Today’s date is May 27, 2023, with 218 days remaining in the year. On this day in history, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the National Industrial Recovery Act in 1935, and in 1942, Doris “Dorie” Miller became the first African-American to receive the Navy Cross for his bravery during Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. The single “That’ll Be the Day” by Buddy Holly’s group The Crickets was released in 1957, and in 1994, Alexander Solzhenitsyn returned to Russia after two decades in exile. In 1998, Michael Fortier was sentenced to 12 years in prison for his involvement in the Oklahoma City bombing.
In light of the recent news by Gloucester Times, May 27 is a significant day in history. Today marks the 147th day of 2023, leaving 218 days until the end of the year. On this day in 1935, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously struck down the National Industrial Recovery Act, a significant component of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “New Deal” legislative program, in Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States.
In 1861, Chief Justice Roger Taney sat as a federal circuit court judge in Baltimore and ruled that President Abraham Lincoln lacked the authority to suspend the writ of habeas corpus. However, Lincoln disregarded the ruling. In 1896, a tornado struck St. Louis, Missouri, and East St. Louis, Illinois, killing 255 people.
In 1936, the Cunard liner RMS Queen Mary embarked on its maiden voyage from England to New York. The newly completed Golden Gate Bridge connecting San Francisco and Marin County, California, was opened to pedestrian traffic in 1937, and vehicles began crossing the next day.
On this day in 1941, the British Royal Navy sank the German battleship Bismarck off France, resulting in the loss of approximately 2,000 lives. Three days earlier, the Bismarck had sunk the HMS Hood with the loss of over 1,400 lives. Amid rising world tensions, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared an “unlimited national emergency” during a radio address from the White House. In 1942, Doris “Dorie” Miller, a cook aboard the USS West Virginia, became the first African-American to receive the Navy Cross for displaying “extraordinary courage and disregard for his own personal safety” during Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor.
In 1957, Brunswick Records released the single “That’ll Be the Day” by Buddy Holly’s group The Crickets. In 1968, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the conviction of David O’Brien for destroying his draft card outside a Boston courthouse in United States v. O’Brien, ruling that the act was not protected by freedom of speech.
On May 27, 1993, a bombing at the Uffizi museum of art in Florence, Italy, killed five people, and approximately three dozen paintings were ruined or damaged. In 1994, Nobel Prize-winning author Alexander Solzhenitsyn returned to Russia after spending two decades in exile, receiving an emotional welcome from thousands of people. In 1998, Michael Fortier, the government’s star witness in the Oklahoma City bombing case, was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
In the final analysis, May 27 is a day that has witnessed significant events in history. From the sinking of the Bismarck battleship to the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge and the return of Alexander Solzhenitsyn to Russia, this day has left an indelible mark in history.
