1. On May 27, 1927, a tornado struck the town of Tupelo, Mississippi, just across the state line from Alabama. The devastating storm killed more than 200 people and left thousands homeless.

2. May 27, 1958, marked the opening of the Bankhead Tunnel in Mobile, Alabama. The tunnel, named after U.S. Senator John H. Bankhead, is a notable feat of engineering and construction, and is still in use today.

3. On May 27, 1961, civil rights activists from the Freedom Riders movement were attacked and beaten by a mob at the Montgomery Greyhound Bus Station. The incident was a major turning point in the fight for civil rights in the South.

4. May 27, 2001, saw the opening of the new Birmingham Museum of Art in downtown Birmingham, Alabama. The museum features more than 27,000 works of art from around the world, including pieces by well-known artists such as Pablo Picasso and Auguste Rodin.

5. On May 27, 2010, the town of Haleyville, Alabama, celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first ever 911 call, which was made from a phone booth in the town. The call was made as a test, and led to the development of the emergency phone system that is now used across the United States.