January 28

2024 Calendar

January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 337 days remaining until the end of the year (338 in leap years).

Events

98 - Trajan becomes Emperor of the Roman Empire.
1393 - King Charles VI of France narrowly escapes death when several dancers' costumes catch fire during a masquerade ball.
1521 - The Diet of Worms begins.
1547 – As a nine-year-old, Edward VI becomes King of England, following the death of his father, King Henry VIII of England.
1624 – Thomas Warner founds a colony on Saint Kitts.
1724 – The Russian Academy of the Sciences is founded by Tsar Peter I of Russia.
1754 – Horace Walpole coins the word serendipity in a letter to Horace Mann.
1813 – Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is first published.
1820 – A Russian expedition led by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen first sights the Antarctic continent.
1841 – James Clark Ross' Antarctic expedition discovers the Ross Ice Shelf.
1846 - In the Battle of Aliwal in India is won by British forces under Harry Smith.
1855 – In Panama, a locomotive travels from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean for the first time.
1871 - Franco-Prussian War: The Siege of Paris ends in a French defeat and an armistice.
1878 - The Yale Daily News becomes the first daily (meaning it is published every day) college newspaper in the United States.
1887 – The world's largest snowflakes are recorded at Fort Keogh, Montana.
1887 – Building of the Eiffel Tower begins.
1896 – Walter Arnold of East Peckham, Kent is the first person convicted of a speeding offence.
1908 - Some members of the Portuguese Republican Party fail in their attempted coup against the dictatorship of Joao Franco.
1909 - US troops leave Cuba, except for Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, having been there since 1898.
1915 - An Act of Congress creates the United States Coast Guard.
1917 - Municipally owned streetcars take to the streets of San Francisco for the first time.
1918 – Finnish Civil War: Rebels seize Helsinki.
1922 – The Knickerbocker Storm causes Washington, DC's biggest snowfall.
1932 - Japanese forces attack Shanghai.
1933 – Choudhary Rahmat Ali Khan chooses the name "Pakistan" on this date. Today it is one of the official national holidays of the 'Islamic Republic'.
1933 – Kurt von Schleicher resigns as Chancellor of Germany and suggests to Paul von Hindenburg to name Adolf Hitler as the next Chancellor.
1934 – The first ski tow in the United States begins operation in Vermont.
1935 – Iceland legalises Abortion.
1938 - Rudolf Caracciola sets the World Land Speed Record on a public road, with 432.7 kilometers per hour (268.9 miles per hour).
1941 - French-Thai War: A Japanese-mediated armistice goes into effect.
1945 - World War II: Supplies begin to reach the Republic of China over the newly re-opened Burma Road.
1956 - Elvis Presley makes his first appearance on US television.
1958 – The Lego company patents its now-famous toy bricks.
1958 - The last episode of British radio show The Goon Show is broadcast.
1959 – Thailand adopts a new Constitution.
1965 – The design for the current Flag of Canada is chosen in an Act of Parliament.
1977 – The Great Lakes Blizzard (snowstorm), lasting until February 1, affects parts of upstate New York.
1980 - The ship USCGC Blackthorn collides with the tanker Capricorn off Tampa, Florida, killing 23 people.
1982 - United States Army general James L. Dozier is rescued by Italian anti-terrorist forces.
1984 - Tropical Storm Domoina makes landfall in Mozambique, where it causes widespread flooding and kills 214 people.
1986 – The Space Shuttle Challenger breaks up 73 seconds after lift off at Cape Canaveral, Florida, killing all 7 astronauts on board.
2002 – TAME Flight 120, a Boeing 727-100, crashes in the Colombian Andes, killing 92 people.
2006 – At the Katowice International Fair in Poland, the roof of one of the buildings collapses, killing 65 people.
2011 – 2011 Egyptian protests: Hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets in Egypt, in protest against Hosni Mubarak, who cuts internet access on the same day.
2013 - Three days before her 75th birthday, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands announces her intention to give up the throne on April 30 of the same year, when Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange will be the Netherlands' first King since 1890.

