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Today May 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
585 BC – A solar eclipse occurs, as predicted by 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.
1503 – James IV of Scotland and Margaret Tudor are married according to a Papal Bull by Pope Alexander VI. A Treaty of Everlasting Peace between Scotland and England signed on that occasion results in a peace that lasts ten years.
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 heading for the English Channel. (It will take until May 30 for all ships to leave port).
1644 – Bolton Massacre by Royalist troops under the command of the Earl of Derby.
1754 – French and Indian War: in the first engagement of the war, Virginia militia under 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.
1774 – American Revolutionary War: the first Continental Congress convenes.
1830 – President Andrew Jackson signs The Indian Removal Act which relocates Native Americans.
1863 – American Civil War: the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, the first African American regiment, leaves Boston, Massachusetts, to fight for the Union.
1892 – In San Francisco, California, John Muir organizes the Sierra Club.
1905 – Russo-Japanese War: the Battle of Tsushima ends with the destruction of the Russian Baltic Fleet by Admiral Togo Heihachiro and the Imperial Japanese Navy.
1918 – The Democratic Republic of Armenia declares its independence.
1918 – The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic declares its independence
1926 – 28th May 1926 coup d état: Ditadura Nacional is established in Portugal to suppress the unrest of the First Republic.
1930 – The Chrysler Building in New York City officially opens.
1934 – Near Callander, Ontario, the Dionne quintuplets are born to Olivia and Elzire Dionne, later becoming the first quintuplets to survive infancy.
1934 – The Glyndebourne festival in England is inaugurated.
1936 – Alan Turing submits On Computable Numbers for publication.
1937 – The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California, is officially opened by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in Washington, DC, who pushes a button signaling the start of vehicle traffic over the span.
1937 – Neville Chamberlain becomes British Prime Minister.
1940 – World War II: Belgium surrenders to Germany.
1940 – World War II: Norwegian, French, Polish and British forces recapture Narvik. This is the first allied infantry victory of World War II.
1942 – World War II: in retaliation for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, Nazis in Czechoslovakia kill over 1800 people.
1952 – Memphis Kiddie Park opens in Brooklyn, Ohio. The park s Little Dipper roller coaster would become the oldest operating steel roller coaster in North America.
1952 – The women of Greece are given the right to vote.
1955 – Henry Bolte becomes Premier of the state of Victoria.
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 is formed.
1970 – The formerly united Free University of Brussels officially splits into two separate entities, the French-speaking Université Libre de Bruxelles and the Dutch-speaking Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
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.
1978 – Second round of the presidential elections in Upper Volta. The election is won by incumbent Sangoulé Lamizana.
1979 – Constantine Karamanlis signs the full treaty of the accession of Greece with the European Economic Community.
1982 – Falklands War: British forces defeat the Argentines at the Battle of Goose Green.
1987 – 19-year-old West German pilot Mathias Rust evades Soviet Union air defenses and lands a private plane in Red Square in Moscow. He is immediately detained and is not released until August 3, 1988.
1987 – A robot probe finds the wreckage of the USS Monitor near Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
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 Russian town of Neftegorsk is hit by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake that kills at least 2,000 people, ? of total population.
1996 – U.S. President Bill Clinton s former business partners in the Whitewater land deal, James McDougal and Susan McDougal, and Arkansas Governor Jim Guy Tucker, are convicted of fraud.
1998 – Nuclear testing: Pakistan responds to a series of Indian nuclear tests with five of its own, prompting the United States, Japan, and other nations to impose economic sanctions.
1999 – In Milan, Italy, after 22 years of restoration work, Leonardo da Vinci s masterpiece The Last Supper is put back on display.
1999 – Two Swedish police officers are murdered with their own fire arms by the bank robbers Jackie Arklöv and Tony Olsson after a dramatic car chase.
2002 – NATO declares Russia a limited partner in the Western alliance.
2002 – The Mars Odyssey finds signs of large ice deposits on the planet Mars.
