It was a ground-breaking year to be sure. Indeed, 1927 was chock full of monumental moments of all kinds.
From the Great Mississippi Flood to Charles Lindbergh’s transatlantic flight in the Spirit of St. Louis, here are some of the most fascinating moments of 1927 captured on film. (If you want to go even further back in time, here are 50 photos from American life in the 19th century.)
Bebe Daniels Feeds a Pig
American actress and singer Bebe Daniels bottle feeding a piglet she was presented with the day before filming started on 'Swim Girl Swim', filmed on the campus of the University of Los Angeles, in Los Angeles, California, circa 1927. The silent film, which starred Daniels as Alice Smith, was directed by Clarence Badger. (Photo by Margaret Chute/Moviepix/Getty Images)
- American singer and actor Bebe Daniels
- Bottle-feeding a piglet
- The pig was gifted to her the day before her film Swim Girl Swim began filming
Charles Lindbergh Arrives
American aviator Charles Lindbergh arrives at Croydon Aerodrome, London after a flight from Evere Aerodrome in Brussels in his Ryan monoplane, the Spirit of St. Louis, 29th May 1927. A crowd of around a hundred thousand turned out to see him arrive, eight days after his completion of the first solo transatlantic flight. (Photo by Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
- American aviator Charles Lindbergh arrives at Croydon Aerodrome, London’s international airport
- Flying the Spirit of St. Louis
- 100,000 people showed up to watch his arrival
Babe’s Birds
American baseball players Babe Ruth (1895 - 1948) (born George Herman Ruth Jr) (left) of the New York Yankees and Walter Johnson (1887 - 1946) of the Washington Senators each pose with their prize-winning roosters, 1927. During the off-season, both players brred and raise animals. (Photo by FPG/Getty Images)
- American baseball players Babe Ruth (New York Yankees) and Walter Johnson (Washington Senators), holding their prize-winning roosters
- Both bred and raised animals during their off-seasons from baseball
- Ruth spent time at his Sudbury, Massachusetts, property called “Home Plate Farm”
He’s a Winner!
A young boy with trophies won at baby shows, USA, circa 1927. (Photo by Henry Miller News Picture Service/Archive Photos/Getty Images)
- Trophy-winning toddler
- Prizes won at “baby shows”
- Baby shows awarded prizes like “cutest baby,” “fattest baby,” etc.
St. Louis Tornado
Crowds gather to view a street of wrecked houses after a tornado hit St. Louis, Missouri, 29th September 1927. 79 people were killed in the disaster with 550 more injured. (Photo by FPG/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
- Tornado hit St. Louis, Missouri, on September 29, 1927
- 79 killed, 550 injured
- Tore along a 7-mile path
Gas Prices Dropping
A man using the pump at a gas station selling high test gasoline at reduced prices (9 for src=
- Los Angeles, CA, 1927
- High-test — or octane — gas was 9 gallons for $1
- Note the clockface pumps, which measured the amount of fuel being pumped
February 1927: The car with which Henry Segrave set a world record of 203 miles per hour at Daytona Beach, Florida. The 1000 hp car was built by the Sunbeam Motor Co. of Wolverhampton. (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)
- The “1,000 Horsepower Car”
- Used to set a world record of 203 mph by Henry Segrave in Daytona Beach, FL
- Built by Sunbeam Motor Co.
Marathon Dance
April 1927: 300 couples on a marathon dance from Venice, California, to Los Angeles, a distance of 15 miles, for a prize of src=
- 300 couples participated in a marathon dance
- The vessel traveled from Venice, CA to Los Angeles, CA (15 miles)
- $1,000 prize at stake
Slimming by the Sea
1927: American actresses Joan Crawford (1904 - 1977) and Dorothy Sebastian (1903 - 1957) practise reducing exercises on Santa Monica beach, California, as they listen to music from a gramophone. (Photo by Margaret Chute/Getty Images)
- American actors Joan Crawford and Dorothy Sebastian
- Performing “reducing exercises” on Santa Monica Beach
- Listening to music on the gramophone whilst doing so
Happy New Year!
American President Calvin Coolidge (1872 - 1933) and his wife Grace (1879 - 1957) wish the American public a Happy New Year at the main entrance to the White House in Washington, DC, after the annual New Year's Day reception, 1st January 1927. They are surrounded by the President's military aides. (Photo by Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
- President Calvin and Mrs. Grace Coolidge
- New Year’s Day 1927 reception outside the main White House entrance
- Surrounded by military aides
15 Millionth Ford
A Ford worker adds the final touches to 'the fifteen millionth Ford' car produced, a Model T Ford, in the USA, May 26, 1927. (Photo by Keystone Features/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
- 15 millionth Ford produced
- Model T Ford
- Pictured here on May 26, 1927
Yankton Sioux
1927: The attorneys and witnesses for the Yankton Sioux, who are supporting the tribe's legitimate claim to the Red Pipestone Quarry in Minnesota. White settlers had begun to exploit both the quarry and the surrounding land, ignoring the treaty of 1858 which deeded them to the Yankton, and a bitter court battle ensued. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images)
- The Treaty of 1858 deeded the Red Pipestone Quarry and surrounding land to the Yankton Sioux
- White settlers exploited the land and quarry for their own use
- Here, the Yankton Sioux appear with their attorneys and supporters helping them fight to protect their property
Miss America
1927: Miss America Lois Delander of Joliet, Illinois, holds up her title sash and wears a star print top, celebrating her victory. She served the longest time of any Miss America winner, as the pageant did not resume until 1933. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
- Lois Delander from Joliet, Illinois
- Miss America 1927
- Longest-serving Miss America since the pageant was on hiatus until 1933
Times Square
circa 1927: High-angle view of Times Square, looking uptown from 43rd Street, crowded with automobile, streetcar and pedestrian traffic, New York City. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
- Bustling Times Square
- Facing uptown from 43rd Street
- Street car, automobile and foot traffic converge
Great Mississippi Flood
Army Corps of Engineers attend the the Great Mississippi Flood, the most destructive river flood in the history of the United States, 1927. (Photo by Fotosearch/Getty Images).
- The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
- Most destructive river flood in U.S. history
- Levee dynamited to prevent New Orleans from flooding
Repeal the 18th Amendment
1927: A woman with a sign on the back wheel of her car supporting the repeal of the 18th Amendment, (Prohibition), which made the sale and possession of alcohol illegal. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images)
- 18th Amendment established alcohol prohibition
- The Crusaders was a movement dedicated to the repeal of the 18th Amendment
- Repealed by 21st Amendment in 1933