On June 28, 1997, Mike Tyson bit off part of Evander Holyfield's ear during their boxing match.
What Happened On
Lend Me Your Ears
June 28, 1997
Mike Tyson bites Evander Holyfield's ears in their heavyweight championship fight. Tyson's first bite tore off a one-inch piece of cartilage from the top of Holyfield's right ear, which Tyson spat out onto the ring apron. The fight continued and then Tyson bit Holyfield's left ear. Tyson was disqualified after the round and Holyfield remained the WBA Heavyweight champion.
In 2009, on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Tyson made amends with Holyfield, telling him "it's been a pleasure passing through life, being acquainted with you." Holyfield then forgave Tyson. They went on to become good friends and even went into business together, selling edible cannabis sweets in the shape of Holyfield's ear, called "Holy Ears".
Joke: How do you know when it's time to retire from boxing? When Mike Tyson chips a tooth on your hearing aid.
Cast (left to right) Spencer Williams (Andy), Tim Moore (Kingfish), and Alvin Childress (Amos)
Cast (left to right) Spencer Williams (Andy), Tim Moore (Kingfish), and Alvin Childress (Amos)
Amos 'n' Andy
June 28, 1951
The TV show Amos 'n' Andy debuts on CBS TV, starring Alvin Childress as Amos, Spencer Williams as Andy, and Tim Moore as Kingfish. It was the TV version of the hit radio program that had been running since 1928. The TV version featured black actors, whereas the radio version used white actors to portray the black characters. The NAACP protested the TV show soon after it began, leading to the show's cancellation in 1953.
Council of Four at the WWI Paris peace conference (L-R) Prime Minister David Lloyd George (Great Britain), Premier Vittorio Orlando (Italy), Premier Georges Clemenceau (France), President Woodrow Wilson (U.S.)
Council of Four at the WWI Paris peace conference (L-R) Prime Minister David Lloyd George (Great Britain), Premier Vittorio Orlando (Italy), Premier Georges Clemenceau (France), President Woodrow Wilson (U.S.)
World War I - Treaty of Versailles
June 28, 1919
The Treaty of Versailles is signed by Germany ending the state of war between Germany and the Allied Forces. It required Germany to accept sole responsibility for starting the war.
Many historians believe the harsh terms of this treaty led to World War II. Although the U.S. was among the signatories of the treaty, the U.S. Senate refused to consent to ratification of the treaty, due in large measure to its objections to U.S. participation in the League of Nations. A separate peace treaty between the U.S. and Germany was negotiated in 1921.
WWI Gun Crew with Gas Masks, photo by John Warwick Brooke
WWI Gun Crew with Gas Masks, photo by John Warwick Brooke
World War I
June 28, 1914
Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife are assassinated in Sarajevo, Bosnia by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. After Austria declared war on Serbia a month later, other countries joined the conflict and the great war was on. Princip killed Ferdinand because he wanted to end Austro-Hungarian rule over Bosnia and Herzegovina and Ferdinand was heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. More than 16 million people would die as a result of the war.
Labor Day parade in Washington, D.C., c. 1894
Labor Day parade in Washington, D.C., c. 1894
Labor Day
June 28, 1894
The bill declaring Labor Day a federal holiday is signed into law by U.S. President Grover Cleveland. It was designated to be the first Monday in September.
Labor Day honors and recognizes the American labor movement and the contributions of laborers to the development of the United States.
In 1887, Oregon became the first U.S. state to make it an official public holiday. By 1894, thirty U.S. states officially celebrated Labor Day.
Labor Day is also the "unofficial end of summer".
First Execution of an American Soldier
June 28, 1776
Thomas Hickey, a member of George Washington's Guard, is executed for mutiny and sedition. It was also rumored he plotted to kidnap and deliver George Washington to the British.
Serial Killers - Joel Rifkin
June 28, 1993
New York police stop the 34-year-old unemployed landscaper Joel Rifkin for a traffic violation and find a decomposed woman's body in his pickup truck. He had killed 18 women in the past two years.
Royal Divorce
June 28, 1992
Britain's Prince Andrew and his wife Sarah announce that they have reached a formal separation agreement.
First Baboon-to-Human Liver Transplant
June 28, 1992
A 35-year-old man by Presbyterian Univ. Hospital, Pittsburgh. He lived for 10 weeks.
Affirmative Action
June 28, 1978
U.S. Supreme Court rules that firm quota systems are unconstitutional and that a white man - who had been rejected twice over 16 lesser-qualified minority students - must be admitted to the Univ. of California Medical School.
Kiss Comic Book
June 28, 1977
The rock group Kiss releases its comic book. The red ink contained blood from the Kiss members.
First Regularly-Scheduled Commercial Transatlantic Airline Service
June 28, 1939
Pan American begins flights from New York to Europe.
American Revolution - Battle of Monmouth
June 28, 1778
Mary Hays, known as Molly Pitcher, distinguishes herself by carrying water to the troops and operating her husband's cannon after he was wounded. For this, General George Washington made her a noncommissioned officer.
Birthdays
Gilda Radner
Born June 28, 1946 d. 1989
American Emmy-winning comedienne. TV: Original cast member of Saturday Night Live (1975-80). She was the first performer cast for SNL and co-wrote much of the material that she performed. She was a featured player on the National Lampoon Radio Hour (1974-75), along with other future SNL comedians John Belushi, Chevy Chase, and Bill Murray.