2003 – Peter Hollingworth becomes the first Governor-General of Australia to resign his office as a result of criticism of his conduct.
2004 – The Iraqi Governing Council chooses Ayad Allawi, a longtime anti-Saddam Hussein exile, to become 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.
Births
1140 – Xin Qiji, Chinese poet (d. 1207)
1371 – John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy (d. 1419)
1524 – Selim II, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1574)
1582 – William Fiennes, 1st Viscount Saye and Sele, English statesman (d. 1662)
1588 – Pierre Seguier, Chancellor of France (d. 1672)
1641 – Janez Vajkard Valvasor, Slovenian polymath (d. 1693)
1660 – King George I of Great Britain (d. 1727)
1676 – Jacopo Riccati, Italian mathematician (d. 1754)
1692 – Joseph Butler, English philosopher (d. 1752)
1738 – Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, French physician (d. 1814)
1759 – William Pitt the Younger, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1806)
1779 – Thomas Moore, Irish poet (d. 1852)
1807 – Louis Agassiz, Swiss-born zoologist and geologist (d. 1873)
1818 – Pierre Beauregard, American Confederate general (d. 1893)
1836 – Alexander Mitscherlich, German chemist (d. 1918)
1837 – George Ashlin, Irish architect (d. 1921)
1837 – Tony Pastor, American vaudeville performer (d. 1908)
1853 – Carl Larsson, Swedish painter (d. 1919)
1858 – Carl Rickard Nyberg, Swedish inventor (d. 1939)
1872 – Marian Smoluchowski, Polish physicist (d. 1917)
1878 – Paul Pelliot, French sinologist (d. 1945)
1883 – Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Indian activist (d. 1966)
1883 – Clough Williams-Ellis, Welsh architect (d. 1978)
1884 – Edvard Beneš, Czech politician (d. 1948)
1886 – Santo Trafficante, Sr., Sicilian-born American mobster (d. 1954)
1888 – Jim Thorpe, American athlete (d. 1953)
1888 – Kaarel Eenpalu, Estonian Prime Minister (d. 1942)
1889 – Richard Réti, Austrian-Czech chess grandmaster (d. 1929)
1892 – Sepp Dietrich, German SS officer (d. 1966)
1900 – Tommy Ladnier, American musician (d. 1939)
1908 – Ian Fleming, English author (d. 1964)
1909 – Red Horner, Canadian hockey player (d. 2005)
1910 – T-Bone Walker, American singer (d. 1975)
1910 – Lady Rachel Kempson, English actress (d. 2003)
1911 – Thora Hird, British actress (d. 2003)
1911 – Fritz Hochwälder, Austrian author (d. 1986)
1912 – Patrick White, Australian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1990)
1912 – Herman Johannes, Indonesian scientist and politician (d. 1992)
1914 – W. G. G. Duncan Smith, British World War II pilot (d. 1996)
1915 – Joseph Greenberg, American linguist (d. 2001)
1916 – Walker Percy, American author (d. 1990)
1917 – Papa John Creech, American musician (d. 1994)
1918 – Johnny Wayne, Canadian comedian (Wayne and Shuster) (d. 1990)
1921 – Heinz G. Konsalik, German author (d. 1999)
1922 – Lou Duva, American boxing trainer
1923 – György Ligeti, Hungarian composer (d. 2006)
1923 – Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, Indian actor and politician (d. 1998)
1925 – Bülent Ecevit, Prime Minister of Turkey (d. 2006)
1925 – Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, German baritone
1931 – Carroll Baker, American actress
1936 – Betty Shabazz, American civil rights activist (d. 1997)
1936 – Claude Forget, French-Canadian politician
1938 – Jerry West, American basketball player
1938 – Prince Buster, Jamaican musician
1941 – Beth Howland, American actress
1942 – Stanley B. Prusiner, American scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