Births

1225 – Saint Thomas of Aquinas (d. 1274).
1312 - Joan II of Navarre (d. 1349).
1453 - Simonetta Vespucci, Italian Renaissance figure (d. 1476).
1457 – King Henry VII of England (d. 1509).
1540 - Ludolph von Ceulen, German mathematician (d. 1610).
1582 - John Barclay, Scottish writer (d. 1621).
1600 – Pope Clement IX (d. 1669).
1608 - Giovanni Alfonso Borelli, Italian physiologist and physicist (d. 1679).
1611 – Johannes Hevelius, Polish astronomer and Mayor of Gdansk (d. 1687).
1622 - Adrien Auzout, French astronomer (d. 1691).
1701 - Charles Marie de La Condamine, French mathematician and geographer (d. 1774).
1706 – John Baskerville, English writer and printmaker (d. 1775).
1712 – Tokugawa Ieshige, Japanese shogun (d. 1761).
1717 – Mustafa III, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1774).
1719 - Johann Elias Schlegel, German critic and poet (d. 1749).
1768 – King Frederick VI of Denmark and Norway (d. 1669).
1784 – George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1860).
1806 - William Aitken, Jr., Governor of South Carolina (d. 1887).
1815 - Andrew Jackson Hamilton, 12th Governor of Texas (d. 1875).
1818 - George S. Boutwell, 20th Governor of Massachusetts and 28th United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 1905).
1822 – Alexander Mackenzie, 2nd Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1892).
1833 – Charles George Gordon, British general (d. 1885).
1838 - James Craig Watson, American astronomer (d. 1880).
1841 – Henry Morton Stanley, Welsh-born explorer, journalist and colonialist (d. 1904).
1853 - Jose Marti, Cuban revolutionary (d. 1891).
1853 - Vladimir Solovyov, Russian philosopher (d. 1890).
1858 - Tannatt William Edgworth David, Welsh-born Australian geologist and explorer (d. 1934).
1863 - Ernest William Christmas, Australian painter (d. 1918).
1864 - Charles W. Nash, American automobile entrepreneur (d. 1948).
1864 - Herbert Akroyd Stuart, English inventor (d. 1927).
1865 – Kaarlo Juho Stahlberg, 1st President of Finland (d. 1952).
1865 - Lala Lajpat Rai, Indian freedom fighter (d. 1928).
1872 - Otto Braun, Prussian politician (d. 1955).
1873 – Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, French writer (d. 1954).
1875 - Julian Carrillo, Mexican composer, conductor, violinist and music theorist (d. 1965).
1884 – Auguste Piccard, Swiss scientist (d. 1962).
1884 – Jean Felix Piccard, Swiss scientist (d. 1963).
1886 – Marthe Bibesco, Romanian writer (d. 1973).
1887 - Arthur Rubinstein, Polish pianist (d. 1982).
1890 - Robert Stroud, American convict, "Birdman of Alcatraz" (d. 1963)
1891 – Bill Doak, American baseball player (d. 1954).
1892 – Ernst Lubitsch, German director (d. 1947).
1897 - Valentin Kataev, Soviet dramatist (d. 1986).
1909 – John Thomson, Scottish footballer (d. 1931).
1910 – John Banner, Austrian-born actor (d. 1973).
1911 - Johan van Hulst, Dutch politician.
1912 – Jackson Pollock, American painter (d. 1956).
1918 - Sandro Puppo, Italian footballer (d. 1986).
1919 - Francis Gobreski, American fighter pilot (d. 2002).
1922 – Robert W. Holley, American biochemist (d. 1993).
1923 – Richard Herrmann, German footballer (d. 1962).
1924 - Marcel Broodthaers, Belgian artist (d. 1976).
1927 - Hiroshi Teshigahara, Japanese director (d. 2001).
1927 - Per Oscarsson, Swedish actor (d. 2010).
1929 – Acker Bilk, English jazz clarinettist.
1929 – Claes Oldenburg, American artist.
1930 – Kurt Biedenkopf, German politician.
1930 - Jasraj, Indian classical singer.
1935 – David Lodge, British writer.
1936 – Alan Alda, American actor.
1936 – Ismail Kadare, Albanian writer.
1940 – Carlos Slim, Mexican businessman.
1943 – Dick Taylor, British musician.
1944 – Susan Howard, American actress.
1944 – John Tavener, English composer.
1947 - Jeanne Shaheen, American politician, United States Senator for New Hampshire
1948 – Charles Taylor, former President of Liberia.
1948 – Heinz Flohe, German footballer.
1949 - Thomas Downey, American politician.
1949 - Gregg Popovich, American basketball coach.
1950 - David C. Hilmers, American astronaut.
1950 – Hamad Ibn Isa al Khalifah, King of Bahrain.
1951 - Leonid Kadelniuk, Ukrainian cosmonaut.
1955 – Nicolas Sarkozy, former President of France.
1957 - Frank Skinner, English comedian.
1957 - Nick Price, Zimbabwean golfer.
1961 – Arnaldur Indridason, Icelandic writer.
1961 - Normand Rochefort, Canadian ice hockey player.
1968 – Sarah McLachlan, Canadian singer/songwriter
1968 – DJ Muggs, American musician
1974 – Magglio Ordóñez, Venezuelan baseball player
1975 - Lee Latchford-Evans, English singer (Steps)
1976 - Lee Ingleby, English actor.
1977 - Daunte Culpepper, American football player.
1977 – Joey Fatone, American singer (*NSYNC)
1978 – Gianluigi Buffon, Italian footballer
1978 – Jamie Carragher, English footballer
1978 – Papa Bouba Diop, Senegalese footballer
1980 – Nick Carter, American singer (Backstreet Boys)
1980 – Yasuhito Endo, Japanese footballer
1981 – Elijah Wood, American actor
1984 - Andre Iguodala, American basketball player
1985 - Daniel Carcillo, Canadian ice hockey player
1985 - Arnold Mvuemba, French footballer
1985 - Libby Trickett, Australian swimmer
1985 - J. Cole, American rapper
1986 - Shruti Haasan, Indian actress
1986 – Jessica Ennis, British athlete
1991 - Calum Worthy, Canadian actor
1992 - Andrei Savchenko, Russian footballer
1998 – Ariel Winter, American actress and singer

