April 28
April 28 is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 247 days remaining until the end of the year.
Events
- 357 – Emperor Constantius II enters Rome for the first time to celebrate his victory over Magnus Magnentius.
- 1192 – Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I), King of Jerusalem, in Tyre, two days after his title to the throne is confirmed by election. The killing is carried out by Hashshashin.
- 1253 – Nichiren, a Japanese Buddhist monk, propounds Nam Myoho Renge Kyo for the very first time and declares it to be the essence of Buddhism, in effect founding Nichiren Buddhism.
- 1503 – The Battle of Cerignola is fought. It is noted as the first battle in history won by small arms fire using gunpowder.
- 1611 – Establishment of the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines, the largest Catholic university in the world.
- 1788 – Maryland becomes the seventh state to ratify the Constitution of the United States.
- 1789 – Mutiny on the Bounty: Lieutenant William Bligh and 18 sailors are set adrift and the rebel crew returns to Tahiti briefly and then sets sail for Pitcairn Island.
- 1792 – France invades the Austrian Netherlands (present day Belgium), beginning the French Revolutionary War.
- 1796 – The Armistice of Cherasco is signed by Napoleon Bonaparte and Vittorio Amedeo III, the King of Sardinia, expanding French territory along the Mediterranean coast.
- 1869 – Chinese and Irish laborers for the Central Pacific Railroad working on the First Transcontinental Railroad lay 10 miles of track in one day, a feat which has never been matched.
- 1887 – A week after being arrested by the Prussian Secret Police, Alsatian police inspector Guillaume Schnaebelé is released on order of German Emperor William I, defusing a possible war.
- 1920 – Azerbaijan is added to the Soviet Union.
- 1930 – The first night game in organized baseball history takes place in Independence, Kansas.
- 1932 – A vaccine for yellow fever is announced for use on humans.
- 1944 – World War II: Nine German S-boots attacked US and UK units during Exercise Tiger, the rehearsal for the Normandy landings, killing 946.
- 1945 – Benito Mussolini and his mistress Clara Petacci are executed by a firing squad consisting of members of the Italian resistance movement.
- 1947 – Thor Heyerdahl and five crew mates set out from Peru on the Kon-Tiki to prove that Peruvian natives could have settled Polynesia.
- 1948 – Igor Stravinsky conducted the premier of his American ballet, Orpheus, in New York City at New York City Center.
- 1949 – Former First Lady of the Philippines Aurora Quezon, 61, is assassinated while en route to dedicate a hospital in memory of her late husband; her daughter and 10 others are also killed.
- 1950 – Bhumibol Adulyadej marries Queen Sirikit after their quiet engagement in Lausanne, Switzerland on July 19, 1949.
- 1952 – Dwight D. Eisenhower resigns as Supreme Allied Commander of NATO.
- 1952 – Occupied Japan: The United States occupation of Japan ends as the Treaty of San Francisco, ratified September 8, 1951, comes into force.
- 1952 – The Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty (Treaty of Taipei) is signed in Taipei, Taiwan between Japan and the Republic of China to officially end the Second Sino-Japanese War.
- 1965 – United States occupation of the Dominican Republic: American troops land in the Dominican Republic to "forestall establishment of a Communist dictatorship" and to evacuate U.S. Army troops.
- 1969 – Charles de Gaulle resigns as President of France.
- 1970 – Vietnam War: U.S. President Richard M. Nixon formally authorizes American combat troops to fight communist sanctuaries in Cambodia.
- 1975 – General Cao Van Vien, chief of the South Vietnamese military, departs for the US as the North Vietnamese Army closed in on victory.
- 1977 – The Red Army Faction trial ends, with Andreas Baader, Gudrun Ensslin and Jan-Carl Raspe found guilty of four counts of murder and more than 30 counts of attempted murder.
- 1977 – The Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure is signed.
- 1978 – President of Afghanistan, Mohammed Daoud Khan, is overthrown and assassinated in a coup led by pro-communist rebels.
- 1986 – The United States Navy aircraft carrier USS Enterprise becomes the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to transit the Suez Canal, navigating from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea to relieve the USS Coral Sea.
- 1987 – American engineer Ben Linder is killed in an ambush by U.S.-funded Contras in northern Nicaragua.
- 1988 – Near Maui, Hawaii, flight attendant Clarabelle "C.B." Lansing is blown out of Aloha Airlines Flight 243, a Boeing 737, and falls to her death when part of the plane's fuselage rips open in mid-flight.
- 1994 – Former Central Intelligence Agency counter-intelligence officer and analyst Aldrich Ames pleads guilty to giving U.S. secrets to the Soviet Union and later Russia.
