What Happened on January 28
Significant Events
- 1521 Emperor Charles V opens the Diet of Worms in Worms, Germany which lasts until May 25th. Produced the "Edict of Worms" which dennouced Martin Luther
- 1807 London's Pall Mall is 1st street lit by gaslight
- 1813 Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" is published by Thomas Egerton in the United Kingdom
- 1819 Sir Stamford Raffles lands in Singapore
- 1933 The name "Pakistan" is coined by Choudhry Rahmat Ali and gradually accepted by Muslims in the Indian sub-continent who use it to push for a separate Muslim homeland in South Asia
January 28 in Film & TV
- 1951 "La Vie Commence Demain" the 1st X-rated movie, depicting artificial insemination, opens in London
January 28 in Music
- 1985 Charity single "We Are the World" is recorded by supergroup USA for Africa (Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie and other pop stars)
January 28 in Sport
- 2017 105th Women's Australian Open: Serena Williams defeats Venus Williams 6–4, 6–4, becomes player with most wins in major tournaments (39) in open era
Famous Birthdays
Thomas Aquinas
(1225 - 1274)
Alexander Mackenzie
(1822 - 1892)
Henry Morton Stanley
(1841 - 1904)
Colette
(1873 - 1954)
Jackson Pollock
(1912 - 1956)
Elijah Wood
37 Years Old
Would You Believe?
In a snowstorm at Fort Keogh, Montana, the world's largest snowflakes are reported, being 15 inches (38 cm) wide and 8 inches (20 cm) thick.
On January 28, 1887
Famous Weddings
- 1867 Labor union leader Samuel Gompers (17) weds co-worker Sophia Julian (16) in Brooklyn, New York
- 1904 German chancellor Konrad Adenauer (28) weds Emma Weyer at St. Stephan Catholic Church in Lindenthal, Germany
- 1925 Actress Gloria Swanson (25) weds aristocrat Henri de la Falaise (26) in Paris, France
- 1929 Mobster Bugsy Siegel (23) weds childhood sweetheart Esta Krakower
- 1949 NFL coach Tom Landry (24) weds Alicia Wiggs at St John the Divine Church in Houston, Texas
Famous Divorces
- 2011 "Desperate Housewives" actress Eva Longoria (37) divorces NBA player Tony Parker (30) due to irreconcilable differences after 3 years of a storybook wedding
Famous Deaths
Charlemagne
(742 - 814)
Henry VIII
(1491 - 1547)
Francis Drake
( - 1596)
John McCrae
(1872 - 1918)
Red Grange
(1903 - 1991)
January in History
'I Did Not Have Sexual Relations With That Woman'
One of the most notorious denials in political history came on this day when President Bill Clinton held a news conference on his relations with Monica Lewinsky.
January 26, 1998
Crippled Kaiser Had Grip of Iron
German Emperor 'Kaiser Bill,' was born on this day, strong-willed and determined to overcome the deformity that afflicted him from birth.
January 27, 1859
Riot Leader Accuses a Queen
How did Lord George Gordon, an aristocrat who led the Gordon Riots in London, lose a libel case on this day to French Queen Marie Antoinette?
January 28, 1788
Secret Behind Mona Lisa's Smile
The smile has beguiled art lovers for nearly 600 years and made the Mona Lisa the world's most famous work of art. But was her smile due to a medical condition?
January 29, 1987