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Today April 28th 2009 this day in history Read more below to view events, deaths, births, Holidays observances and video clips. Last database updated: Jan 17th, 2009
Events
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 first time and declares it to be the essence of Buddhism, in effect founding Nichiren Buddhism.
1611 – Establishment of the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines, the oldest existing university in Asia and 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, Captain 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 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.
1862 – American Civil War: Admiral David Farragut captures New Orleans, Louisiana.
1902 – Using the ISO 8601 standard Year Zero definition for the Gregorian calendar preceded by the Julian calendar, the one billionth minute since the start of January 1, Year Zero occurs at 10:40 AM on this date.
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.
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.
1949 – Former Philippine First Lady 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 Commander of NATO.
1952 – Occupied Japan: The United States occupation of Japan ends.
1965 – United States troops land in the Dominican Republic to forestall establishment of a Communist dictatorship and to evacuate U.S. Army troops.
1967 – Expo 67 opens to the public in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1969 – Charles de Gaulle resigns as President of France.
1969 – Terence O Neill announces his resignation as Prime Minister of Northern Ireland.
1970 – Vietnam War: U.S. President Richard M. Nixon formally authorizes American combat troops to fight communist sanctuaries in Cambodia.
1973 – Over 6000 Mk. 82 500 pound bombs detonate over the course of 18 hours in a railyard in northern California. 5500 structures are damaged, and the town of Antelope, California ceases to exist, with every building being reduced to the foundation. This accident leads to the passing of the Transportation Safety Act of 1974 which makes the NTSB an independent agency.
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.
1981 – Galician current Statute of Autonomy.
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, on station across the Line of Death in the Gulf of Sidra off the coast of Libya. The transit began at 0300 and lasted 12 hours.
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 Flight 243, a Boeing 737, and falls to her death when part of the plane s fuselage rips open in mid-flight.
1994 – Former C.I.A. official Aldrich Ames pleads guilty to giving U.S. secrets to the Soviet Union and later Russia.
1996 – Whitewater controversy: 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.
1997 – The 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention goes into effect, with Russia, Iraq and North Korea notable nations who have not ratified the treaty.
2001 – Millionaire Dennis Tito becomes the world s first space tourist.
2005 – The Patent Law Treaty goes into effect.
Births
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 (b. 1834)
1819 – Ezra Abbot, American Bible scholar (d. 1884)
1838 – Tobias Michael Carel Asser, Dutch jurist, Nobel laureate (d. 1913)
1868 – Lucy Booth, the fifth daughter of William and Catherine Booth (d. 1953)
1868 – Georgy Voronoy, Russian mathematician (d. 1908)
1874 – Karl Kraus, Austrian journalist and author (d. 1936)
1878 – Lionel Barrymore, American actor (d. 1954)
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, Austrian businessman (d. 1974)
1910 – Sam Merwin, Jr., American mystery fiction writer (d. 1996)
1911 – Lee Falk, American comic strip writer (d. 1999)
1912 – Odette Sansom, French resistance worker (d. 1995)
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 – William Guarnere, WWII Veteran
1922 – Alistair MacLean, Scottish novelist (d. 1987)
1924 – Donatas Banionis, Lithuanian actor
1924 – Kenneth Kaunda, President of Zambia
1925 – T. John Lesinski, Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
1926 – Blossom Dearie, American jazz singer
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)
1934 – Lois Duncan, American novelist
1937 – Saddam Hussein, President of Iraq (d. 2006)
1938 – Madge Sinclair, Jamaican actress (d. 1995)
1941 – Ann-Margret, Swedish-born actress
1941 – K. Barry Sharpless, American chemist, Nobel laureate
1941 – Lucien Aimar, French cyclist