Deaths

814 – Charlemagne, King of the Franks (b. early 700s)
1271 – Isabella of Aragon, Queen of France (b. 1247)
1443 - Robert Le Masson, Chancellor of France
1547 – Henry VIII of England (b. 1491)
1596 – Francis Drake, English naval officer, explorer and pirate (b. 1540)
1613 - Thomas Bodley, English diplomat and library founder (b. 1545)
1621 – Pope Paul V (b. 1550)
1672 - Pierre Seguier, Chancellor of France (b. 1588)
1687 – Johannes Hevelius, Polish astronomer and Mayor of Gdansk (b. 1611)
1697 - John Fenwick, English conspirator
1754 - Ludvig Holberg, Norwegian historian and writer (b. 1684)
1859 – Frederick John Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1782)
1864 - Emile Chappeyron, English engineer and physicist (b. 1799)
1912 - Gustave de Molinari, Belgian economist (b. 1819)
1918 – John McCrae, Canadian poet (b. 1872)
1936 - Oscar K. Allen, Governor of Louisiana (b. 1882)
1937 - Anastasios Metaxas, Greek architect and shooter (b. 1862)
1938 - Bernd Rosemeyer, German racing driver (b. 1909)
1939 – William Butler Yeats, Irish writer (b. 1865)
1949 - Jean-Pierre Wimille, French racing driver (b. 1908)
1950 - Nicolai Luzin, Russian mathematician (b. 1883)
1951 – Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, President of Finland (b. 1867)
1953 – Derek Bentley, British victim of a miscarriage of Justice (b. 1933) (hanged)
1953 – James Scullin, Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1876)
1956 - Marie Juchacz, German social reformer (b. 1883)
1960 - Zora Neale Hurston, American writer (b. 1891)
1963 – Jean Felix Piccard, Swiss scientist (b. 1884)
1973 – John Banner, Austrian-born actor (b. 1910)
1975 – Ola Raknes, Norwegian psychoanalyst and philologist (b. 1887)
1976 - Marcel Broodthaers, Belgian artist (b. 1924)
1983 – Frank Forde, shortest-serving Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1890)
1983 – Billy Fury, British singer (b. 1940)
1985 - Alfredo Foni, Italian footballer (b. 1911)
1986 - Deaths in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster:
- Greg Jarvis, American astronaut (b. 1944)
- Christa McAuliffe, American teacher and astronaut (b. 1948)
- Ronald McNair, American astronaut (b. 1950)
- Ellison Onizuka, American astronaut (b. 1946)
- Judith Resnik, American astronaut (b. 1949)
- Francis R. Scobee, American astronaut (b. 1939)
- Michael J. Smith, American astronaut (b. 1949)
1988 – Klaus Fuchs, German atomic spy (b. 1911)
1989 - Choekyi Gyaltsen, 10th Panchen Lama, Tibetan religious leader (b. 1938)
1991 – Red Grange, American football player (b. 1903)
1994 - Hal Smith, American actor (b. 1916)
1996 – Joseph Brodsky, Russian poet (b. 1940)
1996 – Jerry Siegel, American cartoonist (b. 1914)
1998 - Shotaro Ishinomori, Japanese writer (b. 1938)
1999 - Torgny Torgnysson Segerstedt, Swedish sociologist and philosopher (b. 1908)
2002 – Astrid Lindgren, Swedish writer (b. 1907)
2005 – Jim Capaldi, British musician (b. 1944)
2007 – Karel Svoboda, Czech composer (b. 1938)
2008 – Christodoulos I, Archbishop of Athens (b. 1939)
2008 – Marie Takvam, Norwegian writer (b. 1926)
2009 – Billy Powell, American musician (Lynyrd Skynyrd) (b. 1952)
2009 - Glenn Davis, American athlete (b. 1934)
2011 - Margaret Price, Welsh soprano (b. 1941)