1943 – Terry Crisp, Canadian hockey coach
1943 – Elena Souliotis, Greek soprano (d. 2004)
1944 – Rudy Giuliani, American politician
1944 – Gladys Knight, American singer and actress
1944 – Patricia Quinn, Northern Irish actress
1944 – Gary Stewart, American singer (d. 2003)
1944 – Billy Vera, American actor and musician
1944 – Faith Brown, British actress
1945 – John Fogerty, American musician (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
1945 – Hunter Patch Adams, American doctor
1945 – John N. Bambacus, American politician
1946 – Satchidanandan, Indian poet
1946 – Skip Jutze, American baseball player
1947 – Sondra Locke, American actress
1947 – Zahi Hawass, Egyptian Egyptologist
1947 – Lynn Johnston, Canadian cartoonist
1949 – Wendy O. Williams, American musician (The Plasmatics) (d. 1998)
1950 – Ian Bradley, British writer and academic
1950 – Jim Harris, American professional wrestler
1952 – Russell J. Wintner, American film executive
1953 – Arto Lindsay, American guitarist and singer
1954 – John Tory, Canadian politician
1954 – Youri Egorov, Soviet classical pianist (d. 1988)
1955 – John McGeoch, Scottish musician (Siouxsie and the Banshees) (d. 2004)
1955 – Mark Howe, American ice hockey player
1956 – Julie Peasgood, British actress
1956 – Jerry Douglas, American dobro player
1956 – Markus Höttinger, Austrian racing driver (d. 1980)
1957 – Kirk Gibson, American baseball player
1957 – Ben Howland, American college basketball coach
1959 – John Morgan, British etiquette expert (d. 2000)
1960 – Mark Sanford, 115th Governor of South Carolina
1961 – Roland Gift, English musician (Fine Young Cannibals)
1962 – Brandon Cruz, American actor
1962 – James Michael Tyler, American actor
1963 – Houman Younessi, Iranian-born scientist
1963 – Gavin Harrison, British drummer (Porcupine Tree)
1964 – Jeff Fenech, Australian boxer
1964 – Christa Miller, American actress
1964 – David Baddiel, British comedian and television presenter
1964 – Phil Vassar, American country music singer
1965 – Chris Ballew, American musician
1967 – Glen Rice, American basketball player
1968 – Kylie Minogue, Australian actress and singer
1969 – Mike DiFelice, American baseball player
1969 – Justin Kirk, American actor
1970 – Morgan Fox, Canadian model and 1990 Playboy playmate
1970 – Ian Cashmore, English actor and paranormal investigator
1970 – Glenn Quinn, Irish actor (d. 2002)
1971 – Isabelle Carré, French actress
1971 – Ekaterina Gordeeva, Russian figure skater
1972 – Michael Boogerd, Dutch cyclist
1972 – Guidoni Junior Doriva, Brazilian footballer
1974 – Alicia Minshew, American actress
1975 – Charmaine Sheh, Hong Kong actress
1976 – Liam O Brien, American voice actor
1976 – Alexei Nemov, Russian gymnast
1976 – Glenn Morrison, Rugby League Player
1977 – Jeremy Borash, American professional wrestling announcer
1977 – Elisabeth Hasselbeck, American television panelist (The View)
1979 – Jesse Bradford, American actor
1979 – Ronald Curry, American football player
1979 – Joeri Jansen, Belgian athlete
1979 – Monica Keena, American actress
1980 – Mark Feehily, Irish musician (Westlife)
1980 – Miguel Pérez, Spanish footballer
1981 – Adam Green, American singer and songwriter
1981 – Daniel Cabrera, Dominican baseball player
1982 – Alexa Davalos, American actress
1982 – Jhonny Peralta, Dominican baseball player
1983 – Steve Cronin, American soccer goalkeeper
1983 – Humberto Sanchez, Dominican baseball player
1984 – Beth Allen, New Zealand actress
1985 – Colbie Caillat, American folk singer-songwriter
