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Today August 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
475 – The Roman general Orestes forces western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos to flee his capital city, Ravenna.
489 – Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths defeats Odoacer at the Battle of Isonzo, forcing his way into Italy.
1189 – Third Crusade: the Crusaders begin the Siege of Acre under Guy of Lusignan
1349 – 6,000 Jews are killed in Mainz, accused of being the cause of the plague.
1511 – The Portuguese conquer Malacca.
1521 – The Ottoman Turks occupy Belgrade.
1542 – Turkish-Portuguese War (1538-1557) – Battle of Wofla: the Portuguese are scattered, their leader Christovão da Gama is captured and afterwards executed.
1565 – St. Augustine, Florida, is established. It is the oldest surviving European settlement in the United States.
1609 – Henry Hudson discovers Delaware Bay.
1619 – Ferdinand II is elected emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
1640 – Second Bishop s War: King Charles I s English army loses to a Scottish Covenanter force at the Battle of Newburn
1777 – American Revolutionary War – Battle of Cooch s Bridge takes place near Newark, Delaware.
1789 – William Herschel discovers a new moon of Saturn.
1830 – The Tom Thumb presages the first railway service in the United States.
1845 – Scientific American magazine publishes its first issue.
1849 – After a month-long siege, Venice, which had declared itself independent, surrenders to Austria.
1859 – A geomagnetic storm causes the Aurora Borealis to shine so brightly that it is seen clearly over parts of USA, Europe, and even as far afield as Japan.
1862 – American Civil War: Second Battle of Bull Run, also known as the battle of Second Manassas.
1867 – The United States takes possession of the, at this point unoccupied, Midway Atoll.
1879 – Cetshwayo, last king of the Zulus, is captured by the British.
1898 – Caleb Bradham renames his carbonated soft drink Pepsi-Cola.
1913 – Queen Wilhelmina opens the Peace Palace in The Hague.
1914 – World War I: the Royal Navy beats the German fleet in the Battle of Heligoland Bight.
1914 – World War I: German troops conquer Namur.
1916 – World War I: Germany declares war on Romania.
1916 – World War I: Italy declares war on Germany.
1917 – Ten suffragists are arrested when picketing the White House.
1924 – Georgian opposition stages the August Uprising against the Soviet Union.
1931 – France and Soviet Union sign a treaty of non-aggression.
1937 – Toyota Motors becomes an independent company.
1943 – World War II: in Denmark, a general strike against the Nazi occupation is started.
1944 – World War II: Marseille and Toulon are liberated.
1953 – Nippon Television broadcasts Japan s first television show, including its first TV advertisement.
1955 – Black teenager Emmett Till is murdered in Mississippi, galvanizing the nascent American Civil Rights Movement.
1961 – Motown releases what would be its first #1 hit, Please Mr. Postman by The Marvelettes.
1963 – March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom: Martin Luther King, Jr. gives his I Have a Dream speech.
1964 – The Philadelphia race riot begins.
1968 – Riots in Chicago, Illinois, during the Democratic National Convention.
1971 – The dollar is allowed to float against the yen for the first time.
1979 – An IRA bomb explodes on the Grand Place in Brussels.
1981 – The National Centers for Disease Control announce a high incidence of Pneumocystis and Kaposi s sarcoma in gay men. Soon, these will be recognized as symptoms of an immune disorder, which will be called AIDS.
1984 – Josef Fritzl lures his 18 year old daughter, Elisabeth, into the basement of their home, where she would be imprisoned for the next 24 years.
1986 – United States Navy officer Jerry A. Whitworth is sentenced to 365 years imprisonment for espionage for the Soviet Union.
1988 – Ramstein airshow disaster: three aircraft of the Frecce Tricolori demonstration team collide and the wreckage falls into the crowd. 75 are killed and 346 seriously injured.
1990 – Iraq declares Kuwait to be its newest province.
1990 – The Plainfield Tornado: an F5 tornado hits in Plainfield, Illinois, and Joliet, Illinois, killing 28 people.
1991 – Collapse of the Soviet Union: Ukraine declares its independence from the Soviet Union.
1991 – Collapse of the Soviet Union – Mikhail Gorbachev resigns as Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party.
