Historical Events on March 28

  • 1802: 2 Pallas – the 2nd asteroid to ever have been discovered – is discovered by Heinrich Wilhelm Matthaus Olbers.
  • 1809: At the Battle of Medellin during the Peninsular War, Spain is defeated by France.
  • 1814: Two Royal Navy ships capture two American Navy ships at the Battle of Valparaiso during the War of 1812.
  • 1854: During the Crimean War, Britain and France both declare war on Russia.
  • 1862: A Confederate invasion is stopped in the New Mexico at the Battle of Glorieta Pass during the American Civil War.
  • 1871: In Paris, the Paris Commune is formally established.
  • 1941: 3 heavy cruisers and 2 destroyers belonging to Italy’s Regia Marina is sunk by Britain’s Mediterranean Fleet during World War II.
  • 1970: Over twelve hundred people are injured and over a thousand people are killed when an earthquake hits Western Turkey.
  • 1978: A 5-3 decision is handed down by the United States Supreme Court in the Stump v. Sparkman case.
  • 1979: At 3 Mile Island’s Unit 2 nuclear reactor just outside Harrisburg in Pennsylvania, a coolant leak causes the core to over heat and leads to a partial meltdown.
  • 1990:S President George H.W. Bush posthumously awards the Congressional Gold Medal to Jesse Owens.
  • 1994: Dozens of Inkatha Freedom Party protesters are killed in South Africa by African National Congress security guards.
  • 1999: In Izbica, almost 150 Kosovo Albanians are killed by Serb military forces during the Kosovo War.

Famous Birthdays on March 28

  • Russian novelist and playwright, Maxim Gorky is born in 1868.
  • American rower John Geiger is born in 1873.
  • American zoologist and TV host, Marlin Perkins is born in 1905.
  • American actor Robert Allen is born in 1906.
  • English author Norrey Ford is born in 1907.
  • English songwriter and keyboard player, John Evan is born in 1948.
  • American actress Dianne Wiest is born in 1948.
  • American singer-songwriter and actress, Reba McEntire is born in 1955.
  • American journalist and sportscaster, Chris Myers is born in 1959.
  • British actor and comedian, Chris Barrie is born in 1960.