- 1996 – Whitewater controversy: President Bill Clinton gives a 4½ hour videotaped testimony for the defense.
- 1996 – In Tasmania, Australia, Martin Bryant goes on a shooting spree, killing 35 people and seriously injuring 21 more.
- 1999 – In Alberta, Canada, 14-year-old Todd Cameron Smith fires upon three students, killing one and wounding another in the W. R. Myers High School shooting.
- 2001 – Millionaire Dennis Tito becomes the world's first space tourist.
- 2008 – A train collision in Shandong, China, kills 72 people and injures 416 more.
Births
- 32 – Marcus Salvius Otho, Roman emperor (d. 69 AD)
- 1442 – King Edward IV of England (d. 1483)
- 1545 – Yi Sun-sin, Korean admiral (d. 1598)
- 1630 – Charles Cotton, English poet (d. 1687)
- 1686 – Michael Brokoff, Czech sculptor (d. 1721)
- 1715 – Franz Sparry, composer (d. 1767)
- 1758 – James Monroe, 5th President of the United States (d. 1831)
- 1765 – Sylvestre François Lacroix, French mathematician (d. 1834)
- 1819 – Ezra Abbot, American Bible scholar (d. 1884)
- 1827 – William Nelson Hall, Canadian sailor (d. 1904)
- 1838 – Tobias Michael Carel Asser, Dutch jurist, Nobel laureate (d. 1913)
- 1863 – Josiah Thomas, Australian politician (d. 1933)
- 1868 – Lucy Booth, the fifth daughter of William and Catherine Booth (d. 1953)
- 1868 – Georgy Voronoy, Russian mathematician (d. 1908)
- 1870 – August Schmierer, German rugby player
- 1874 – Karl Kraus, Austrian journalist and author (d. 1936)
- 1876 – Nicola Romeo, Italian automobile engineer and an entrepreneur (d. 1938)
- 1878 – Lionel Barrymore, American actor (d. 1954)
- 1888 – Walter Tull, British footballer (d. 1918)
- 1889 – António de Oliveira Salazar, dictator of Portugal (d. 1970)
- 1897 – Ye Jianying, Chinese general and politician (d. 1986)
- 1900 – Heinrich Müller, head of the Gestapo (disappeared in 1945)
- 1900 – Jan Oort, Dutch astronomer (d. 1992)
- 1902 – Johan Borgen, Norwegian author (d. 1979)
- 1906 – Kurt Gödel, Austrian mathematician (d. 1978)
- 1906 – Paul Sacher, Swiss conductor (d. 1999)
- 1908 – Oskar Schindler, Austro-Hungarian (Sudeten German) industrialist (d. 1974)
- 1910 – Sam Merwin, Jr., American mystery fiction writer (d. 1996)
- 1911 – Lee Falk, American comic strip writer (d. 1999)
- 1912 – Odette Sansom Hallowes, French resistance worker (d. 1995)
- 1912 – Kaneto Shindō, Japanese film director
- 1914 – Philip E. High, Science fiction author (d. 2006)
- 1916 – Ferruccio Lamborghini, Italian automobile manufacturer (d. 1993)
- 1921 – Rowland Evans, American journalist (d. 2001)
- 1922 – Alistair MacLean, Scottish novelist (d. 1987)
- 1923 – William Guarnere, WWII veteran
- 1924 – Donatas Banionis, Lithuanian actor
- 1924 – Kenneth Kaunda, President of Zambia
- 1924 – Blossom Dearie, American jazz singer (d. 2009)
- 1925 – T. John Lesinski, Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
- 1926 – Harper Lee, American author
- 1928 – Yves Klein, French painter (d. 1962)
- 1928 – Eugene M. Shoemaker, American planetary scientist (d. 1997)
- 1930 – James Baker, American politician
- 1930 – Carolyn Jones, American actress (d. 1983)
- 1932 – Brownie Ledbetter, American civil rights activist (d. 2010)
- 1934 – Lois Duncan, American novelist
- 1937 – Saddam Hussein, President of Iraq 1979-2003; Prime Minister of Iraq 1979-1991; 1994-2003 (d. 2006)
- 1937 – John White, Scottish internationalist footballer, killed by lightning (d. 1964)
- 1938 – Madge Sinclair, Jamaican actress (d. 1995)
- 1941 – Lucien Aimar, French cyclist
- 1941 – Ann-Margret, Swedish-born actress
- 1941 – Nico Mastorakis, Greek filmmaker, director and radio producer
- 1941 – Karl Barry Sharpless, American chemist, Nobel laureate
- 1941 – Iryna Zhylenko, Ukrainian poet
- 1942 – Mike Brearley, English cricketer
- 1943 – Jacques Dutronc, French singer and actor
- 1944 – Elizabeth LeCompte, American theater director
- 1944 – Jean-Claude Van Cauwenberghe, Belgian politician