1992 – Last US Manufactured Camaro Built in Van Nuys CA. Last 3rd Generation Z28, Last car with L98 350 Engine.
1996 – Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales are divorced.
1998 – Pakistan s National Assembly passes a constitutional amendment to make the Qur an and Sunnah the supreme law but the bill is defeated in the Senate.
2003 – An electricity blackout cuts off power to around 500,000 people living in south east England and brings 60% of London s underground rail network to a halt.
Births
1025 – Emperor Go-Reizei of Japan (d. 1068)
1582 – Taichang Emperor, of the Ming dynasty of China (d. 1620)
1592 – George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, English statesman (d. 1628)
1612 – Marcus Zuerius van Boxhorn, Dutch scholar (d. 1653)
1667 – Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, queen of Denmark and Norway (d. 1721)
1691 – Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Holy Roman Empire Empress (d. 1750)
1714 – Anthony Ulrich II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (d. 1774)
1749 – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German writer and scientist (d. 1832)
1774 – Elizabeth Ann Seton, American-born Catholic saint (d. 1821)
1789 – Stéphanie de Beauharnais, Grand Duchess of Baden (d. 1860)
1801 – Antoine Augustin Cournot, French mathematician (d. 1877)
1814 – Sheridan le Fanu, Irish writer (d. 1873)
1827 – Grand Duchess Catherine Mikhailovna of Russia (d. 1894)
1828 – Leo Tolstoy, Russian author (birthdate according to O.S.) (d. 1910)
1840 – Alexander Cameron Sim, Scottish merchant (d. 1900)
1853 – Vladimir Shukhov, Russian engineer and inventor (d. 1939)
1867 – Umberto Giordano, Italian composer (d. 1948)
1878 – George Whipple, American scientist and Nobel laureate (d. 1976)
1885 – Vance Palmer, Australian author (d. 1959)
1894 – Karl Böhm, Austrian conductor (d. 1981)
1898 – Charlie Grimm, American baseball player (d. 1983)
1899 – Charles Boyer, French actor (d. 1978)
1903 – Bruno Bettelheim, American psychologist (d. 1990)
1904 – Secondo Campini, Italian jet engine pioneer (d. 1980)
1905 – Cyril Walters, England cricketer (d. 1992)
1906 – John Betjeman, English poet (d. 1984)
1908 – Roger Tory Peterson, American ornithologist (d. 1996)
1910 – Tjalling Koopmans, Dutch-born economist Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1985)
1911 – Joseph Luns, Dutch politician (d. 2002)
1913 – Robertson Davies, Canadian writer (d. 1995)
1913 – Richard Tucker, American tenor (d. 1975)
1913 – Terence Reese, British bridge player (d. 1996)
1913 – Boris Pahor, Slovenian writer
1913 – Lindsay Hassett, Australian cricketer (d. 1993)
1915 – Max Robertson, British sports commentator
1915 – Tasha Tudor, American illustrator (d. 2008)
1916 – Jack Vance, American author
1916 – Hélène Baillargeon, Quebec singer and folklorist (d. 1997)
1917 – Jack Kirby, American comic book artist (d. 1994)
1919 – Godfrey Hounsfield, English electrical engineer Nobel Laureate (d. 2004)
1920 – Frits Bernard, pedophile activist (d. 2006)
1921 – Fernando Fernán Gómez, Spanish actor, director, academic and playwright (d. 2007)
1921 – Nancy Kulp, American actress (d. 1991)
1924 – Janet Frame, New Zealand author (d. 2004)
1924 – Peggy Ryan, American actress (d. 2004)
1924 – Tony MacGibbon, New Zealand cricketer
1925 – Donald O Connor, American singer, dancer, and actor (d. 2003)
1925 – Billy Grammer, American country music singer and guitarist
1928 – F. William Free, American advertising executive (d. 2003)
1929 – István Kertész, Hungarian conductor (d. 1973)
1929 – Ken Gampu, South African actor (d. 2003)
1930 – Windsor Davies, British actor
1930 – Ben Gazzara, American actor
