Events
Pre-1600
*
585 BC
The year 585 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as year 169 ''Ab urbe condita'' . The denomination 585 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar e ...
– A
solar eclipse
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of the Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs during an eclipse season, approximately every six mon ...
occurs, as predicted by the Greek philosopher and scientist
Thales
Thales of Miletus ( ; grc-gre, Θαλῆς; ) was a Greek mathematician, astronomer, statesman, and pre-Socratic philosopher from Miletus in Ionia, Asia Minor. He was one of the Seven Sages of Greece. Many, most notably Aristotle, regarded ...
, while
Alyattes is battling
Cyaxares
Cyaxares (Median language, Median: ; Old Persian: ; Akkadian language, Akkadian: ; Phrygian language, Old Phrygian: ; grc, wikt:Κυαξάρης, Κυαξαρης, Kuaxarēs; Latin: ; reigned 625–585 BCE) was the third king of the Medes.
C ...
in the
Battle of the Eclipse, leading to a truce. This is one of the cardinal dates from which other dates can be calculated.
*
621
__NOTOC__
Year 621 ( DCXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 621 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era ...
–
Battle of Hulao
The Battle of Hulao () or Battle of Sishui (汜水之戰, Wade–Giles: Ssŭ Shui), on 28 May 621 was the main and final battle of the Luoyang–Hulao campaign between the rival Tang, Zheng, and Xia regimes during the transition from Sui to Ta ...
:
Li Shimin, the son of the Chinese emperor
Gaozu, defeats the numerically superior forces of
Dou Jiande
Dou Jiande (; 573 – 3 August 621) was a leader of the agrarian rebels who rose against the rule of Emperor Yang of Sui near the end of the Chinese Sui dynasty. Generally considered the kindest and most able of the agrarian rebel leaders ...
near the
Hulao Pass
Hulao Pass () is a choke point northwest of Xingyang, Henan province, China in the foothills of Mount Song. It is the site of many historical battles, being the eastern guard for the capital Luoyang for several dynasties. With Mount Song to the ...
(
Henan
Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is a ...
). This victory decides the outcome of the
civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...
that followed the
Sui dynasty
The Sui dynasty (, ) was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China that lasted from 581 to 618. The Sui unified the Northern and Southern dynasties, thus ending the long period of division following the fall of the Western Jin dynasty, and la ...
's collapse in favour of the
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...
.
*
1533 – The
Archbishop of Canterbury
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Just ...
,
Thomas Cranmer
Thomas Cranmer (2 July 1489 – 21 March 1556) was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He helped build the case for the annulment of Hen ...
, declares the marriage of King
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
to
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key f ...
valid.
*
1588 – The
Spanish Armada
The Spanish Armada (a.k.a. the Enterprise of England, es, Grande y Felicísima Armada, links=no, lit=Great and Most Fortunate Navy) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by the Duke of Medina Sidonia, an ar ...
, with 130 ships and 30,000 men, sets sail from
Lisbon
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...
, Portugal, heading for the
English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" ( Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), ( Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Ka ...
. (It will take until May 30 for all ships to leave port.)
1601–1900
*
1644 –
English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I (" Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of r ...
:
Bolton Massacre by
Royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gov ...
troops under the command of
James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby.
*
1754
Events January–March
* January 28 – Horace Walpole, in a letter to Horace Mann, coins the word ''serendipity''.
* February 22 – Expecting an attack by Portuguese-speaking militias in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Pla ...
–
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the st ...
: In the first engagement of the war,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...
militia
A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...
under the 22-year-old
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colon ...
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
defeat a French reconnaissance party in the
Battle of Jumonville Glen
The Battle of Jumonville Glen, also known as the Jumonville affair, was the opening battle of the French and Indian War, fought on May 28, 1754, near present-day Hopwood and Uniontown in Fayette County, Pennsylvania. A company of provincial ...
in what is now
Fayette County in southwestern
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
.
*
1802 – In
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label= Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands— Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and ...
, 400 rebellious slaves, led by
Louis Delgrès, blow themselves up rather than submit to
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
's troops.
*
1830
It is known in European history as a rather tumultuous year with the Revolutions of 1830 in France, Belgium, Poland, Switzerland and Italy.
Events January–March
* January 11 – LaGrange College (later the University of North Alabama) b ...
–
U.S. President Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...
signs the
Indian Removal Act which denies
Native Americans their land rights and forcibly relocates them.
*
1871
Events January–March
* January 3 – Franco-Prussian War – Battle of Bapaume: Prussians win a strategic victory.
* January 18 – Proclamation of the German Empire: The member states of the North German Confederation and the sout ...
– The
Paris Commune
The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871.
During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defende ...
falls after two months.
*
1892 – In
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...
,
John Muir
John Muir ( ; April 21, 1838December 24, 1914), also known as "John of the Mountains" and "Father of the National Parks", was an influential Scottish-American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, botanist, zoologist, glaciologis ...
organizes the
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is an environmental organization with chapters in all 50 United States, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by Scottish-American preservationist John Muir, who b ...
.
1901–present
*
1905
As the second year of the massive Russo-Japanese War begins, more than 100,000 die in the largest world battles of that era, and the war chaos leads to the 1905 Russian Revolution against Nicholas II of Russia ( Shostakovich's 11th Symphony ...
–
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...
: The
Battle of Tsushima
The Battle of Tsushima (Japanese:対馬沖海戦, Tsushimaoki''-Kaisen'', russian: Цусимское сражение, ''Tsusimskoye srazheniye''), also known as the Battle of Tsushima Strait and the Naval Battle of Sea of Japan (Japanese: 日 ...
ends with the destruction of the Russian
Baltic Fleet
, image = Great emblem of the Baltic fleet.svg
, image_size = 150
, caption = Baltic Fleet Great ensign
, dates = 18 May 1703 – present
, country =
, allegiance = (1703–1721) (1721–1917) (1917–1922) (1922–1991)(1991–present)
...
by
Admiral
Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet ...
Tōgō Heihachirō
Marshal-Admiral Marquis , served as a '' gensui'' or admiral of the fleet in the Imperial Japanese Navy and became one of Japan's greatest naval heroes. He claimed descent from Samurai Shijo Kingo, and he was an integral part of preserving ...
and the
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...
.
*
1907
Events
January
* January 14 – 1907 Kingston earthquake: A 6.5 Mw earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills between 800 and 1,000.
February
* February 11 – The French warship ''Jean Bart'' sinks off the coast of Morocco ...
– The first
Isle of Man TT
The Isle of Man TT or Tourist Trophy races are an annual motorcycle racing event run on the Isle of Man in May/June of most years since its inaugural race in 1907. The event is often called one of the most dangerous racing events in the world ...
race is held.
*
1918
This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide.
Events
Below, the events ...
– The
Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic), or simply as Azerbaijan in Paris Peace Conference, 1919–1920,''Bulletin d'Information de l'Azerbaidjan'', No. I, September 1, 1919, pp. 6–7''125 H.C.Debs.'', 58., February 24, 1920, p. 1467. Caucasian A ...
and the
First Republic of Armenia
The First Republic of Armenia, officially known at the time of its existence as the Republic of Armenia ( hy, Հայաստանի Հանրապետութիւն), was the first modern Armenian state since the loss of Armenian statehood in the Middle ...
declare their independence.