- 1944 – Alice Waters, American chef
- 1946 – Ginette Reno, French Canadian singer, songwriter and actress
- 1948 – Dorothée Berryman, Canadian actress and singer
- 1948 – Terry Pratchett, English author
- 1948 – Marcia Strassman, American actress
- 1949 – Indian Larry, American stuntman (d. 2004)
- 1949 – Paul Guilfoyle, American actor
- 1949 – Bruno Kirby, American actor (d. 2006)
- 1950 – Willie Colón, Puerto Rican salsa musician
- 1950 – Jay Leno, American comedian and television host
- 1952 – Mary McDonnell, American actress
- 1953 – Kim Gordon, American musician (Sonic Youth)
- 1953 – Roberto Bolaño, Chilean novelist and poet (d. 2003)
- 1954 – Vic Sotto, Filipino actor, host, comedian, and film producer
- 1954 – Ron Zook, American football coach
- 1955 – Nicky Gumbel, British author and priest
- 1956 – Jimmy Barnes, Scottish-born singer
- 1957 – Wilma Landkroon, Dutch singer
- 1958 – Nancy Lee Grahn, American actress
- 1958 – Hal Sutton, American golfer
- 1960 – John Cerutti, American baseball player and announcer (d. 2004)
- 1960 – Ian Rankin, Scottish novelist
- 1960 – Jón Páll Sigmarsson, Icelandic strength athlete (d. 1993)
- 1960 – Walter Zenga, Italian footballer
- 1961 – Futoshi Matsunaga, Japanese serial killer
- 1961 – Anna Oxa, Italian singer
- 1963 – Lloyd Eisler, Canadian figure skater
- 1963 – Marc Lacroix, Belgian biochemist
- 1964 – Noriyuki Iwadare, Japanese composer
- 1964 – Barry Larkin, American baseball player
- 1965 – Steven Blum, American voice actor
- 1965 – Jennifer Rardin, American author, Jaz Parks series (d. 2010)
- 1966 – John Daly, American golfer
- 1966 – Too Short, American rapper
- 1967 – Kari Wührer, American actress
- 1968 – Howard Donald, English musician
- 1968 – Andy Flower, Zimbabwean cricketer
- 1968 – Scott Putesky, American musician (Marilyn Manson)
- 1970 – Nicklas Lidström, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1970 – Diego Simeone, Argentine footballer
- 1971 – Brad McEwan, Australian journalist
- 1971 – Bridget Moynahan, American actress
- 1972 – Joseph Bruce, American musician (Insane Clown Posse)
- 1973 – Jorge Garcia, American actor
- 1973 – Earl Holmes, American footballer
- 1973 – Francisco Palencia, Mexican footballer
- 1973 – Elisabeth Röhm, German/American actress
- 1973 – Serge Zwikker, American basketball player
- 1974 – Penélope Cruz, Spanish actress
- 1974 – Richel Hersisia, Dutch boxer
- 1974 – Vernon Kay, English disc jockey and television presenter
- 1974 – Dominic Matteo, Scottish footballer
- 1977 – Derrick Wayne Frazier, American convicted murderer (d. 2006)
- 1978 – Lauren Laverne, English disc jockey and television presenter
- 1979 – Scott Fujita, American football player
- 1979 – Bahram Radan, Iranian actor
- 1980 – Josh Howard, American basketball player
- 1980 – Karolina Goceva, Macedonian singer
- 1981 – Jessica Alba, American actress
- 1981 – Pietro Travagli, Italian rugby player
- 1982 – Nikki Grahame, English television personality
- 1982 – Chris Kaman, American basketball player
- 1982 – Harry Shum, Jr., American dancer and actor
- 1983 – Roger Johnson, English footballer
- 1984 – Dmitri Torbinski, Russian footballer
- 1986 – Jennifer Palm Lundberg, Swedish beauty pageant contestant
- 1986 – George Nozuka, Canadian singer/songwriter
- 1986 – Roman Polák, Czech ice hockey player
- 1986 – Jenna Ushkowitz, South Korean-American actress
- 1987 – Ryan Conroy, Scottish footballer
- 1988 – Juan Manuel Mata, Spanish footballer
- 1988 – Jonathan Biabiany, French footballer
- 1989 – Emil Salomonsson, Swedish footballer
- 1990 – Mario Meraz, Mexican boxer
- 1991 – Jordan Robinson, British footballer
- 1992 – Jack Taylor, American actor
Deaths
- 1192 – King Conrad of Montferrat
- 1489 – Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland, English politician
- 1533 – Nicholas West, English bishop and diplomat (b. 1461)
- 1643 – Francisco de Lucena, Portuguese Secretary of State (b. 1578?)