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 – Terry Pratchett, English author
1948 – Marcia Strassman, American actress
1948 – Dorothée Berryman, French Canadian actress and singer
1949 – Indian Larry, American stuntsman (d. 2004)
1949 – Bruno Kirby, American actor (d. 2006)
1950 – Jay Leno, American comedian and television host
1950 – Willie Colón , Puerto Rican salsa musician
1952 – Mary McDonnell, American actress
1953 – Kim Gordon, American musician (Sonic Youth)
1953 – Roberto Bolano, Latin American author and poet
1954 – Ron Zook, American Football Coach
1955 – Paul Guilfoyle, American actor
1955 – Nicky Gumbel, British author and priest
1956 – Jimmy Barnes, Scottish-born singer
1957 – Wilma Landkroon, Dutch singer
1958 – Hal Sutton, American golfer
1960 – John Cerutti, American baseball player and announcer (d. 2004)
1960 – Ian Rankin, Scottish novelist
1960 – Joel H. Rosenthal American political scientist
1960 – Jón Páll Sigmarsson, Icelandic strength athlete (d. 1993)
1960 – Walter Zenga, Italian footballer
1961 – Futoshi Matsunaga, Japanese serial killer
1963 – Lloyd Eisler, Canadian figure skater
1964 – Barry Larkin, American baseball player
1964 – Noriyuki Iwadare, Japanese composer
1965 – Steven Blum, American voice actor
1966 – John Daly, American golfer
1966 – Too Short, American rapper
1967 – Kari Wührer, American actress
1968 – Daisy Berkowitz, American musician (Marilyn Manson)
1968 – Howard Donald, British musician
1968 – Andy Flower, Zimbabwean cricketer
1970 – Nicklas Lidström, Swedish ice hockey player
1970 – Diego Simeone, Argentine footballer
1971 – Bridget Moynahan, American actress
1972 – Joseph Bruce, American musician
1973 – Elisabeth Röhm, American actress
1973 – Jorge Garcia, American actor
1973 – Francisco Palencia, Mexican footballer
1974 – Penélope Cruz, Spanish actress
1974 – Richel Hersisia, Dutch boxer
1974 – Vernon Kay, British TV/radio presenter
1977 – Derrick Wayne Frazier, American convicted murderer (d. 2006)
1978 – Lauren Laverne, Disc jockey, television presenter and former singer
1979 – Bahram Radan, Iranian actor
1980 – Josh Howard, American basketball player (Dallas Mavericks)
1981 – Jessica Alba, American actress
1982 – Nikki Grahame, Big Brother 7 Star
1983 – Roger Johnson, English footballer
1986 – George Nozuka, Canadian Singer/Songwriter
1986 – Roman Polák, Czech ice hockey player
1986 – Jennifer Palm Lundberg, reigning Miss World Sweden
Deaths
1192 – Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I), King of Jerusalem
1498 – Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland, English politician
1533 – Nicholas West, English bishop and diplomat (b. 1461)
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)
1905 – Fitzhugh Lee, American Confederate general (b. 1835)
1926 – Zip the Pinhead, American freak show performer (b. 1857)
1936 – King Fuad I of Egypt (b. 1868)
1944 – Frank Knox, U.S. Vice-Presidential candidate (b. 1874)
1945 – Benito Mussolini, Italian fascist dictator (b. 1882)
1945 – Clara Petacci, Italian mistress of Benito Mussolini (shot) (b. 1912)
1945 – Roberto Farinacci, Italian fascist (b. 1892)
1946 – Louis Bachelier, French mathematician (b. 1870)
1949 – Aurora Quezon, First Lady of the Philippines (shot) (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 FM radio DJ (pioneer, freeform radio) (b. 1928)
1978 – Sardar Mohammed Daoud, 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)
1998 – Ramakant Desai, Indian cricketer (b. 1939)
1999 – Rory Calhoun, American actor (b. 1922)
1999 – Arthur Leonard Schawlow, American physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1921)
1999 – 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 – Tommy Newsom, American bandleader (b. 1929)
2007 – Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker, German physicist and philosopher (b. 1912)
Holidays and observances
Roman Empire – first day of the Floralia in honor of Flora.
Bahá í Faith – Feast of Jamál (Beauty) – First day of the third month of the Bahá í calendar.
National Day of Mourning in Canada to commemorate workers killed, injured, or suffering illness from occupational hazards and accidents.
National Heroes Day – Barbados.
Workers Memorial Day – International Workers Memorial Day
Feast day, in the Roman Catholic calendar of saints, of
Saint Peter Chanel and of
Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort
but, in the General Roman Calendar as in 1954, of
Saint Paul of the Cross
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