1927

1927 was a year in the interwar era marked by rapid technological progress and significant political developments around the world. In entertainment, the emergence of sound in cinema and milestones in aviation captured public imagination, while floods and political violence highlighted ongoing social tensions.

In aviation, Charles Lindbergh completed the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight from New York to Paris in the Spirit of St. Louis, landing in May 1927 and ushering in a new era of long-range flight. In speed and engineering, Malcolm Campbell set a new world land speed record of 174.88 mph in February 1927 at Daytona Beach, driving the Napier-Campbell Blue Bird.

In film, The Jazz Singer, released on October 6, 1927, demonstrated synchronized sound in motion pictures and signaled the transition from silent to sound cinema. Earlier the same year, industry leaders formed the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to promote the art and craft of filmmaking, paving the way for the annual Academy Awards beginning in 1929.

In Asia, political upheaval intensified in China as the Shanghai Massacre of April 12, 1927, saw Chiang Kai-shek’s forces suppress Communist elements, contributing to the split between Kuomintang and Communists and the onset of civil conflict.

In the United States, the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 began with spring rains and levee breaches, displacing hundreds of thousands and influencing later flood-control policies and disaster response.