28 May

Events

Pre-1600

*585 BC – A solar eclipse occurs, as predicted by the Greek philosopher and scientist Thales, while Alyattes is battling Cyaxares 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 – Battle of Hulao: Li Shimin, the son of the Chinese emperor Gaozu, defeats the numerically superior forces of Dou Jiande near the Hulao Pass (Henan). This victory decides the outcome of the civil war that followed the Sui dynasty's collapse in favour of the Tang dynasty.
*1533 – The Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, declares the marriage of King Henry VIII of England to Anne Boleyn valid.
* 1588 – The Spanish Armada, with 130 ships and 30,000 men, sets sail from Lisbon, Portugal, heading for the English Channel. (It will take until May 30 for all ships to leave port.)

1601–1900

*1644 – English Civil War: Bolton Massacre by Royalist troops under the command of James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby.
* 1754 – French and Indian War: In the first engagement of the war, Virginia militia under the 22-year-old Lieutenant colonel George Washington defeat a French reconnaissance party in the Battle of Jumonville Glen in what is now Fayette County in southwestern Pennsylvania.
*1802 – In Guadeloupe, 400 rebellious slaves, led by Louis Delgrès, blow themselves up rather than submit to Napoleon's troops.
* 1830 – U.S. President Andrew Jackson signs the Indian Removal Act which denies Native Americans their land rights and forcibly relocates them.
* 1871 – The Paris Commune falls after two months.
*1892 – In San Francisco, John Muir organizes the Sierra Club.

1901–present

*1905 – Russo-Japanese War: The Battle of Tsushima ends with the destruction of the Russian Baltic Fleet by Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō and the Imperial Japanese Navy.
*1907 – The first Isle of Man TT race is held.
* 1918 – The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and the First Republic of Armenia declare their independence.
*1926 – The 28 May 1926 coup d'état: Ditadura Nacional is established in Portugal to suppress the unrest of the First Republic.
*1932 – In the Netherlands, construction of the Afsluitdijk is completed and the Zuiderzee bay is converted to the freshwater IJsselmeer.
*1934 – Near Callander, Ontario, Canada, the Dionne quintuplets are born to Oliva and Elzire Dionne; they will be the first quintuplets to survive infancy.
*1936 – Alan Turing submits ''On Computable Numbers'' for publication.
* 1937 – Volkswagen, the German automobile manufacturer, is founded.
*1940 – World War II: Belgium surrenders to Nazi Germany to end the Battle of Belgium.
* 1940 – World War II: Norwegian, French, Polish and British forces recapture Narvik in Norway. This is the first Allied infantry victory of the War.
* 1948 – Daniel François Malan is elected as Prime Minister of South Africa. He later goes on to implement Apartheid.
*1958 – Cuban Revolution: Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement, heavily reinforced by Frank Pais Militia, overwhelm an army post in El Uvero.
*1961 – Peter Benenson's article ''The Forgotten Prisoners'' is published in several internationally read newspapers. This will later be thought of as the founding of the human rights organization Amnesty International.
*1964 – The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is founded, with Yasser Arafat elected as its first leader.
*1968 – Garuda Indonesia Flight 892 crashes near Nala Sopara in India, killing 30.
* 1974 – Northern Ireland's power-sharing Sunningdale Agreement collapses following a general strike by loyalists.
*1975 – Fifteen West African countries sign the Treaty of Lagos, creating the Economic Community of West African States.
*1977 – In Southgate, Kentucky, 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.
*1987 – An 18-year-old West German pilot, Mathias Rust, evades Soviet Union air defences and lands a private plane in Red Square in Moscow, Russia.
*1991 – The capital city of Addis Ababa falls to the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, ending both the Derg regime in Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Civil War.
*1995 – 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 – U.S. President Bill Clinton's former business partners in the Whitewater land deal, Jim McDougal and Susan McDougal, and the Governor of Arkansas, Jim Guy Tucker, are convicted of fraud.
*1998 – Nuclear testing: 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. Pakistan celebrates Youm-e-Takbir annually.
*1999 – In Milan, Italy, after 22 years of restoration work, Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece ''The Last Supper'' is put back on display.
* 2002 – The last steel girder is removed from the original World Trade Center site. Cleanup duties officially end with closing ceremonies at Ground Zero in Manhattan, New York City.
* 2003 – Peter Hollingworth resigns as Governor-General of Australia following criticism of his handling of child sexual abuse allegations during his tenure as Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane.
* 2004 – The Iraqi Governing Council chooses Ayad Allawi, a longtime anti-Saddam Hussein exile, as prime minister of Iraq's interim government.
*2008 – The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly of Nepal formally declares Nepal a republic, ending the 240-year reign of the Shah dynasty.
* 2010 – In West Bengal, India, the Jnaneswari Express train derailment and subsequent collision kills 148 passengers.
* 2011 – Malta 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 – Harambe, a gorilla, is shot to death after grabbing a three-year-old boy in his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, resulting in widespread criticism and sparking various internet memes.
*2017 – Former Formula One driver Takuma Sato wins his first Indianapolis 500, the first Japanese and Asian driver to do so. Double world champion Fernando Alonso retires from an engine issue in his first entry of the event.