*
1926 – The
28 May 1926 coup d'état
The 28 May 1926 coup d'état, sometimes called 28 May Revolution or, during the period of the authoritarian Estado Novo ( en, New State), the National Revolution ( pt, Revolução Nacional), was a military coup of a nationalist origin, that put ...
:
Ditadura Nacional is established in
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...
to suppress the unrest of the
First Republic.
*
1932
Events January
* January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel.
* January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort to assassinate Emperor Hir ...
– In the Netherlands, construction of the
Afsluitdijk is completed and the
Zuiderzee
The Zuiderzee or Zuider Zee (; old spelling ''Zuyderzee'' or ''Zuyder Zee'') was a shallow bay of the North Sea in the northwest of the Netherlands, extending about 100 km (60 miles) inland and at most 50 km (30 miles) wide, with an ov ...
bay is
converted
Conversion or convert may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman''
* "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series
* "The Conversion" ...
to the freshwater
IJsselmeer
The IJsselmeer (; fy, Iselmar, nds-nl, Iesselmeer), also known as Lake IJssel in English, is a closed off inland bay in the central Netherlands bordering the provinces of Flevoland, North Holland and Friesland. It covers an area of with an ...
.
*
1934 – Near
Callander, Ontario, Canada, the
Dionne quintuplets
The Dionne quintuplets (; born May 28, 1934) are the first quintuplets known to have survived their infancy. The identical girls were born just outside Callander, Ontario, near the village of Corbeil. All five survived to adulthood.
The Di ...
are born to Oliva and Elzire Dionne; they will be the first
quintuplets to survive
infancy
An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to ...
.
*
1936
Events
January–February
* January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...
–
Alan Turing
Alan Mathison Turing (; 23 June 1912 – 7 June 1954) was an English mathematician, computer scientist, logician, cryptanalyst, philosopher, and theoretical biologist. Turing was highly influential in the development of theoretical ...
submits
''On Computable Numbers'' for publication.
*
1937
Events
January
* January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua.
* January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into ...
–
Volkswagen
Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...
, the German automobile manufacturer, is founded.
*
1940 –
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
: Belgium surrenders to
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
to end the
Battle of Belgium
The invasion of Belgium or Belgian campaign (10–28 May 1940), often referred to within Belgium as the 18 Days' Campaign (french: Campagne des 18 jours, nl, Achttiendaagse Veldtocht), formed part of the greater Battle of France, an offensive ...
.
* 1940 – World War II: Norwegian, French, Polish and British forces
recapture Narvik
( se, Áhkanjárga) is the third-largest List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Nordland Counties of Norway, county, Norway, by population. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Narvik (town), town of Narvik. Some of t ...
in Norway. This is the first Allied infantry victory of the War.
*
1948
Events January
* January 1
** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated.
** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect.
** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...
–
Daniel François Malan
Daniël François Malan (; 22 May 1874 – 7 February 1959) was a South African politician who served as the fourth prime minister of South Africa from 1948 to 1954. The National Party implemented the system of apartheid, which enforce ...
is elected as
Prime Minister of South Africa
The prime minister of South Africa ( af, Eerste Minister van Suid-Afrika) was the head of government in South Africa between 1910 and 1984.
History of the office
The position of Prime Minister was established in 1910, when the Union of Sout ...
. He later goes on to implement
Apartheid
Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
.
*
1958
Events
January
* January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being.
* January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed.
* January 4
** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...
–
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution ( es, Revolución Cubana) was carried out after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état which placed Fulgencio Batista as head of state and the failed mass strike in opposition that followed. After failing to contest Batista in co ...
:
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 20 ...
's
26th of July Movement
The 26th of July Movement ( es, Movimiento 26 de Julio; M-26-7) was a Cuban vanguard revolutionary organization and later a political party led by Fidel Castro. The movement's name commemorates its 26 July 1953 attack on the army barracks on San ...
, heavily reinforced by Frank Pais Militia, overwhelm an army post in El Uvero.
*
1961
Events January
* January 3
** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015).
** Aero Flight 311 (K ...
–
Peter Benenson
Peter Benenson (born Peter James Henry Solomon; 31 July 1921 – 25 February 2005) was a British barrister, human rights activist and the founder of the human rights group Amnesty International (AI). He refused all honours for most of his life ...
's article ''
The Forgotten Prisoners'' is published in several internationally read
newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, spor ...
s. This will later be thought of as the founding of the
human rights
Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...
organization
Amnesty International
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and s ...
.
*
1964 – The
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is founded, with
Yasser Arafat
Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf al-Qudwa al-Husseini (4 / 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), popularly known as Yasser Arafat ( , ; ar, محمد ياسر عبد الرحمن عبد الرؤوف عرفات القدوة الحسيني, Mu ...
elected as its first leader.
*
1968
The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide.
Events January–February
* January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
* J ...
–
Garuda Indonesia Flight 892
Garuda Indonesian Airways Flight 892 was a scheduled international passenger flight of Garuda Indonesian Airways (now Garuda Indonesia) from Jakarta to Amsterdam with stopovers in Singapore, Bangkok, Bombay (now Mumbai), Karachi, Cairo, and Rome. ...
crashes near
Nala Sopara
Nala Sopara or Nallasopara (Pronunciation: aːla sopaɾa formerly known as Sopara or Supara, is a town within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. The town lies in the Palghar district of Maharashtra, India and is governed by Vasai-Virar Munici ...
in India, killing 30.
*
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...
–
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...
's power-sharing
Sunningdale Agreement collapses following a
general strike
A general strike refers to a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large coa ...
by
loyalists
Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...
.
*
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
– Fifteen
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali ...
n countries sign the
Treaty of Lagos, creating the
Economic Community of West African States
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS; also known as in French and Portuguese) is a regional political and economic union of fifteen countries located in West Africa. Collectively, these countries comprise an area of , and in ...
.
*
1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrat ...
– In
Southgate, Kentucky
Southgate is a home rule-class city in Campbell County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 3,803 at the 2010 census.
History
The city of Southgate is named for the family of Richard Southgate. Born in New York City, Richard Southgat ...
, the
Beverly Hills Supper Club is engulfed in fire, killing 165 people inside.
*
1979 –
Konstantinos Karamanlis signs the full treaty of the accession of Greece with the
European Economic Community
The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lis ...
.
*
1987 – An 18-year-old West German pilot,
Mathias Rust, evades
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
air defences and lands a private plane in
Red Square
Red Square ( rus, Красная площадь, Krasnaya ploshchad', ˈkrasnəjə ˈploɕːətʲ) is one of the oldest and largest squares in Moscow, the capital of Russia. Owing to its historical significance and the adjacent historical build ...
in Moscow, Russia.
*
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...
– The capital city of
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...
falls to the
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, ending both the
Derg
The Derg (also spelled Dergue; , ), officially the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), was the military junta that ruled Ethiopia, then including present-day Eritrea, from 1974 to 1987, when the military leadership formally " ...
regime in
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
and the
Ethiopian Civil War.
*
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...
– The 7.0
Neftegorsk earthquake shakes the former Russian settlement of
Neftegorsk with a maximum
Mercalli intensity of IX (''Violent''). Total damage was
$64.1–300 million, with 1,989 deaths and 750 injured. The settlement was not rebuilt.
*
1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone o ...
– U.S. President
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...