- 1695 – Henry Vaughan, Welsh poet (b. 1621)
- 1710 – Thomas Betterton, English actor
- 1716 – Louis de Montfort, French catholic priest (b. 1673)
- 1726 – Thomas Pitt, British Governor of Madras (b. 1653)
- 1741 – Magnus Julius De la Gardie, Swedish General and statesman (b. 1668)
- 1772 – Johann Friedrich Struensee, physician of Christian VII of Denmark (b. 1737)
- 1781 – Cornelius Harnett, American delegate to the Continental Congress (b. 1723)
- 1813 – Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov, Russian field marshal (b. 1745)
- 1816 – Johann Heinrich Abicht, German philosopher (b. 1862)
- 1841 – Peter Chanel, French saint (b. 1803)
- 1853 – Ludwig Tieck, German writer (b. 1773)
- 1858 – Johannes Peter Müller, German physiologist (b. 1801)
- 1865 – Samuel Cunard, Canadian-born British shipping magnate (b. 1787)
- 1881 – Antoine Samuel Adam-Salomon, French sculptor and photographer (b. 1818)
- 1883 – John "Jack" Russell, English parson, hunter and dog breeder (b. 1795)
- 1905 – Fitzhugh Lee, American Confederate general (b. 1835)
- 1936 – King Fuad I of Egypt (b. 1868)
- 1944 – Frank Knox, U.S. Secretary of the Navy & Vice-Presidential candidate (b. 1874)
- 1944 – Mohammed Alim Khan, the last Emir of the Emirate of Bukhara (b. 1880)
- 1945 – Benito Mussolini, Italian fascist dictator (b. 1883)
- 1945 – Clara Petacci, Italian mistress of Benito Mussolini (b. 1912)
- 1945 – Roberto Farinacci, Italian fascist (b. 1892)
- 1946 – Louis Bachelier, French mathematician (b. 1870)
- 1949 – Aurora Quezon, First Lady of the Philippines (b. 1888)
- 1954 – Léon Jouhaux, French labor leader, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1879)
- 1957 – Heinz "Pritzl" Bär, German fighter pilot (b. 1913)
- 1964 – Rolf de Maré, Swedish art collector (b. 1888)
- 1970 – Ed Begley, American actor (b. 1901)
- 1973 – Clas Thunberg, Finnish speed skater (b. 1893)
- 1975 – Tom Donahue, American freeform radio DJ (b. 1928)
- 1978 – Sardar Mohammed Daoud Khan, President of Afghanistan (b. 1909)
- 1988 – B. W. Stevenson, American country singer (b. 1949)
- 1991 – Steve Broidy, American motion picture executive (b. 1905)
- 1992 – Francis Bacon, Anglo-Irish painter (b. 1909)
- 1992 – Iceberg Slim, American writer (b. 1918)
- 1993 – Jim Valvano, American basketball coach (b. 1946)
- 1994 – Berton Roueché, American medical writer (b. 1910)
- 1998 – Ramakant Desai, Indian cricketer (b. 1939)
- 1998 – Jerome Bixby, American writer (b. 1923)
- 1999 – Rory Calhoun, American actor (b. 1922)
- 1999 – Arthur Leonard Schawlow, American physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1921)
- 1999 – Sir Alf Ramsey, English football manager (b. 1920)
- 2000 – Penelope Fitzgerald, English writer (b. 1916)
- 2000 – Jerzy Einhorn, Polish-Swedish doctor, researcher and politician (b. 1925)
- 2002 – Alexander Lebed, Russian general (b. 1950)
- 2002 – Lou Thesz, American wrestler (b. 1916)
- 2005 – Chris Candido, American wrestler (b. 1972)
- 2005 – Percy Heath, American jazz bassist (Modern Jazz Quartet) (b. 1923)
- 2005 – Taraki Sivaram, Tamil journalist of Sri Lanka (b. 1959)
- 2007 – Dabbs Greer, American actor (b. 1917)
- 2007 – René Mailhot, Canadian journalist (b. 1942)
- 2007 – Tommy Newsom, American bandleader (b. 1929)
- 2007 – Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker, German physicist and philosopher (b. 1912)
- 2009 – Valeria Peter Predescu, Romanian singer (b. 1947)
- 2009 – Ekaterina Maximova, Russian ballerina (b. 1939)
- 2009 – Richard Pratt, Australian businessman (b.1934)
Holidays and observances
External links