Holidays
Alpine Mastiffs Reanimating a Distressed Traveler (1820) - Edwin Landseer
Alpine Mastiffs Reanimating a Distressed Traveler (1820) - Edwin Landseer
Feast Day of Saint Bernard of Menthon
Patron saint of mountain climbers. He established hostels along what is now known as St. Bernard Pass, which used their famous breed of dogs to rescue climbers.
What Happened On
Killing of Harambe
May 28, 2016
When a three-year-old boy fell into the moat at the Cincinnati Zoo and was grabbed and dragged by Harambe, a zoo worker shot and killed Harambe. Harambe was a 17-year-old, 440-pound Western lowland gorilla. The incident was recorded on video and created outrage about the justification of the killing. The boy had climbed a three-foot fence, crawled through four feet of bushes, and fallen 15 feet into a shallow water-filled moat. Harambe then dragged him out of the moat. Although it was unclear if he intended to hurt the child, Harambe was shot and killed to protect the child from harm. A number of primatologists and conservationists wrote later that the zoo had no other choice under the circumstances.
Phil Hartman Killed in Murder-Suicide
May 28, 1998
Comedian Phil Hartman is murdered by his wife. During a heated argument earlier that evening, he had threatened to leave her if she began using drugs again. After he went to bed, she shot him while he slept at about 3 am, killing herself later that morning as police were removing the children from the home.
Hartman was known for his extensive television and film work, such as: Saturday Night Live, Pee-wee's Playhouse (Captin' Carl. He and Paul Reubens co-created the Pee-wee Herman character), and The Simpsons (voice of Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz). He also designed album covers for bands such as Poco.
First Monkey to Survive Space Flight
May 28, 1959
The U.S. launches two monkeys, Able (female rhesus macaque) and Baker (female squirrel monkey), into space. They were both recovered alive; however, Able died four days later during surgery to remove a test probe from under her skin. Miss Baker was the first monkey to survive a space flight and the following procedures. They reached an altitude of over 300 miles and speeds over 10,000 mph on their 15-minute flight. They were featured on the cover of the June 1959 issue of Life magazine. Miss Baker went on to become a national celebrity, dying in 1984 at the age of 27 - she was the oldest living squirrel monkey.
First Historical Event for Which the Exact Date is Known
May 28, 585 B.C.
Battle of the Eclipse - A battle between the Medes and the Lydians is called off when both armies are frightened by an eclipse of the Sun. They then negotiated a peace agreement, ending their six-year war.
Coors CEO Arrested for DWI
May 28, 2006
Coors Brewing Company CEO and TV pitchman Peter Coors is arrested for DWI.
West Point's First Female Graduates
May 28, 1980
First women to graduate from United States Military Academy, commonly known as West Point.
Willie Mays' First Home Run
May 28, 1951
Baseball legend Willie Mays hits his first major-league home run.
First Payments by the FDIC on a Closed Bank
May 28, 1934
Fond du Lac State Bank of East Peoria, Illinois closes. The FDIC paid off its depositors the following July, capping the coverage at $2500 per account holder.
French and Indian War
May 28, 1754
The first fighting takes place when Gen. George Washington defeats the French near Great Meadows. He then built Fort Necessity on the site.
Birthdays
First Known Surviving Quintuplets
Emilie (d. 1954), Marie (d. 1970), Cecile, Annette, and Yvonne (d. 2001) Dionne
Born May 28, 1934
Canadian quintuplets. They are the world's first known surviving quintuplets (five births). Their total weight at birth was 13 pounds, 6 ounces (6.07 kg) and they all survived to adulthood. They were all identical girls, meaning they were created from a single egg cell.
In 1935, the Ontario government passed the Dionne Quintuplets' Guardianship Act, which made them wards of the Crown until the age of 18.
Blofeld - Evil Genius
Ernst Stavro Blofeld
Born May 28, 1908
Polish evil genius. James Bond's fictional foe and SPECTRE's #1 in the movies and books. He is known for his white Persian cat and is parodied as Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers films. He shares his birth date with his creator, Ian Fleming.
Jim Thorpe (Bright Path)
Born May 28, 1888 d. 1953
American Hall of Fame athlete, He is considered the greatest athlete of the first half of the 20th century. He played professional football and baseball, and excelled in boxing, wrestling, gymnastics, swimming, hockey, basketball, and track.
Thorpe was a member of the Sac and Fox Nation and in was the first Native American to win an Olympic gold medal for the United States, winning gold medals in the 1912 pentathlon and decathlon. But, his gold medals were revoked after it was discovered he had been paid to play baseball, disqualifying him from the strictly amateur Olympics. There was speculation that the revocation was due to his Native American heritage, as it was known that other athletes had played professionally, although usually under aliases. His medals were restored in 1982.
Thorpe was also the first president of the American Professional Football Association (APFA) from 1920 to 1921, which became the NFL in 1922.
Led Attack on Ft. Sumter Starting the Civil War
Pierre G. T. Beauregard
Born May 28, 1818 d. 1893
American Confederate general. He led the attack on Fort Sumter starting the American Civil War (1861). The commander of Fort Sumter, whom he attacked, had been his instructor at West Point. Beauregard became the first Confederate general when he was appointed brigadier general (March 1, 1861).