's former business partners in the
Whitewater land deal,
Jim McDougal
James B. McDougal (August 25, 1940 – March 8, 1998) was a native of White County, Arkansas, and his wife, Susan McDougal (the former Susan Carol Henley), were financial partners with Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton in the real estate venture ...
and
Susan McDougal
Susan Carol McDougal (née Henley; born 1955) is a real estate investor who served prison time as a result of the Whitewater controversy.
Her refusal to answer "three questions" for a grand jury, on whether President Bill Clinton lied in his tes ...
, and the
Governor of Arkansas
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
,
Jim Guy Tucker, are convicted of fraud.
*
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
–
Nuclear testing
Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine nuclear weapons' effectiveness, yield, and explosive capability. Testing nuclear weapons offers practical information about how the weapons function, how detonations are affected by ...
: Pakistan responds to a series of nuclear tests by India with five of its own codenamed ''
Chagai-I'', prompting the United States, Japan, and other nations to impose
economic sanctions
Economic sanctions are commercial and financial penalties applied by one or more countries against a targeted self-governing state, group, or individual. Economic sanctions are not necessarily imposed because of economic circumstances—they ...
. Pakistan celebrates
Youm-e-Takbir
Youm-e-Takbir ( ur, ; lit. ''The day of greatness'') is celebrated as a national day in Pakistan on May 28 in commemoration of Chagai-I and Chagai-II series of nuclear tests. The nuclear tests made Pakistan the seventh nation to possess nuclear ...
annually.
*
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
– In
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...
, Italy, after 22 years of restoration work,
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested on ...
's masterpiece ''
The Last Supper
Image:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg, 400px, alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci - Clickable Image, Depictions of the Last Supper in Christian art have been undertaken by artistic masters for centuries, ...
'' is put back on display.
*
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
– The last steel girder is removed from the original
World Trade Center site
The World Trade Center site, often referred to as "Ground Zero" or "the Pile" immediately after the September 11 attacks, is a 14.6-acre (5.9 ha) area in Lower Manhattan in New York City. The site is bounded by Vesey Street to the north ...
. Cleanup duties officially end with closing ceremonies at
Ground Zero
In relation to nuclear explosions and other large bombs, ground zero (also called surface zero) is the point on the Earth's surface closest to a detonation. In the case of an explosion above the ground, ''ground zero'' is the point on the grou ...
in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, New York City.
*
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A ...
–
Peter Hollingworth
Peter John Hollingworth (born 10 April 1935) is an Australian retired Anglican bishop. Engaged in social work for several decades, he served as the archbishop of the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane in Queensland for 11 years from 1989 and was the ...
resigns as
Governor-General of Australia
The governor-general of Australia is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in Australia.[Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane
The Archbishop of Brisbane is the diocesan bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane, Australia, and ''ex officio'' metropolitan bishop of the ecclesiastical Province of Queensland
The Province of Queensland is an ecclesiastical provinc ...](_blank)
.
*
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...
– The
Iraqi Governing Council
The Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) was the provisional government of Iraq from 13 July 2003 to 1 June 2004. It was established by and served under the United States-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). The IGC consisted of various Iraqi pol ...
chooses
Ayad Allawi
Ayad Allawi ( ar, إيَاد عَلَّاوِي ; born 31 May 1944) is an Iraqi politician. He served as the vice president of Iraq from 2014 to 2015 and 2016 to 2018. Previously he was interim prime minister of Iraq from 2004 to 2005 and the p ...
, a longtime anti-
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolutio ...
exile, as prime minister of
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
's interim government.
*
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
– The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly of
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...
formally declares Nepal a republic, ending the 240-year reign of the
Shah dynasty.
*
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
– In
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
, the
Jnaneswari Express train derailment and subsequent collision kills 148 passengers.
*
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...
–
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
votes on the introduction of divorce; the proposal was approved by 53% of voters, resulting in a law allowing divorce under certain conditions being enacted later in the year.
*
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...
–
Harambe, a
gorilla
Gorillas are herbivorous, predominantly ground-dwelling great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four ...
, is shot to death after grabbing a three-year-old boy in his enclosure at the
Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden
The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is the sixth oldest zoo in the United States, founded in 1873 and officially opening in 1875. It is located in the Avondale neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. It originally began with in the middle of the c ...
, resulting in widespread criticism and sparking various
internet memes
An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...
.
*
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...
– Former
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
driver
Takuma Sato wins his first
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...
, the first Japanese and Asian driver to do so. Double world champion
Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso Díaz (; born 29 July 1981) is a Spanish racing driver currently competing for Alpine in Formula One. He won the series' World Drivers' Championship in and with Renault, and has also driven for McLaren, Ferrari, and Mi ...
retires from an engine issue in his first entry of the event.
Births
Pre-1600
*
1140
Year 1140 ( MCXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Levant
* Spring – King Fulk of Jerusalem confronts Imad al-Din Zengi, Seljuk ruler (''atabeg'') o ...
–
Xin Qiji, Chinese poet, general, and politician (d. 1207)
*
1371
Year 1371 ( MCCCLXXI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–December
* January – Edward, the Black Prince, gives up the administration of Aquitai ...
–
John the Fearless
John I (french: Jean sans Peur; nl, Jan zonder Vrees; 28 May 137110 September 1419) was a scion of the French royal family who ruled the Burgundian State from 1404 until his death in 1419. He played a key role in French national affairs durin ...
, Duke of Burgundy (d. 1419)
*
1588 –
Pierre Séguier, French politician,
Lord Chancellor of France
In France, under the ''Ancien Régime'', the officer of state responsible for the judiciary was the Chancellor of Francesometimes called Grand Chancellor or Lord Chancellor (french: Chancelier de France). The Chancellor was responsible for see ...
(d. 1672)
*
1589 –
Robert Arnauld d'Andilly
Robert Arnauld d’Andilly (28 May 1589 – 27 September 1674, abbaye de Port-Royal-des-Champs)Jean Lesaulnier et Anthony McKenna dir., ''Dictionnaire de Port-Royal'', Paris, Honoré Champion, 2004, notice "Robert Arnauld d’Andilly", p. 108. wa ...
, French writer (d. 1674)
1601–1900
*
1663 –
António Manoel de Vilhena
António Manoel de Vilhena (28 May 1663 – 10 December 1736) was a Portuguese nobleman who was the 66th Prince and Grand Master of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem from 19 June 1722 to his death in 1736. Unlike a number of the other Grand ...
, Grand Master of the Order of Saint John (d. 1736)
*
1676 –
Jacopo Riccati
Jacopo Francesco Riccati (28 May 1676 – 15 April 1754) was a Venetian mathematician and jurist from Venice. He is best known for having studied the equation which bears his name.
Education
Riccati was educated first at the Jesuit school for t ...
, Italian mathematician and academic (d. 1754)
*
1692 –
Geminiano Giacomelli, Italian composer (d. 1740)
*
1738 –
Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, French physician (d. 1814)
*
1759 –
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger (28 May 175923 January 1806) was a British statesman, the youngest and last prime minister of Great Britain (before the Acts of Union 1800) and then first prime minister of the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Ir ...
, English lawyer and politician,
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern p ...
(d. 1806)
*
1763 –
Manuel Alberti, Argentinian priest and journalist (d. 1811)
*
1764
1764 ( MDCCLXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday and is the fifth year of the 1760s decade, the 64th year of the 18th century, and the 764th year of the 2nd millennium.
Events
January–June
* January 7 – The Siculicidium ...
