
- 2009 – William Refshauge, Australian soldier and physician (born 1913)
- 2009 – Paul Sharratt, English-American television host (born 1933)
- 2010 – Payut Ngaokrachang, Thai animator and director (born 1929)
- 2011 – Jeff Conaway, American actor and singer (born 1950)
- 2011 – Margo Dydek, Polish-American basketball player (born 1974)
- 2011 – Gil Scott-Heron, American singer-songwriter and poet (born 1949)
- 2012 – Simeon Daniel, Nevisian educator and politician, 1st Premier of Nevis (born 1934)
- 2012 – Friedrich Hirzebruch, German mathematician and academic (born 1927)
- 2012 – Anahit Perikhanian, Russian-born Armenian Iranologist (born 1928)
- 2012 – David Rimoin, Canadian-American geneticist and academic (born 1936)
- 2013 – Jagjit Singh Lyallpuri, Indian politician (born 1917)
- 2013 – Bill Pertwee, English actor (born 1926)
- 2013 – Abdoulaye Sékou Sow, Malian politician, Prime Minister of Mali (born 1931)
- 2014 – Robert Genn, Canadian painter and author (born 1936)
- 2014 – Helma Sanders-Brahms, German director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1940)
- 2014 – Roberto Vargas, Puerto Rican-American baseball player, coach, and manager (born 1929)
- 2014 – Massimo Vignelli, Italian-American graphic designer (born 1931)
- 2015 – Erik Carlsson, Swedish rally driver (born 1929)
- 2015 – Nils Christie, Norwegian sociologist, criminologist, and author (born 1928)
- 2015 – Andy King, English footballer and manager (born 1956)
- 2015 – Michael Martin, American philosopher and academic (born 1932)
- 2017 – Gregg Allman, American musician, singer and songwriter (born 1947)
- 2018 – Gardner Dozois, American science fiction author and editor (born 1947)
- 2020 – Larry Kramer, American playwright, public health advocate and LGBT rights activist (born 1935)
- 2021 – Poul Schlüter, former Prime Minister of Denmark (born 1929)
- 2024 – Elizabeth MacRae, American actress (born 1936)
- 2024 – Bill Walton, American basketball player and sportscaster (born 1952)
- 2025 – Freddie Aguilar, Filipino musician and singer-songwriter (born 1953)
Holidays and observances 14
- Armed Forces Day (Nicaragua)
- Children's Day (Nigeria)
- Christian feast day: Augustine of Canterbury Blessed Lojze Grozde Bruno of Würzburg Eutropius of Orange Hildebert Julius the Veteran May 27 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Augustine of Canterbury
- Blessed Lojze Grozde
- Bruno of Würzburg
- Eutropius of Orange
- Hildebert
- Julius the Veteran
- May 27 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Mother's Day (Bolivia)
- Navy Day (Japan)
- Slavery Abolition Day (Guadeloupe, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin)
- Start of National Reconciliation Week (Australia)