The Stonewall Riots

1969

The Stonewall Riots begin in NYC’s Greenwich Village

Born on This Day

2024 Peabody Awards - Portraits

Mel Brooks

1926 -

Comedian, writer and director of "Blazing Saddles," "The Producers" and "Young Frankenstein."

CBS Fall Schedule Celebration

Kathy Bates

1948 -

Actress known for "Fried Green Tomatoes," "American Horror Story" and her Oscar-winning role in "Misery."

Saturday Night Live

Gilda Radner

1946 - 1989

Comedian known for her "Saturday Night Live" roles as Roseanne Roseannadanna, Emily Litella and Barbara Walters.

1894

JUN

28

President Grover Cleveland signs a bill establishing Labor Day as a national holiday, aiming to honor the hard-fought rights of US workers—and appease labor unions in the wake of the violent Pullman Strike.

Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on June 28th

1519

Charles I of Spain crowned Holy Roman Emperor, becomes Charles V

Charles I of Spain, who by birth already held sway over much of Europe and Spanish America, is chosen as the successor of his late grandfather, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. Charles, who was also the grandson of Ferdinand II and Isabella of Spain, had bribed the princes of Germany to vote for him, defeating […]

1836

Former President James Madison dies

On June 28, 1836, James Madison, drafter of the Constitution, recorder of the Constitutional Convention, author of the “Federalist Papers” and fourth president of the United States, dies on his tobacco plantation in Virginia. Madison first distinguished himself as a student at the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), where he successfully completed a […]

1904

Helen Keller graduates from Radcliffe, first DeafBlind person to earn a B.A.

On June 28, 1904, Helen Keller—deaf and blind since an illness at just 19 months old—graduates cum laude from Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Keller becomes the first DeafBlind person to earn a bachelor’s degree. According to an article the next day in The Boston Herald, Keller earned enthusiastic applause at the commencement exercises held […]

1914

Austria’s Archduke Ferdinand assassinated

Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie are shot to death by a Bosnian Serb nationalist during an official visit to the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo on June 28, 1914. The killings sparked a chain of events that led to the outbreak of World War I by early August.  The archduke traveled to Sarajevo in […]

Franz Ferdinand, archduke of Austria, and his wife Sophie riding in an open carriage at Sarajevo shortly before their assassination.

1940

Hitler takes a tour of Paris

On June 28, 1940, Adolf Hitler surveys notable sites in the French capital, now German-occupied territory. In his first and only visit to Paris, Hitler made Napoleon’s tomb among the sites to see. “That was the greatest and finest moment of my life,” he said upon leaving. Comparisons between the Führer and Napoleon have been […]

1940

Britain recognizes General Charles de Gaulle as leader of the Free French

On June 28, 1940, General Charles de Gaulle, having set up headquarters in England upon the establishment of a puppet government in his native France, is recognized by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill as the leader of the Free French Forces, dedicated to the defeat of Germany and the liberation of all France. Churchill would […]

1965

U.S. forces launch first military offensive in Vietnam

In the first major offensive ordered for U.S. forces in Vietnam, 3,000 troops of the 173rd Airborne Brigade—in conjunction with 800 Australian soldiers and a Vietnamese airborne unit—assault a jungle area known as Viet Cong Zone D, 20 miles northeast of Saigon. The operation was called off after three days when it failed to make […]

1972

Nixon announces draftees will not go to Vietnam

President Nixon announces that no more draftees will be sent to Vietnam unless they volunteer for such duty. He also announced that a force of 10,000 troops would be withdrawn by September 1, which would leave a total of 39,000 in Vietnam.

1992

Two big quakes rock California

Two of the strongest earthquakes ever to hit California strike the desert area east of Los Angeles on June 28, 1992. Although the state sits upon the immense San Andreas fault line, relatively few major earthquakes have hit California in modern times. Two of the strongest, but not the deadliest, hit southern California on a […]

1997

Boxer Mike Tyson bites off part of an opponent’s ear

On June 28, 1997, Mike Tyson bites Evander Holyfield’s ear in the third round of their heavyweight rematch. The attack led to his disqualification from the match and suspension from boxing, and was the strangest chapter yet in the champion’s roller-coaster career. Mike Tyson enjoyed a rapid rise to stardom. In 1986 he became the […]

2006

DaimlerChrysler announces Smart Car’s arrival in United States

After a flurry of rumors, DaimlerChrysler chairman Dieter Zetsche announces on June 28, 2006 that the company’s urban-focused Smart brand—already popular in Europe—will come to the U.S. in early 2008. Smart—an acronym for Swatch Mercedes ART—began as a joint venture between Swatch, the company known for its colorful and trendy plastic watches, and the German […]

2007

Bald Eagle removed from list of threatened species

On June 28, 2007, the United States removes one of its most commonly-used national symbols from its List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. The de-listing of the bald eagle, which had been close to vanishing from North America around the middle of the 20th century, was one of the most notable wildlife rehabilitation efforts in […]

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