–
Edward Livingston
Edward Livingston (May 28, 1764May 23, 1836) was an American jurist and statesman. He was an influential figure in the drafting of the Louisiana Civil Code of 1825, a civil code based largely on the Napoleonic Code. Livingston represented bot ...
, American jurist and politician, 11th
United States Secretary of State
The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...
(d. 1836)
*
1779 –
Thomas Moore
Thomas Moore (28 May 1779 – 25 February 1852) was an Irish writer, poet, and lyricist celebrated for his ''Irish Melodies''. Their setting of English-language verse to old Irish tunes marked the transition in popular Irish culture from Irish ...
, Irish poet and composer (d. 1852)
*
1807 –
Louis Agassiz
Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz ( ; ) FRS (For) FRSE (May 28, 1807 – December 14, 1873) was a Swiss-born American biologist and geologist who is recognized as a scholar of Earth's natural history.
Spending his early life in Switzerland, he rec ...
, Swiss-American paleontologist and geologist (d. 1873)
*
1818
Events
January–March
* January 1
** Battle of Koregaon: Troops of the British East India Company score a decisive victory over the Maratha Empire.
** Mary Shelley's ''Frankenstein'' is published anonymously in London.
* January 2 – ...
–
P. G. T. Beauregard, American general (d. 1893)
*
1836 –
Friedrich Baumfelder
Friedrich August Wilhelm Baumfelder (28 May 1836 – 8 September 1916 in Dresden) was a German composer of classical music, conductor, and pianist. He started in the Leipzig Conservatory, and went on to become a well-known composer of his ti ...
, German pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1916)
* 1836 –
Alexander Mitscherlich, German chemist and academic (d. 1918)
*
1837 –
George Ashlin, Irish architect, co-designed
St Colman's Cathedral (d. 1921)
* 1837 –
Tony Pastor, American impresario, variety performer and theatre owner (d. 1908)
*
1841 –
Sakaigawa Namiemon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 14th
Yokozuna (d. 1887)
*
1853
Events
January–March
* January 6 – Florida Governor Thomas Brown signs legislation that provides public support for the new East Florida Seminary, leading to the establishment of the University of Florida.
* January 8 – Taiping Reb ...
–
Carl Larsson
Carl Olof Larsson (; 28 May 1853 – 22 January 1919) was a Swedish painter representative of the Arts and Crafts movement. His many paintings include oils, watercolors, and frescoes. He is principally known for his watercolors of idyllic fa ...
, Swedish painter and author (d. 1919)
*
1858 –
Carl Richard Nyberg
Carl Richard Nyberg (28 May 1858 – 25 March 1939) was a Swedish inventor and industrialist. Nyberg was a pioneer in mechanical engineering. He received a patent for a blow lamp and was an aviation pioneer.
Biography
Nyberg was born at Arboga ...
, Swedish inventor and businessman, developed the
blow torch (d. 1939)
*
1872 –
Marian Smoluchowski
Marian Smoluchowski (; 28 May 1872 – 5 September 1917) was a Polish physicist who worked in the Polish territories of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He was a pioneer of statistical physics, and an avid mountaineer.
Life
Born into an upper ...
, Polish physicist and mountaineer (d. 1917)
*
1878 –
Paul Pelliot
Paul Eugène Pelliot (28 May 187826 October 1945) was a French Sinologist and Orientalist best known for his explorations of Central Asia and his discovery of many important Chinese texts such as the Dunhuang manuscripts.
Early life and career ...
, French sinologist and explorer (d. 1945)
*
1879
Events January–March
* January 1 – The Specie Resumption Act takes effect. The United States Note is valued the same as gold, for the first time since the American Civil War.
* January 11 – The Anglo-Zulu War begins.
* Janu ...
–
Milutin Milanković, Serbian mathematician, astronomer, and geophysicist (d. 1958)
*
1883
Events
January–March
* January 4 – ''Life'' magazine is founded in Los Angeles, California, United States.
* January 10 – A fire at the Newhall Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, kills 73 people.
* Janua ...
–
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (), Marathi pronunciation: �inaːjək saːʋəɾkəɾ also commonly known as Veer Savarkar (28 May 1883 – 26 February 1966), was an Indian politician, activist, and writer.
Savarkar developed the Hindu nationali ...
, Indian poet and politician (d. 1966)
* 1883 –
Clough Williams-Ellis, English-Welsh architect, designed the
Portmeirion Village (d. 1978)
*
1884 –
Edvard Beneš
Edvard Beneš (; 28 May 1884 – 3 September 1948) was a Czech politician and statesman who served as the president of Czechoslovakia from 1935 to 1938, and again from 1945 to 1948. He also led the Czechoslovak government-in-exile 1939 to 194 ...
, Czech academic and politician, 2nd and 4th
President of Czechoslovakia (d. 1948)
*
1886 –
Santo Trafficante, Sr., Italian-American mobster (d. 1954)
*
1888
In Germany, 1888 is known as the Year of the Three Emperors. Currently, it is the year that, when written in Roman numerals, has the most digits (13). The next year that also has 13 digits is the year 2388. The record will be surpassed as late ...
–
Kaarel Eenpalu, Estonian journalist and politician, 6th
Prime Minister of Estonia (d. 1942)
* 1888 –
Vivienne Haigh-Wood Eliot
Vivienne Haigh-Wood Eliot, also spelt Vivien (28 May 1888 – 22 January 1947), was the first wife of American-British poet T. S. Eliot, whom she married in 1915, less than three months after their introduction by mutual friends, when Vivienne w ...
, English author and educator (d. 1947)
* 1888 –
Jim Thorpe
James Francis Thorpe ( Sac and Fox (Sauk): ''Wa-Tho-Huk'', translated as "Bright Path"; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete and Olympic gold medalist. A member of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was the first Native ...
, American decathlete, football player, and coach (d. 1953)
*
1889 –
Richard Réti
Richard Selig Réti (28 May 1889 – 6 June 1929) was an Austro-Hungarian, later Czechoslovakian, chess player, chess author, and composer of endgame studies.
He was one of the principal proponents of hypermodernism in chess. With the ex ...
, Slovak-Czech chess player and author (d. 1929)
*
1892 –
Minna Gombell, American actress (d. 1973)
*
1900
As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15), 2 ...
–
Tommy Ladnier, American trumpet player (d. 1939)
1901–present
*
1903
Events January
* January 1 – Edward VII is proclaimed Emperor of India.
* January 19 – The first west–east transatlantic radio broadcast is made from the United States to England (the first east–west broadcast having bee ...
–
S. L. Kirloskar, Indian businessman, founded
Kirloskar Group
Kirloskar Group is an Indian conglomerate, headquartered in Pune. The group exports to over 70 countries over most of Africa, Southeast Asia and Europe. The flagship and holding company, Kirloskar Brothers Ltd, established in 1888, is India's l ...
(d. 1994)
*
1906 –
Henry Thambiah, Sri Lankan lawyer, judge, and diplomat,
Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Canada (d. 1997)
*
1908 –
Léo Cadieux
Joseph Alphonse Léo Cadieux, (May 28, 1908 – May 11, 2005) was a Canadian politician.
A newspaper journalist and publisher who was born in Saint-Jérôme, Quebec, Cadieux was first elected to the House of Commons of Canada as the Liber ...
, Canadian journalist and politician, 17th
Canadian Minister of National Defence (d. 2005)
* 1908 –
Ian Fleming
Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer who is best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., an ...
, English journalist and author, created ''
James Bond
The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors hav ...
