- May 27
- 1794 – Cornelius Vanderbilt, American financier who created the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad from the merger of several smaller railroads in New York, is born (d. 1877).
- 1836 – Jay Gould (pictured), American financier who, with Jim Fisk, took control of the Erie Railroad, is born (d. 1892).
- 1876 – William Stanier, Chief mechanical engineer of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway 1932–1944, is born (d. 1965).
- 1971 – Dahlerau train disaster: A special train full of schoolchildren collides with a freight train in Dahlerau, West Germany, on the line between Wuppertal and Radevormwald due to a misunderstanding of signals. 46 die and 25 are injured, making this the worst rail accident in West Germany during Deutsche Bundesbahn times.
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