1931 – John Shirley-Quirk, English bass-baritone
1931 – Tito Capobianco, Argentinian stage impresario
1932 – Andy Bathgate, Canadian ice hockey player
1935 – Gilles Rocheleau, French Canadian politician (d. 1998)
1936 – Don Denkinger, American baseball umpire
1938 – Paul Martin, Canadian politician
1938 – Maurizio Costanzo, Italian television journalist
1940 – Ken Jenkins, American actor
1940 – Roger Pingeon, French cylist
1940 – Nik Turner, English musician (Hawkwind)
1941 – Sybille de Selys Longchamps, Belgian aristocrat
1941 – Paul Plishka, American bass
1942 – Sterling Morrison, American guitarist (The Velvet Underground) (d. 1995)
1943 – David Soul, American actor
1943 – Lou Piniella, American baseball manager
1943 – Surayud Chulanont, Thai 24th Prime Minister (former)
1944 – Marianne Heemskerk, Dutch swimmer
1945 – Robert Greenwald, American film director/producer
1945 – Bob Segarini, American musician
1944 – Melvin Dummar, American claimant to the Howard Hughes estate
1947 – Liza Wang, Hong Kong actress
1947 – Shoto Tanemura, Japanese martial artist
1948 – Danny Seraphine, American musician (Chicago)
1948 – Murray Parker, New Zealand cricketer
1949 – Hugh Cornwell, British musician (The Stranglers)
1949 – Svetislav Pešic, Serbian basketball player and coach
1951 – Keiichi Suzuki, Japanese composer
1951 – Wayne Osmond, American singer (The Osmonds)
1952 – Rita Dove, American poet
1952 – Wendelin Wiedeking, German businessman
1952 – Guy Nadon, Canadian actor
1952 – Jacques Chagnon, Canadian politician
1954 – George Church, American geneticist
1956 – Luis Guzmán, Puerto Rican actor
1957 – Daniel Stern, American actor
1957 – Rick Rossovich, American actor
1958 – Scott Hamilton, American figure skater
1960 – Emma Samms, English actress
1961 – Kim Appleby, English singer
1961 – Cliff Benson, American football player
1962 – Paul Allen, English footballer
1962 – David Fincher, American music video and film director
1963 – Jennifer Coolidge, American actress
1963 – Regina Jacobs, American athlete
1965 – Amanda Tapping, Canadian actress
1965 – Shania Twain, Canadian singer
1966 – Priya Dutt, Indian social worker and politician
1967 – Frederick Kesner, Philippine-born Australian poet
1968 – Billy Boyd, Scottish actor
1969 – Jason Priestley, Canadian-born actor
1969 – Jack Black, American actor
1969 – Mary McCartney, English photographer
1969 – Pierre Turgeon, French Canadian ice hockey player
1970 – Sherrié Austin, Australian actress/singer
1970 – Rick Recht, Jewish singer
1971 – Todd Eldredge, American figure skater
1971 – Janet Evans, American swimmer
1971 – Raul Marquez, Mexican-born American boxer
1971 – Shane Andrews, American baseball player
1972 – Jay Witasick, American baseball player
1972 – Ravindu Shah, Kenyan cricketer
1973 – Matthew John Armstrong, American actor
1973 – DJ Assault, American musician
1974 – Johan Andersson, Swedish game programmer
1974 – Carsten Jancker, German footballer
1974 – Takahito Eguchi, Japanese composer
1975 – Jamie Cureton, English footballer
1975 – Gareth Farrelly, Irish footballer
1975 – Vera Jordanova, Finnish actress and model
1976 – Federico Magallanes, Uruguayan footballer
1978 – Jess Margera, American drummer (CKY)
1978 – Shaniqua, American wrestling valet
1979 – Robert Hoyzer, German football referee
1979 – Shaila Durcal, Spanish singer
1979 – Kristen Hughes, Australian netballer
1979 – Markus Pröll, German footballer
1979 – Ruth Riley, American basketball player
1980 – T.J. Beam, American baseball player
1981 – Martin Erat, Czech hockey player
1981 – Daniel Gygax, Swiss footballer
1981 – Vaggelis Moras, Greek footballer
1981 – Agata Wróbel, Polish weightlifter
1981 – Raphael Matos, Brazilian racing driver