'' (d. 1964)
*
1909
Events
January–February
* January 4 – Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escaped death by fleeing across ice floes.
* January 7 – Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama.
* Jan ...
–
Red Horner, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2005)
*
1910
Events
January
* January 13 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; live performances of the operas '' Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' are sent out over the airwaves, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York C ...
–
Georg Gaßmann
Georg Gaßmann (28 May 1910 in Marburg – 5 August 1987 in Marburg) was a German politician.
As a member of the SPD, Gaßmann was the mayor of Marburg for nearly 20 years and a member of the Hessian Landtag in Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden () is ...
, German politician,
Mayor of Marburg (d. 1987)
* 1910 –
Rachel Kempson, English actress (d. 2003)
* 1910 –
T-Bone Walker
Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker (May 28, 1910 – March 16, 1975) was an American blues musician, composer, songwriter and bandleader, who was a pioneer and innovator of the jump blues, West Coast blues, and electric blues sounds. In 2018 ''R ...
, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1975)
*
1911
A notable ongoing event was the race for the South Pole.
Events January
* January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are added to the Commonwealth of Australia.
* ...
–
Bob Crisp, South African cricketer (d. 1994)
* 1911 –
Thora Hird
Dame Thora Hird (28 May 1911 – 15 March 2003) was an English actress and comedian, presenter and writer. In a career spanning over 70 years, she appeared in more than 100 film and television roles, becoming a household name and a Briti ...
, English actress (d. 2003)
* 1911 –
Fritz Hochwälder
Fritz Hochwälder (28 May 1911 – 21 October 1986) also known as Fritz Hochwaelder, was an Austrian playwright. Known for his spare prose and strong moralist themes, Hochwälder won several literary awards, including the Grand Austrian State ...
, Austrian playwright (d. 1986)
*
1912
Events January
* January 1 – The Republic of China is established.
* January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens.
* January 6
** German geophysicist Alfred ...
–
Herman Johannes
Herman Johannes (28 May 1912 – 17 October 1992) was an Indonesian professor, scientist, politician and National Hero. Johannes was the rector of Universitas Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta (1961–1966), Coordinator for Higher Education from 19 ...
, Indonesian scientist, academic, and politician (d. 1992)
* 1912 –
Ruby Payne-Scott
Ruby Violet Payne-Scott, BSc (Phys) MSc DipEd (Syd) (28 May 1912 – 25 May 1981) was an Australian pioneer in radiophysics and radio astronomy, and was one of two Antipodean women pioneers in radio astronomy and radio physics at the end of the ...
, Australian physicist and astronomer (d. 1981)
* 1912 –
Patrick White
Patrick Victor Martindale White (28 May 1912 – 30 September 1990) was a British-born Australian writer who published 12 novels, three short-story collections, and eight plays, from 1935 to 1987.
White's fiction employs humour, florid prose, ...
, Australian novelist, poet, and playwright,
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...
laureate (d. 1990)
*
1914 –
W. G. G. Duncan Smith, English captain and pilot (d. 1996)
*
1915 –
Joseph Greenberg
Joseph Harold Greenberg (May 28, 1915 – May 7, 2001) was an American linguist, known mainly for his work concerning linguistic typology and the genetic classification of languages.
Life Early life and education
Joseph Greenberg was born on ...
, American linguist and academic (d. 2001)
*
1916
Events
Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix.
January
* January 1 – The British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that had been stored and cooled.
* J ...
–
Walker Percy
Walker Percy, OSB (May 28, 1916 – May 10, 1990) was an American writer whose interests included philosophy and semiotics. Percy is noted for his philosophical novels set in and around New Orleans; his first, '' The Moviegoer'', won the Nat ...
, American novelist and essayist (d. 1990)
*
1917 –
Barry Commoner
Barry Commoner (May 28, 1917 – September 30, 2012) was an American cellular biologist, college professor, and politician. He was a leading ecologist and among the founders of the modern environmental movement. He was the director of the ...
, American biologist, academic, and politician (d. 2012)
*
1918
This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide.
Events
Below, the events ...
–
Johnny Wayne
Johnny Wayne (born Louis Weingarten; May 28, 1918 – July 18, 1990) was a Canadian comedian and comedy writer best known for his work as part of the comedy duo Wayne and Shuster alongside Frank Shuster.
The son of a successful clothing manuf ...
, Canadian comedian (d. 1990)
*
1921
Events
January
* January 2
** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in Brazil.
** The Spanish liner ''Santa Isabel'' bre ...
–
D. V. Paluskar, Indian Hindustani classical musician (d. 1955)
* 1921 –
Heinz G. Konsalik
Heinz G. Konsalik, pseudonym of Heinz Günther (28 May 1921 – 2 October 1999) was a German novelist. Konsalik was his mother's maiden name.
During the Second World War he was a war correspondent, which provided many experiences for his nov ...
, German journalist and author (d. 1999)
* 1921 –
Tom Uren, Australian soldier, boxer, and politician (d. 2015)
*
1922
Events
January
* January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes.
* January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...
–
Lou Duva
Louis Duva (May 28, 1922 – March 8, 2017) was a boxing trainer, manager and boxing promoter who handled nineteen world champions. The Duva family promoted boxing events in over twenty countries on six continents. Lou Duva was inducted into the I ...
, American boxer, trainer, and manager (d. 2017)
* 1922 –
Roger Fisher, American author and academic (d. 2012)
* 1922 –
Tuomas Gerdt, Finnish soldier (d. 2020)
*
1923 –
György Ligeti
György Sándor Ligeti (; ; 28 May 1923 – 12 June 2006) was a Hungarian-Austrian composer of contemporary classical music. He has been described as "one of the most important avant-garde composers in the latter half of the twentieth century ...
, Hungarian-Austrian composer and educator (d. 2006)
* 1923 –
N. T. Rama Rao, Indian actor, director, producer, and politician, 10th
Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (d. 1996)
*
1924
Events
January
* January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after.
* January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China hold ...
–
Edward du Cann, English naval officer and politician (d. 2017)
* 1924 –
Paul Hébert, Canadian actor (d. 2017)
*
1925 –
Bülent Ecevit
Mustafa Bülent Ecevit (; 28 May 1925 – 5 November 2006) was a Turkish politician, statesman, poet, writer, scholar, and journalist, who served as the Prime Minister of Turkey four times between 1974 and 2002. He served as prime minister in ...
, Turkish journalist, scholar, and politician, 16th
Prime Minister of Turkey
The prime minister of the Republic of Turkey (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Başbakanı'') was the head of government of the Republic of Turkey from 1920 to 2018, who led a political coalition in the Grand National Assembly of ...
(d. 2006)
* 1925 –
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (28 May 1925 – 18 May 2012) was a German lyric baritone and conductor of classical music, one of the most famous Lieder (art song) performers of the post-war period, best known as a singer of Franz Schubert's Lieder, ...
, German opera singer and conductor (d. 2012)
*
1928
Events January
* January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA.
* January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhano ...
–
Sally Forrest, American actress and dancer (d. 2015)
*
1929 –
Patrick McNair-Wilson
Sir Patrick Michael Ernest David McNair-Wilson (born 28 May 1929) is a British former Conservative Member of Parliament and consultant.
Early life and career
McNair-Wilson is the son of Dr Robert McNair-Wilson. He was educated at Eton College ...
, English politician
*
1930
Events
January
* January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will b ...