1986 – Charles N Zogbia, French footballer
1986 – Joseph Cross, American actor
1986 – Michael Oher, American football player at Ole Miss
1986 – Berrick Barnes, Australian Rugby player
1988 – David Perron, Canadian ice hockey player
Deaths
576 – Saint Germain of Paris (b. 496)
1357 – King Afonso IV of Portugal (b. 1291)
1556 – Saito Dosan, Japanese daimyo
1672 – John Trevor, English politician (b. 1626)
1747 – Luc de Clapiers, marquis de Vauvenargues, French writer (b. 1715)
1750 – Emperor Sakuramachi of Japan (b. 1720)
1787 – Leopold Mozart, Austrian composer (b. 1719)
1805 – Luigi Boccherini, Italian composer (b. 1743)
1808 – Richard Hurd, English bishop and writer (b. 1720)
1811 – Henry Dundas, British minister (b. 1742)
1816 – Ras Wolde Selassie, Ethiopian warlord
1828 – Daikokuya Kodayu, Japanese castaway (b. 1751)
1843 – Noah Webster, American author, politician, and lexicographer (b. 1758)
1849 – Anne Brontë, English author (b. 1820)
1864 – Simion Barnutiu, Romanian philosopher and liberal politician (b. 1808)
1878 – John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1792)
1916 – Ivan Franko, Ukrainian writer (b. 1856)
1927 – Boris Kustodiev, Russian painter (b. 1878)
1937 – Alfred Adler, Austrian psychologist (b. 1870)
1940 – Friedrich Karl von Hessen (b. 1868)
1947 – August Eigruber, Austrian war criminal (b. 1907)
1948 – Unity Mitford, English fascist sympathizer (b. 1914)
1953 – Hori Tatsuo, Japanese writer (b. 1904)
1968 – Fyodor Matveyevich Okhlopkov, Yakut-born Soviet sniper (b. 1908)
1971 – Audie Murphy, American actor and war hero (b. 1924)
1971 – Jean Vilar, French actor (b. 1912)
1972 – King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom (b. 1894)
1975 – Ezzard Charles, Heavyweight champion (b. 1921)
1976 – Steffan Danielsen, Faroese painter (b. 1922)
1978 – Arthur Brough, English actor (b. 1905)
1980 – Rolf Nevanlinna, Finnish mathematician (b. 1895)
1981 – Stefan Cardinal Wyszynski, Archbishop of Warsaw (b. 1901)
1982 – Lt Col H . Jones VC, British soldier (Falklands War) (b. 1940)
1983 – Erastus Corning 2nd, American politician, 72nd Mayor of Albany, New York (b. 1909)
1984 – Eric Morecambe, British comedian (Morecambe and Wise) (b. 1926)
1988 – Sy Oliver, Jazz trumpeter, composer and bandleader (b. 1910)
1993 – Billy Conn, American boxer and actor (b. 1917)
1994 – Julius Boros, American golfer (b. 1920)
1994 – Ely Jacques Kahn, Jr., American writer (b. 1916)
1998 – Phil Hartman, Canadian actor, comedian (b. 1948)
2001 – Francisco Varela, Chilean biologist and philosopher (b. 1946)
2001 – Joe Moakley, American politician (b. 1927)
2002 – Jean Berger, German-born composer (b. 1909)
2003 – Oleg Makarov, cosmonaut (b. 1933)
2003 – Ilya Prigogine, Russian-born physicist and chemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (b. 1917)
2003 – Martha Scott, American actress (b. 1912)
2004 – Umberto Agnelli, Swiss-born automobile executive (b. 1934)
2006 – Thorleif Schjelderup, Norwegian author and ski jumper (b. 1920)
2007 – Marquise Hill, American football player (b. 1982)
2007 – Toshikatsu Matsuoka, Japanese politician (b. 1945)
2008 – David Mitton, Scottish-born director (b. 1938)
2008 – Robert Justman, American television producer (b. 1926)
Holidays and observances
Feast day of the following saints in the Roman Catholic Church:
Germain of Paris
Augustine of Canterbury
William of Gellone
Bernard of Menthon
Lanfranc
Republic Day in Azerbaijan and Armenia (both 1918).
National Flag Day in the Republic of the Philippines
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