1982 – Anderson Silva de França, Brazilian footballer
1982 – LeAnn Rimes, American singer
1982 – Kevin McNaughton, Scottish footballer
1982 – Thiago Motta, Brazilian footballer
1983 – Lasith Malinga, Sri Lankan cricketer
1983 – Alfonso Herrera, Actor, and singer in the Latin pop group RBD
1985 – Ralph Woolfolk IV, American actor
1986 – Gilad Shalit, Israeli corporal
1988 – Ray Jones, English footballer (d. 2007)
1990 – Bojan Krkic, Serbian-Spanish footballer
1991 – Kyle Massey, American actor
1991 – Sarah Jane Santos, Filipino singer
1999 – Prince Nikolai of Denmark
Deaths
388 – Magnus Maximus, Roman usurper
430 – Augustine of Hippo, North African saint and theologian (b. 354)
1341 – King Leo V of Armenia (b. 1309)
1481 – King Afonso V of Portugal (b. 1432)
1645 – Hugo Grotius, Dutch philosopher and writer (b. 1583)
1654 – Axel Oxenstierna, Lord High Chancellor of Sweden (b. 1583)
1678 – John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton, English soldier (b. 1602)
1757 – David Hartley, English philosopher (b. 1705)
1784 – Junípero Serra, Spanish missionary (b. 1713)
1785 – Jean-Baptiste Pigalle, French sculptor (b. 1714)
1793 – Adam Philippe, Comte de Custine, French general (executed) (b. 1740)
1805 – Alexander Carlyle, Scottish church leader (b. 1722)
1818 – Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable, founder of Chicago
1820 – Andrew Ellicott, American surveyor (b. 1754)
1839 – William Smith, English geologist (b. 1769)
1900 – Henry Sidgwick, English philosopher (b. 1838)
1903 – Frederick Law Olmsted, American landscape architect (b. 1822)
1933 – Helen Dunbar, American actress (b. 1863)
1943 – King Boris III of Bulgaria (b. 1894)
1947 – Manolete, Spanish bullfighter (b. 1917)
1955 – Emmett Till, American civil rights movement icon (b. 1941)
1959 – Bohuslav Martinu, Czech composer (b. 1890)
1965 – Giulio Racah, Israeli physicist (b. 1909)
1975 – Fritz Wotruba, Austrian sculptor (b. 1907)
1976 – Anissa Jones, American actress (b. 1958)
1978 – Robert Shaw, English actor and writer (b. 1927)
1981 – Béla Guttman, Hungarian footballer (b. 1900)
1982 – Geoff Chubb, South African cricketer (b. 1911)
1985 – Ruth Gordon, American actress (b. 1896)
1987 – John Huston, American movie director (b. 1906)
1988 – Jean Marchand, French Canadian union leader and politician (b. 1918)
1990 – Willy Vandersteen, Belgian cartoonist (b. 1913)
1993 – William Stafford, American poet (b. 1914)
1995 – Earl Bascom, American rodeo pioneer (b. 1906)
2003 – Brian Douglas Wells, American criminal (failed) (b. 1956)
2005 – Jacques Dufilho, French actor (b. 1914)
2005 – Esther Szekeres, Hungarian mathematician (b. 1910)
2005 – George Szekeres, Hungarian mathematician (b. 1911)
2006 – Benoît Sauvageau, French Canadian politician (b. 1963)
2006 – Melvin Schwartz, American physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1932)
2007 – Arthur Jones, American inventor of the Nautilus exercise machines (b. 1926)
2007 – Hilly Kristal, American musician (b. 1932)
2007 – Paul B. MacCready, Jr., American aeronautical engineer (b. 1925)
2007 – Antonio Puerta, Spanish footballer (b. 1984)
2007 – Francisco Umbral, Spanish journalist, novelist, biographer and essayist (b. 1935)
2007 – Miyoshi Umeki, Japanese-born American actress (b. 1929)
2007 – Nikola Nobilo, New Zealand winemaker (b. 1913)
2008 – Phil Hill, American race car driver and one-time F1 world champion (b. 1927)
Holidays and observances
In Eastern Orthodox Churches using the Julian calendar: Feast day of the Assumption of Mary, the mother of Jesus, public holiday in the Republic of Macedonia, Serbia
Many Christian churches: feast day of Saint Augustine of Hippo.
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