Births

Pre-1600

* 1140 – Xin Qiji, Chinese poet, general, and politician (d. 1207)
* 1371 – John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy (d. 1419)
* 1588 – Pierre Séguier, French politician, Lord Chancellor of France (d. 1672)
*1589 – Robert Arnauld d'Andilly, French writer (d. 1674)

1601–1900

*1663 – António Manoel de Vilhena, Grand Master of the Order of Saint John (d. 1736)
*1676 – Jacopo Riccati, 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, English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1806)
*1763 – Manuel Alberti, Argentinian priest and journalist (d. 1811)
*1764 – Edward Livingston, American jurist and politician, 11th United States Secretary of State (d. 1836)
*1779 – Thomas Moore, Irish poet and composer (d. 1852)
*1807 – Louis Agassiz, Swiss-American paleontologist and geologist (d. 1873)
*1818 – P. G. T. Beauregard, American general (d. 1893)
*1836 – Friedrich Baumfelder, 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 – Carl Larsson, Swedish painter and author (d. 1919)
*1858 – Carl Richard Nyberg, Swedish inventor and businessman, developed the blow torch (d. 1939)
*1872 – Marian Smoluchowski, Polish physicist and mountaineer (d. 1917)
*1878 – Paul Pelliot, French sinologist and explorer (d. 1945)
* 1879 – Milutin Milanković, Serbian mathematician, astronomer, and geophysicist (d. 1958)
* 1883 – Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Indian poet and politician (d. 1966)
* 1883 – Clough Williams-Ellis, English-Welsh architect, designed the Portmeirion Village (d. 1978)
*1884 – Edvard Beneš, Czech academic and politician, 2nd and 4th President of Czechoslovakia (d. 1948)
*1886 – Santo Trafficante, Sr., Italian-American mobster (d. 1954)
*1888 – Kaarel Eenpalu, Estonian journalist and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Estonia (d. 1942)
* 1888 – Vivienne Haigh-Wood Eliot, English author and educator (d. 1947)
* 1888 – Jim Thorpe, American decathlete, football player, and coach (d. 1953)
*1889 – Richard Réti, Slovak-Czech chess player and author (d. 1929)
*1892 – Minna Gombell, American actress (d. 1973)
*1900 – Tommy Ladnier, American trumpet player (d. 1939)