–
Edward Seaga, American-Jamaican academic and politician, 5th
Prime Minister of Jamaica (d. 2019)
*
1931 –
Carroll Baker, American actress
* 1931 –
Gordon Willis, American cinematographer (d. 2014)
*
1932
Events January
* January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel.
* January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort to assassinate Emperor Hir ...
–
Tim Renton, Baron Renton of Mount Harry
Ronald Timothy Renton, Baron Renton of Mount Harry, (28 May 1932 – 25 August 2020) was a British Conservative politician.
Early life
Tim Renton, who rarely used his first name of Ronald, was born in London. He won scholarships to Eton C ...
, English politician,
Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries (d. 2020)
*
1933
Events
January
* January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand.
* January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...
–
John Karlen, American actor (d. 2020)
* 1933 –
Zelda Rubinstein, American actress and activist (d. 2010)
*
1936
Events
January–February
* January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...
–
Claude Forget, Canadian academic and politician
* 1936 –
Ole K. Sara, Norwegian politician (d. 2013)
* 1936 –
Betty Shabazz
Betty Shabazz (born Betty Dean Sanders; May 28, 1934/1936 – June 23, 1997), also known as Betty X, was an American educator and civil rights advocate. She was married to Malcolm X.
Shabazz grew up in Detroit, Michigan, where her foste ...
, American educator and activist (d. 1997)
*
1938
Events
January
* January 1
** The new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the authoritarian regime.
** State-owned railway networks are created by merger, in France ...
–
Jerry West
Jerome Alan West (born May 28, 1938) is an American basketball executive and former player. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His nicknames included "Mr. Clutch", for his ability ...
, American basketball player, coach, and executive
*
1939
This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history.
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1
** Third Reich
*** Jews are forbidden to ...
–
Maeve Binchy, Irish novelist (d. 2012)
*
1940 –
David William Brewer
Sir David William Brewer, (born 28 May 1940) is an English marine insurance broker who served as Lord Mayor of London (2005–06)London Lieutenancy Sir David Brewer profile and Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London to Elizabeth II (2008–15).
Ear ...
, English politician,
Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London
The Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London is the personal representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in Greater London.
Each Lord-Lieutenant is assisted in, largely ceremonial, duties by Deputy Lieutenants whom he appoints; the Lie ...
* 1940 –
Shlomo Riskin, American rabbi and academic, founded the
Lincoln Square Synagogue
*
1941
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January–August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar E ...
–
Beth Howland
Elizabeth Howland (May 28, 1939 – December 31, 2015) was an American actress. She worked on stage and television, and was best known for playing Vera Gorman in the sitcom '' Alice''.
Howland originated the role of Amy in the original Broadway ...
, American actress and singer (d. 2015)
*
1942 –
Stanley B. Prusiner
Stanley Benjamin Prusiner (born May 28, 1942) is an American neurologist and biochemist. He is the director of the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Prusiner discovered prions, a class of ...
, American neurologist and biochemist,
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...
laureate
*
1943 –
Terry Crisp, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
*
1944
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 2 – WWII:
** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in ...
–
Faith Brown
Faith Brown (born Eunice Irene Carroll; 28 May 1944) is an English actress, singer, comedian and impressionist. She was a star of the ITV impressions show '' Who Do You Do?'', and was The Voice in the TV show '' Trapped!''.
Brown was born in ...
, English actress and singer
* 1944 –
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis Giuliani (, ; born May 28, 1944) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 107th Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. He previously served as the United States Associate Attorney General from 1981 to 19 ...
, American lawyer and politician, 107th
mayor of New York City
The mayor of New York City, officially Mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property ...
* 1944 –
Gladys Knight
Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944), known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer, actress and businesswoman. A seven-time Grammy Award-winner, Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys K ...
, American singer-songwriter and actress
* 1944 –
Sondra Locke, American actress and director (d. 2018)
* 1944 –
Rita MacNeil
Rita MacNeil (May 28, 1944 – April 16, 2013) was a Canadian singer from the community of Big Pond on Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island. Her biggest hit, "Flying On Your Own", was a crossover Top 40 hit in 1987 and was covered by Anne Murray ...
, Canadian singer and actress (d. 2013)
* 1944 –
Gary Stewart, American singer-songwriter (d. 2003)
* 1944 –
Billy Vera, American singer-songwriter and actor
*
1945 –
Patch Adams
Hunter Doherty "Patch" Adams (born May 28, 1945) is an American physician, comedian, social activist, clown, and author. He founded the Gesundheit! Institute in 1971. Each year he also organizes volunteers from around the world to travel to va ...
, American physician and author, founded the
Gesundheit! Institute
Hunter Doherty "Patch" Adams (born May 28, 1945) is an American physician, comedian, social activist, clown, and author. He founded the Gesundheit! Institute in 1971. Each year he also organizes volunteers from around the world to travel to v ...
* 1945 –
John N. Bambacus, American military veteran (USMC) and politician
* 1945 –
John Fogerty
John Cameron Fogerty (born May 28, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. Together with Doug Clifford, Stu Cook, and his brother Tom Fogerty, he founded the band Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR), for which he was the lead s ...
, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
* 1945 –
Jean Perrault, Canadian politician,
Mayor of Sherbrooke
This is a list of mayors of Sherbrooke, Quebec.
* 1852-1853 : George Frederick Bowen
* 1854-1855 : Joseph Gibb Robertson
* 1855-1857 : Albert Philips Ball
* 1858-1868 : Joseph Gibb Robertson
* 1868-1869 : Richard William Heneker
* 1869-1872 : ...
, Quebec
* 1945 –
Helena Shovelton
Dame Helena Shovelton, DBE, FRSA, Hon. FRCP (née Richards; born 28 May 1945) is former Chair of the UK National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux, former Chair of the UK National Lottery Commission, and former Chief Executive of the Brit ...
, English physician
*
1946
Events January
* January 6 - The first general election ever in Vietnam is held.
* January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into four occupation zones.
* January 10
** The ...
–
Bruce Alexander, English actor
* 1946 –
Skip Jutze, American baseball player
* 1946 –
Janet Paraskeva
Dame Janet Paraskeva (born 28 May 1946, Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales) is a British government official.
She was appointed as the First Civil Service Commissioner on 1 January 2006. On 15 November 2007 Paraskeva was announced by Peter Hain, ...
, Welsh politician
* 1946 –
K. Satchidanandan
K. Satchidanandan (1946) is an Indian poet and critic, writing in Malayalam and English. A pioneer of modern poetry in Malayalam, a bilingual literary critic, playwright, editor, columnist and translator, he is the former editor of ''Indian L ...
, Indian poet and critic
* 1946 –
William Shawcross, English journalist and author
*
1947
It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Events
January
* January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...
–
Zahi Hawass, Egyptian archaeologist and academic
* 1947 –
Lynn Johnston, Canadian author and illustrator
* 1947 –
Leland Sklar
Leland Bruce Sklar (born May 28, 1947) is an American bassist and session musician. Sklar rose to prominence as a member of James Taylor's backing band, which coaleced into a group in its own right, The Section. This group of musicians so frequ ...
, American singer-songwriter and bass player
*
1948
Events January
* January 1
** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated.
** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect.
** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...
–
Michael Field, Australian politician, 38th
Premier of Tasmania
The premier of Tasmania is the head of the executive government in the Australian state of Tasmania. By convention, the leader of the party or political grouping which has majority support in the House of Assembly is invited by the governor of ...
