October 28
October 28 is the 301st day of the year (302nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 64 days remaining.
Events
- 306 - Maxentius is proclaimed Roman emperor.
- 312 - Battle of Milvian Bridge: Constantine the Great defeats the forces of Maxentius. Roman emporer Constantine converts himself and the empire to Christianity.
- 1492 - Christopher Columbus lands in Cuba.
- 1776 - American Revolutionary War: Battle of White Plains - British forces arrive at White Plains, attack and capture Chatterton Hill from the Americans.
- 1864 - American Civil War: Second Battle of Fair Oaks ends - Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant withdraw from Fair Oaks, Virginia, after failing to breach the Confederate defenses around Richmond, Virginia.
- 1886 - In New York Harbor, US President Grover Cleveland dedicates the Statue of Liberty.
- 1918 - Czechoslovakia gains its independence from Austria-Hungary
- 1919 - Prohibition begins: The United States Congress passes the Volstead Act over President Woodrow Wilson's veto.
- 1922 - Fascism: Italian fascists led by Benito Mussolini march on Rome and take over the Italian government.
- 1936 - US President Franklin Roosevelt rededicates the Statue of Liberty on its 50th anniversary.
- 1940 - World War II: Italy invades Greece.
- 1942 - The Alaska Highway is completed.
- 1949 - Georges Bidault becomes Prime Minister of France
- 1950 - The Jack Benny Show, starring Jack Benny, premiers (it ran for 15 years).
- 1958 - Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli becomes Pope and takes the name Pope John XXIII.
- 1962 - Cuban Missile Crisis: Soviet Union leader Nikita Khrushchev announces that he had ordered the removal of Soviet missile bases in Cuba.
- 1965 - In St. Louis, Missouri, the 630-foot-tall parabolic steel Gateway Arch is completed.
- 1970 - land speed record set by Gary Gabelich in a rocket powered automobile called the Blue Flame
- 1986 - The centennial of the Statue of Liberty's dedication is celebrated in New York Harbor.
- 1988 - Abortion: 48 hours after announcing it was abandoning RU-486, French manufacturer Roussel Uclaf states that it would resume distribution of the drug, bowing to pressure from the government of France.
- 1998 - An Air China jetliner is hijacked by disgruntled pilot Yuan Bin and flown to Taiwan. After landing the plane safely, Yuan Bin was arrested.
Births
- 1467 - Erasmus, philosopher (d. 1536)
- 1718 - Ignacije Szentmartony, Croatian geographer (d. 1793)
- 1793 - Eliphalet Remington, firearm manufacturer (d. 1861)
- 1804 - Pierre François Verhulst
- 1846 - Georges Auguste Escoffier, chef
- 1875 - Gilbert Grosvenor
- 1879 - E.M. Forster, novelist (d. 1970)
- 1892 - Dink Johnson, jazz musician (d. 1954)
- 1896 - Howard Hanson, composer
- 1902 - Elsa Lanchester, actress (d. 1986)
- 1903 - Evelyn Waugh, novelist (d. 1966)
- 1907 - Edith Head, costumer (d. 1981)
- 1909 - Francis Bacon, painter
- 1912 - Richard Doll, epidemiologist
- 1914 - Dr. Jonas Salk, scientist, discoverer of polio vaccine (d. 1995)
- 1915 - Paul Jarrico, screenwriter (d. 1997)
- 1916 - Jack Soo, actor (d. 1979)
- 1922 - Simon Muzenda, Zimbabwean politician (d. 2003)
- 1930 - Bernie Ecclestone, Formula 1 racing tycoon
- 1932 - Suzy Parker, actress
- 1937 - Charlie Daniels, musician
- 1938 - Anne Perry, novelist
- 1939 - Jane Alexander, actress
- 1944 - Dennis Franz, actor
- 1945 - Wayne Fontana, musician
- 1948 - Telma Hopkins, singer
- 1949 - Bruce Jenner, athlete
- 1955 - Bill Gates, software tycoon, co-founder and Microsoft
- 1956 - Andy Freedman, co-founder of onecer public exchange
- 1964 - Henry Adewoye, Physician, inventor
- 1964 - Paul Wylie, figure skating champion
- 1967 - Julia Roberts, actress
- 1974 - Joaquin Phoenix, actor
Deaths
Holidays and observances
October 27 - October 29 - November 28 - September 28 - more historical anniversaries