1901–present

*1903 – S. L. Kirloskar, Indian businessman, founded Kirloskar Group (d. 1994)
*1906 – Henry Thambiah, Sri Lankan lawyer, judge, and diplomat, Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Canada (d. 1997)
* 1908 – Léo Cadieux, Canadian journalist and politician, 17th Canadian Minister of National Defence (d. 2005)
* 1908 – Ian Fleming, English journalist and author, created ''James Bond'' (d. 1964)
*1909 – Red Horner, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2005)
*1910 – Georg Gaßmann, German politician, Mayor of Marburg (d. 1987)
* 1910 – Rachel Kempson, English actress (d. 2003)
* 1910 – T-Bone Walker, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1975)
*1911 – Bob Crisp, South African cricketer (d. 1994)
* 1911 – Thora Hird, English actress (d. 2003)
* 1911 – Fritz Hochwälder, Austrian playwright (d. 1986)
* 1912 – Herman Johannes, Indonesian scientist, academic, and politician (d. 1992)
* 1912 – Ruby Payne-Scott, Australian physicist and astronomer (d. 1981)
* 1912 – Patrick White, Australian novelist, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1990)
*1914 – W. G. G. Duncan Smith, English captain and pilot (d. 1996)
*1915 – Joseph Greenberg, American linguist and academic (d. 2001)
*1916 – Walker Percy, American novelist and essayist (d. 1990)
*1917 – Barry Commoner, American biologist, academic, and politician (d. 2012)
* 1918 – Johnny Wayne, Canadian comedian (d. 1990)
* 1921 – D. V. Paluskar, Indian Hindustani classical musician (d. 1955)
* 1921 – Heinz G. Konsalik, German journalist and author (d. 1999)
* 1921 – Tom Uren, Australian soldier, boxer, and politician (d. 2015)
*1922 – Lou Duva, 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, 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 – Edward du Cann, English naval officer and politician (d. 2017)
* 1924 – Paul Hébert, Canadian actor (d. 2017)
*1925 – Bülent Ecevit, Turkish journalist, scholar, and politician, 16th Prime Minister of Turkey (d. 2006)
* 1925 – Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, German opera singer and conductor (d. 2012)
*1928 – Sally Forrest, American actress and dancer (d. 2015)
*1929 – Patrick McNair-Wilson, English politician
*1930 – Edward Seaga (d. 2019)
*1931 – Carroll Baker, American actress
* 1931 – Gordon Willis, American cinematographer (d. 2014)
*1932 – Tim Renton, Baron Renton of Mount Harry, English politician, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries (d. 2020)
* 1933 – John Karlen, American actor (d. 2020)
* 1933 – Zelda Rubinstein, American actress and activist (d. 2010)
*1936 – Claude Forget, Canadian academic and politician
* 1936 – Ole K. Sara, Norwegian politician (d. 2013)
* 1936 – Betty Shabazz, American educator and activist (d. 1997)
* 1938 – Jerry West, American basketball player, coach, and executive
* 1939 – Maeve Binchy, Irish novelist (d. 2012)
*1940 – David William Brewer, English politician, Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London
* 1940 – Shlomo Riskin, American rabbi and academic, founded the Lincoln Square Synagogue
* 1941 – Beth Howland, American actress and singer (d. 2015)
*1942 – Stanley B. Prusiner, American neurologist and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate
*1943 – Terry Crisp, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
*1944 – Faith Brown, English actress and singer
* 1944 – Rudy Giuliani, American lawyer and politician, 107th mayor of New York City
* 1944 – Gladys Knight, American singer-songwriter and actress
* 1944 – Sondra Locke, American actress and director (d. 2018)
* 1944 – Rita MacNeil, 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, American physician and author, founded the Gesundheit! Institute
* 1945 – John N. Bambacus, American military veteran (USMC) and politician
* 1945 – John Fogerty, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
* 1945 – Jean Perrault, Canadian politician, Mayor of Sherbrooke, Quebec
* 1945 – Helena Shovelton, English physician
* 1946 – Bruce Alexander, English actor
* 1946 – Skip Jutze, American baseball player
* 1946 – Janet Paraskeva, Welsh politician
* 1946 – K. Satchidanandan, Indian poet and critic
* 1946 – William Shawcross, English journalist and author
* 1947 – Zahi Hawass, Egyptian archaeologist and academic
* 1947 – Lynn Johnston, Canadian author and illustrator
* 1947 – Leland Sklar, American singer-songwriter and bass player
* 1948 – Michael Field, Australian politician, 38th Premier of Tasmania
* 1948 – Pierre Rapsat, Belgian singer and songwriter (d. 2002)
* 1949 – Martin Kelner, 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, 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, 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, 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 – 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 – 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 – 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, Spanish footballer
* 1980 – Lucy Shuker, English tennis player
*1981 – Daniel Cabrera, Dominican-American baseball player
* 1981 – Eric Ghiaciuc, American football player
* 1981 – 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 – 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 – Kim Dahyun, South Korean rapper and singer
*1999 – 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, 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, 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, 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 (b. 1792)

1901–present

*1904 – Kicking Bear, Native American tribal leader (b. 1846)
*1916 – Ivan Franko, Ukrainian economist, journalist, and poet (b. 1856)
*1927 – Boris Kustodiev, Russian painter and stage designer (b. 1878)
* 1937 – Alfred Adler, Austrian-Scottish ophthalmologist and psychologist (b. 1870)
* 1946 – Carter Glass, American publisher and politician, 47th United States Secretary of the Treasury (b. 1858)
* 1947 – 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 – 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 – 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 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 – Phil Hartman, Canadian-American actor and comedian (b. 1948)
*1999 – Michael Barkai, Israeli commander (b. 1935)
* 1999 – B. Vittalacharya, Indian director and producer (b. 1920)
*2000 – George Irving Bell

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