* 1948 –
Pierre Rapsat
Pierre Rapsat (born Pierre Raepsaet, 28 May 1948 – 20 April 2002) was a Belgian singer-songwriter who had a very successful career in his homeland and also spells of popularity in other Francophone countries. Outside these areas, he is best know ...
, Belgian singer and songwriter (d. 2002)
*
1949
Events
January
* January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022.
* January 2 – Luis ...
–
Martin Kelner
Martin Barry Kelner is a British journalist, author, comedian, singer, actor and TV presenter, whose primary career is in radio presenting. He has spent over 40 years hosting radio shows, mostly for the BBC, in particular Radio Leeds. He has be ...
, English journalist, author, comedian, singer, actor and radio presenter
* 1949 – Wendy O. Williams, American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress (d. 1998)
*1952 – Roger Briggs, American pianist, composer, conductor, and educator
*1953 – Pierre Gauthier, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
*1954 – João Carlos de Oliveira, Brazilian jumper (d. 1999)
* 1954 – Youri Egorov, Russian pianist and composer (d. 1988)
* 1954 – Charles Saumarez Smith, English historian and academic
* 1954 – Péter Szilágyi (politician, 1954), Péter Szilágyi, Hungarian conductor and politician (d. 2013)
* 1954 – John Tory, Canadian lawyer and politician, 65th Mayor of Toronto
*1955 – Laura Amy Schlitz, American author and librarian
*1955 – Mark Howe, American ice hockey player and coach
*1956 – Jerry Douglas, American guitarist and producer
* 1956 – Jeff Dujon, Jamaican cricketer
* 1956 – Markus Höttinger, Austrian racing driver (d. 1980)
* 1956 – Peter Wilkinson (Royal Navy officer), Peter Wilkinson, English admiral
*1957 – Colin Barnes, English footballer
* 1957 – Kirk Gibson, American baseball player and manager
* 1957 – Ben Howland, American basketball player and coach
*1959 – Risto Mannisenmäki, Finnish racing driver
*1960 – Mark Sanford, American military veteran (USAF) and politician, 115th Governor of South Carolina
* 1960 – Mary Portas, English journalist and author
*1963 – Houman Younessi, Australian-American biologist and academic (d. 2016)
*
1964 – Jeff Fenech, Australian boxer and trainer
* 1964 – Armen Gilliam, American basketball player and coach (d. 2011)
* 1964 – Zsa Zsa Padilla, Filipino singer and actress
* 1964 – Phil Vassar, American singer-songwriter
*1965 – Chris Ballew, American singer-songwriter and bass player
* 1965 – Mary Coughlan (politician), Mary Coughlan, Irish politician
*1966 – Roger Kumble, American director, screenwriter, and playwright
* 1966 – Miljenko Jergović, Bosnian novelist and journalist
* 1966 – Gavin Robertson, Australian cricketer
*1967 – Glen Rice, American basketball player
*
1968
The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide.
Events January–February
* January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
* J ...
– Kylie Minogue, Australian singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
*1969 – Mike DiFelice, American baseball player and manager
* 1969 – Rob Ford, Canadian politician, 64th Mayor of Toronto (d. 2016)
*1970 – Glenn Quinn, American actor (d. 2002)
*1971 – Isabelle Carré, French actress and singer
* 1971 – Ekaterina Gordeeva, Russian figure skater and sportscaster
* 1971 – Marco Rubio, American lawyer and politician
*1972 – Doriva, Brazilian footballer and manager
* 1972 – Michael Boogerd, Dutch cyclist and manager
*1973 – Marco Paulo Faria Lemos, Portuguese footballer and manager
*
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...
– Hans-Jörg Butt, German footballer
* 1974 – Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistani cricketer
* 1975 – Maura Johnston, American journalist, critic, and academic
*1976 – Steven Bell, Australian rugby league player
* 1976 – Zaza Enden, Georgian-Turkish wrestler, basketball player, and coach
* 1976 – Roberto Goretti, Italian footballer
* 1976 – Glenn Morrison, Australian rugby league player and coach
*
1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrat ...
– Elisabeth Hasselbeck, American talk show host and author
*1978 – Jake Johnson, American actor
*
1979 – Abdulaziz al-Omari, Saudi Arabian terrorist, hijacker of American Airlines Flight 11 (d. 2001)
* 1979 – Ronald Curry, American football player and coach
*1980 – Miguel Pérez (footballer, born 1980), Miguel Pérez, Spanish footballer
* 1980 – Lucy Shuker, English tennis player
*1981 – Daniel Cabrera, Dominican-American baseball player
* 1981 – Eric Ghiaciuc, American football player
* 1981 – Adam Green (musician), Adam Green, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
*1982 – Alexa Davalos, French-American actress
* 1982 – Jhonny Peralta, Dominican-American baseball player
*1983 – Steve Cronin, American soccer player
* 1983 – Humberto Sánchez, Dominican-American baseball player
* 1983 – Roman Atwood, American YouTube star
*1985 – Colbie Caillat, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
* 1985 – Pablo Andrés González, Argentinian footballer
* 1985 – Kostas Mendrinos, Greek footballer
* 1985 – Carey Mulligan, English actress and singer
*1986 – Berrick Barnes, Australian rugby player
* 1986 – Bryant Dunston, American-Armenian basketball player
* 1986 – Seth Rollins, American wrestler
* 1986 – Ingmar Vos, Dutch decathlete
*
1987 – T.J. Yates, American football player
*1988 – NaVorro Bowman, American football player
* 1988 – Percy Harvin, American football player
* 1988 – Craig Kimbrel, American baseball player
*1990 – Kyle Walker, English footballer
*
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...
– Sharrif Floyd, American football player
* 1991 – Alexandre Lacazette, French footballer
* 1991 – Danielle Lao, American tennis player
* 1991 – Kail Piho, Estonian skier
*1993 – Daniel Alvaro, Australian rugby league player
* 1993 – Bárbara Luz, Portuguese tennis player
*1994 – John Stones, English footballer
*
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
– Dahyun, Kim Dahyun, South Korean rapper and singer
*
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
– Jodie Burrage, British tennis player
*2000 – Phil Foden, English footballer
* 2000 – Risi Pouri-Lane, New Zealand rugby sevens player
Deaths
Pre-1600
* 576 – Germain of Paris, French bishop and saint (b. 496)
* 741 – Ucha'an K'in B'alam, Mayan king
* 926 – Kong Qian, official of Later Tang
* 926 – Li Jiji, prince of Later Tang
*1023 – Wulfstan (died 1023), Wulfstan, English archbishop
*1279 – William Wishart, Scottish bishop
*1327 – Robert Baldock, Lord Privy Seal and Lord Chancellor of England
*1357 – Afonso IV of Portugal (b. 1291)
*1427 – Henry IV, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg (b. 1397)
*1556 – Saitō Dōsan, Japanese samurai (b. 1494)
1601–1900
*1626 – Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk (b. 1561)
*1651 – Henry Grey, 10th Earl of Kent, English politician (b. 1594)
*1672 – John Trevor (1626–1672), John Trevor, Welsh politician, Secretary of State for the Northern Department (b. 1626)
*1747 – Luc de Clapiers, marquis de Vauvenargues, French author (b. 1715)
*1750 – Emperor Sakuramachi of Japan (b. 1720)
*1787 – Leopold Mozart, Austrian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1719)
*1805 – Luigi Boccherini, Italian cellist and composer (b. 1743)
*1808 – Richard Hurd (bishop), Richard Hurd, English bishop (b. 1720)
*1811 – Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, Scottish lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for War (b. 1742)
*1831 – William Carnegie, 7th Earl of Northesk, Scottish-English admiral (b. 1756)
*1843 – Noah Webster, American lexicographer (b. 1758)
*1849 – Anne Brontë, English novelist and poet (b. 1820)
*1864 – Simion Bărnuțiu, Romanian historian and politician (b. 1808)
*
1878 – John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, English politician,
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern p ...