Joseph-Ignace Guillotin
Born May 28, 1738 d. 1814
French physician. His campaign for the use of a machine to provide humane executions led to the invention of the guillotine by a German mechanic. The first execution by Guillotine was performed in 1792.
Michael Oher (Michael Jerome Williams, Jr.)
Born May 28, 1986
American football player, offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens. The movie The Blind Side (2009) was loosely based on his difficult childhood and adoption by an affluent white couple to becoming a successful NFL player.
Sondra Locke (Sondra Louise Smith)
Born May 28, 1944 d. 2018
American actress. She often teamed with Clint Eastwood. Film: The Outlaw Josey Wales (1975), The Gauntlet (1977), and Every Which Way But Loose (1978).
Gladys Knight
Born May 28, 1944
American Grammy-winning singer, with the Pips. Music: Midnight Train to Georgia (1973, #1).
Jerry West
Born May 28, 1938
American basketball player, coach, manager. He set the NBA record for most free throws made in a single season (840 in 1966).
Carroll Baker
Born May 28, 1931
American actress. Film: Baby Doll (1956, the thumb-sucking wife).
John Birch
Born May 28, 1918 d. 1945
American missionary and U.S. Army intelligence officer. The anti-communist John Birch Society is named for him. He was killed by Chinese communists. John Birch, along with Chinese guerrillas, helped the Doolittle Raiders to safety when they bailed out over China after completing the first U.S. bombing of the Japanese mainland during World War II. After the raid, Doolittle commissioned Birch as a second lieutenant to work as a field intelligence officer. Birch built an intelligence network of sympathetic Chinese informants, supplying information on Japanese troop movements and shipping.
Birch was killed a few days after the war ended in a confrontation with Chinese Communist soldiers. Birch refused to surrender his revolver to them and harsh words and insults were exchanged, resulting in Birch being shot and killed.
T-Bone Walker (Aaron Walker)
Born May 28, 1910 d. 1975
American singer, Daddy of the Blues.
Creator of James Bond
Ian Fleming
Born May 28, 1908 d. 1964
British author. Creator of James Bond 007. He also wrote Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang.
Deaths
Maya Angelou (Marguerite Annie Johnson)
Died May 28, 2014 b. 1928
African-American poet, civil rights activist. When she was eight years old, she was raped by her mother's boyfriend. He was convicted and sentenced to a single day in jail. When he was released, he was murdered; some believe by her uncles. After the incident she refused to speak for almost five years, believing, "I thought, my voice killed him; I killed that man, because I told his name. And then I thought I would never speak again, because my voice would kill anyone." She was also the first black female streetcar conductor in San Francisco. Writings: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969).
Audie Murphy
Died May 28, 1971 b. 1925
American war hero, actor. He was the most decorated American combat solider of World War II; he received the Medal of Honor along with numerous other decorations. He single-handedly held off advancing Germans for an hour by manning a burning tank while under direct fire. He was wounded in the attack, but continued until he ran out of ammunition.
Bo Hopkins (William Hopkins)
Died May 28, 2022 b. 1938
American actor. TV: The Rockford Files (1978-79, disbarred lawyer John Cooper) and Dynasty (1981-87, Matthew Blaisdel).
Gary Coleman
Died May 28, 2010 b. 1968
American actor, "What you talkin' 'bout, Willis?" His short 4 foot 8 inch (142.24 cm) stature was due to congenital kidney disease and its treatment. TV: Diff'rent Strokes (1978-86).
Martha Scott
Died May 28, 2003 b. 1912
American actress. Film: Our Town (1940), The Ten Commandments (1956, Moses' mother), and Ben-Hur (1959, Ben-Hur's mother). TV: The Bob Newhart Show (Bob's mother), Dallas (Sue Ellen's mother), The Six Million Dollar Man (Steve Austin's mother).
Phil Hartman (Phillip Edward Hartmann)
Died May 28, 1998 b. 1948
Canadian-born American actor. He was shot to death by his wife in a murder-suicide. During a heated argument earlier that evening, he had threatened to leave her if she began using drugs again. After he went to bed, she shot him while he slept at about 3 am, killing herself later that morning as police were removing the children from the home.
TV: Saturday Night Live, Pee-Wee's Playhouse (Captin' Carl. He and Paul Reubens co-created the Pee-wee Herman character), and The Simpsons (voice of Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz). He also designed album covers for bands such as Poco.
Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David)
Died May 28, 1972 b. 1894
King of England (1936). He gave up the Throne to marry American divorcee Wallis Warfield Simpson, after which he became Duke of Windsor.
Alfred Adler
Died May 28, 1937 b. 1870
Austrian psychiatrist. He was the chief proponent of the "inferiority complex" as the source of psychological problems.
Noah Webster
Died May 28, 1843 b. 1758
American lexicographer, schoolmaster to America. Works: Blue-Backed Speller (1783) and An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828).
Richard Nicolls
Died May 28, 1672 b. 1624
first English colonial governor (1664-68) of New York. Introduced the first organized sport in American when he built (1664) a horse racing track on Long Island.