Historical Events
- 1794 French Revolutionary figure Maximilien Robespierre and 22 other leaders of "the Terror" guillotined to thunderous cheers in Paris
- 1914 Austria-Hungary decides against mediation and declares war on Serbia - first declaration of war of WWI
- 1917 Silent Parade organised by James Weldon Johnson of 10,000 African-Americans who march on 5th Ave in NYC to protest against lynching
- 1943 Operation Gomorrah: RAF bombing over Hamburg causes a firestorm that kills 42,600 German civilians
- 1976 Tangshan Earthquake, 8.2 in magnitude kills over 240,000 Northern China in the largest loss of life from an earthquake in the 20th century
- 2005 The Provisional Irish Republican Army call an end to their thirty year long armed campaign in Northern Ireland
- More Historical Events
Jul 28 in Film & TV
- 1932 "White Zombie" - 1st feature length zombie film directed by Victor Halperin and starring Bela Lugosi is released in the US
Jul 28 in Music
- 1914 Foxtrot 1st danced at New Amsterdam Roof Garden, in NYC, by Harry Fox
- 1973 600,000 attend the "Summer Jam" rock festival featuring The Grateful Dead, The Band, and The Allman Brothers Band, at Watkins Glen, New York; at the time the largest ever audience at a pop festival
Jul 28 in Sport
- 1977 Legendary England cricket all-rounder Ian Botham on debut takes 5 for 74 in the Australian 1st innings in a 7 wicket 3rd Test win at Trent Bridge
Did You Know?
Physicist Raemer Schreiber and Lieutenant Colonel Peer de Silva arrive on the Pacific island of Tinian with the plutonium core used to assemble the Fat Man bomb used in the bombing of Nagasaki on August 9
On July 28, 1945
Beatrix Potter
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Hugo Chávez
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
Jim Davis
Alexis TsiprasWould You Believe?
"Elevator girl" Betty Lou Oliver survives falling 75 stories after fog causes a US bomber plane to crash into the Empire State Building, breaking the cables supporting the elevator she was operating. This remains a world record for the longest survived elevator fall
On July 28, 1945
Famous Weddings
- 1540 English King Henry VIII (49) marries Catherine Howard (16 or 17), his 5th wife
- 1683 Anne Stuart, later the British Queen Anne, marries Prince George of Denmark at the Chapel Royal
- 1727 Philosopher Jonathan Edwards (23) weds Sarah Pierpont
Famous Divorces
- 1964 Broadway musical actress-singer Ethel Merman (56) divorces Academy Award-winning actor Ernest Borgnine (47) after 32 days of marriage
More Weddings & Divorces
Antonio Vivaldi
Johann Sebastian Bach
Maximilien Robespierre
Marie Dressler
Archer John Porter Martin
Francis CrickArticles, Photos and Quiz
Vivaldi Dies On ‘Black Day’ of July 28
Composer Antonio Lucio Vivaldi died on this day, exactly nine years before the death of Johann Sebastian Bach. So July 28 remains a black day for music lovers.
July 28, 1741
Johann Sebastian Bach, The Pop Chart Wizard!
Celebrated for his choral and sacred music composed nearly 400 years ago, Johann Sebastian Bach has had surprising influence on modern pop charts.
July 28, 1750
Execution of Maximilien Robespierre
Robespierre is placed on the guillotine at his execution in Paris
July 28, 1794
Weekly Quiz for July 22-28
Test your knowledge of historical events and famous people in our multi-choice, weekly history quiz for July 22-28. Then challenge your friends!