(b. 1792)
1901–present
*1904 – Kicking Bear, Native American tribal leader (b. 1846)
*
1916
Events
Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix.
January
* January 1 – The British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that had been stored and cooled.
* J ...
– Ivan Franko, Ukrainian economist, journalist, and poet (b. 1856)
*1927 – Boris Kustodiev, Russian painter and stage designer (b. 1878)
*
1937
Events
January
* January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua.
* January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into ...
– Alfred Adler, Austrian-Scottish ophthalmologist and psychologist (b. 1870)
*
1946
Events January
* January 6 - The first general election ever in Vietnam is held.
* January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into four occupation zones.
* January 10
** The ...
– Carter Glass, American publisher and politician, 47th United States Secretary of the Treasury (b. 1858)
*
1947
It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Events
January
* January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...
– August Eigruber, Austrian-German politician (b. 1907)
*1952 – Philippe Desranleau, Canadian archbishop (b. 1882)
*1953 – Tatsuo Hori, Japanese author and poet (b. 1904)
*
1964 – Terry Dillon, American football player (b. 1941)
*
1968
The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide.
Events January–February
* January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
* J ...
– Fyodor Okhlopkov, Russian sergeant and sniper (b. 1908)
*1971 – Audie Murphy, American soldier and actor, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1925)
*1972 – Edward VIII of the United Kingdom (b. 1894)
*
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
– Ezzard Charles, American boxer (b. 1921)
*1976 – Zainul Abedin, Bangladeshi painter and sculptor (b. 1914)
*1980 – Rolf Nevanlinna, Finnish mathematician and academic (b. 1895)
*1981 – Mary Lou Williams, American pianist and composer (b. 1910)
* 1981 – Stefan Wyszyński, Polish cardinal (b. 1901)
*1982 – H. Jones, English colonel, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1940)
*1983 – Erastus Corning 2nd, American soldier and politician, 72nd List of mayors of Albany, New York, Mayor of Albany (b. 1909)
*1984 – Eric Morecambe, English actor and comedian (b. 1926)
*1986 – Edip Cansever, Turkish poet and author (b. 1928)
*1988 – Sy Oliver, American trumpet player, composer, and bandleader (b. 1910)
*1990 – Julius Eastman, American composer (b. 1940)
*1994 – Julius Boros, American golfer (b. 1920)
* 1994 – Ely Jacques Kahn, Jr., American author and academic (b. 1916)
*
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
– Phil Hartman, Canadian-American actor and comedian (b. 1948)
*
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
– Michael Barkai, Israeli commander (b. 1935)
* 1999 – B. Vittalacharya, Indian director and producer (b. 1920)
*2000 – George Irving Bell, American physicist, biologist, and mountaineer (b. 1926)
*2001 – Joe Moakley, American lawyer and politician (b. 1927)
* 2001 – Francisco Varela, Chilean biologist and philosopher (b. 1946)
*
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
– Mildred Benson, American journalist and author (b. 1905)
*
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A ...
– Oleg Grigoryevich Makarov, Russian engineer and astronaut (b. 1933)
* 2003 – Ilya Prigogine, Russian-Belgian chemist and academic, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1917)
* 2003 – Martha Scott, American actress (b. 1912)
*
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...
– Michael Buonauro, American author and illustrator (b. 1979)
* 2004 – John Tolos, Greek-Canadian wrestler (b. 1930)
*2006 – Thorleif Schjelderup, Norwegian ski jumper and author (b. 1920)
*2007 – Jörg Immendorff, German painter, sculptor, and academic (b. 1945)
* 2007 – Toshikatsu Matsuoka, Japanese politician, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Japan), Japanese Minister of Agriculture (b. 1945)
*
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
– Beryl Cook, English painter and illustrator (b. 1926)
*
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
– Gary Coleman, American actor (b. 1968)
*
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...
– Gino Valenzano, Italian racing driver (b. 1920)
*2012 – Bob Edwards (UK journalist), Bob Edwards, English journalist (b. 1925)
* 2012 – Yuri Susloparov, Ukrainian-Russian footballer and manager (b. 1958)
*2013 – Viktor Kulikov, Russian commander (b. 1921)
* 2013 – Eddie Romero, Filipino director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1924)
* 2013 – Gerd Schmückle, German general (b. 1917)
*2014 – Maya Angelou, American memoirist and poet (b. 1928)
* 2014 – Stan Crowther (footballer), Stan Crowther, English footballer (b. 1935)
* 2014 – Oscar Dystel, American publisher (b. 1912)
* 2014 – Malcolm Glazer, American businessman (b. 1928)
* 2014 – Bob Houbregs, Canadian-American basketball player and manager (b. 1932)
* 2014 – Isaac Kungwane, South African footballer (b. 1971)
*2015 – Steven Gerber, American pianist and composer (b. 1948)
* 2015 – Johnny Keating, Scottish trombonist, composer, and producer (b. 1927)
* 2015 – Reynaldo Rey, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1940)
*2018 – Neale Cooper, Scottish footballer (b. 1963)
* 2018 – Jens Christian Skou, Danish medical doctor and Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
* 2018 – Cornelia Frances, English-Australian actress (b. 1941)
*2021 – Mark Eaton, American basketball player (b. 1957)
*2022 – Patricia Brake, English actress (b. 1942)
Holidays and observances
*Armed Forces Day (Croatia)
*Christian Calendar of saints, feast day:
**Bernard of Menthon
**Germain of Paris
**John Calvin (Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal Church)
**Lanfranc
**Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, Margaret Pole
**William of Gellone
**May 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
*Downfall of the Derg (holiday), Downfall of the Derg (
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
)
*Flag Day (Philippines)
*Menstrual Hygiene Day
*Republic Day (Nepal)
*Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic, TDFR Republic Day, celebrates the declaration of independence of the
First Republic of Armenia
The First Republic of Armenia, officially known at the time of its existence as the Republic of Armenia ( hy, Հայաստանի Հանրապետութիւն), was the first modern Armenian state since the loss of Armenian statehood in the Middle ...
and the
Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic), or simply as Azerbaijan in Paris Peace Conference, 1919–1920,''Bulletin d'Information de l'Azerbaidjan'', No. I, September 1, 1919, pp. 6–7''125 H.C.Debs.'', 58., February 24, 1920, p. 1467. Caucasian A ...
from the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic in 1918. (Azerbaijan and Armenia)
*
Youm-e-Takbir
Youm-e-Takbir ( ur, ; lit. ''The day of greatness'') is celebrated as a national day in Pakistan on May 28 in commemoration of Chagai-I and Chagai-II series of nuclear tests. The nuclear tests made Pakistan the seventh nation to possess nuclear ...
(Pakistan)
References
External links
BBC: On This Day*
Historical Events on May 28
{{months
Days of the year
May