She died of ovarian cancer that had spread to her liver and lungs. She was married to actor Gene Wilder at the time of her death.
Photo Credit: Towpilot
Photo Credit: Towpilot
Mel Brooks (Melvin Kaminsky)
Born June 28, 1926
American Oscar-Tony-Emmy-Grammy-winning actor, screenwriter, director. Film: The Producers (1968 and 2005), Blazing Saddles (1974), Young Frankenstein (1974), and History of the World, Part I (1981). He and Carl Reiner recorded the comedy album, 2000 Year Old Man.
Henry VIII
Born June 28, 1491 d. 1547
King of England (1509-47), found a way to avoid alimony. Henry VIII is best known for his six marriages, in particular his efforts to have his first marriage, to Catherine of Aragon, annulled. When Pope Clement VII wouldn't annul their marriage, Henry VIII separated the Church of England from papal authority and appointed himself the Supreme Head of the Church of England.
John Cusack
Born June 28, 1966
American actor. Film: Better Off Dead (1985) and The Grifters (1990).
Kathy Bates
Born June 28, 1948
American Oscar-winning actress. Film: Misery (1990, Oscar).
Richard Bright
Born June 28, 1937 d. 2006
American actor. Film: The Godfather (1972, Al Neri).
Pat Morita (Noriyuki Morita)
Born June 28, 1932 d. 2005
American actor. He was billed as the Hip Nip for his stand-up performances. Film: Karate Kid (1984, Sensei Kesuke Miyagi), for which he was the first Asian-American nominated for an acting Oscar. TV: Happy Days (1975-83, Arnold).
Morita developed spinal tuberculosis (Pott disease) at the age of two and spent most of the next nine years hospitalized in California. He was released from the hospital when he was 11 years old and transferred to a WWII internment camp in Arizona where his family was interned.
Richard Rodgers
Born June 28, 1902 d. 1979
American Oscar-winning composer, teamed with Oscar Hammerstein II to form Rodgers and Hammerstein. Music: Oklahoma! (1943), Carousel (1956), and The Sound of Music (1965).
Alan Bunce
Born June 28, 1900 d. 1965
American actor. TV: Ethel and Albert (1953-56, Albert - and also on radio 1944-50).
Otto Ringling
Born June 28, 1858 d. 1911
American circus operator, with Ringling Brothers Circus.
William Hooper
Born June 28, 1742 d. 1790
American statesman. Signer of the Declaration of Independence.
John Wesley
Born June 28, 1703 d. 1791
English clergyman, founder of Methodism. He believed in salvation through faith. He and his brother Charles Wesley established the Methodist Church.
Paul IV (Gian Pietro Carafa)
Born June 28, 1476 d. 1559
Italian religious leader, 223rd Pope (1555-59).
Deaths
Rod Serling (Rodman Edward Serling)
Died June 28, 1975 b. 1924
American Emmy-winning writer. Film: Planet of the Apes (1968, writer). TV: The Twilight Zone (1959-64, creator, producer, writer, and host) and Night Gallery (1969-73, creator, writer, host).
The Twilight Zone was almost canceled after the first three episodes due to poor ratings, but it eventually found its audience and became one of the iconic shows of the Golden Age of Television.
Father of the U.S. Constitution
James Madison, Jr.
Died June 28, 1836 b. 1751
American politician. 4th U.S. President (1809-17), author of the Bill of Rights. At five foot four inches (162.6 cm) he is the shortest of the U.S. presidents. He is known as "Father of the Constitution" for his role in drafting the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Madison served a term as president of the American Colonization Society, which founded the settlement of Liberia for former slaves on the West African coast.
His portrait graces the U.S. $5,000 bill.
Jack Carter (Jack Chakrin)
Died June 28, 2015 b. 1922
American comedian. He hosted the first televised Tony Awards ceremony (1956). TV: The Jack Carter Show (1950-51).
Meshach Taylor
Died June 28, 2014 b. 1947
American actor. TV: Designing Women (1986-1993, Anthony Bouvier).
Harry Mills
Died June 28, 1982 b. 1913
American singer, with the Mills Brothers, the most popular vocal group of all time.
Terry Fox
Died June 28, 1981 b. 1958
Canadian cancer victim. After losing a leg to cancer he ran halfway across Canada (1980) helping to raise $23,000,000 for cancer research. He died of lung cancer.
Vannevar Bush
Died June 28, 1974 b. 1890
American electrical engineer. In 1927, Bush constructed a differential analyzer, an analog computer with some digital components, that could solve differential equations with as many as 18 independent variables. He also founded the company now known as Raytheon (1922) and was chiefly responsible for the creation of the National Science Foundation.
Robert Porter Allen
Died June 28, 1963 b. 1905
American conservationist. He saved the whooping crane from extinction by discovering the last remaining flock near the Arctic Circle (1955).
Antoinette Perry (Mary Antoinette "Tony" Perry)
Died June 28, 1946 b. 1888
American actress, director. She is whom the "Tony Awards" are named (Tony was her nickname). She served as director of the wartime board of the American Theater Wing.
Franz Ferdinand (Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria)
Died June 28, 1914 b. 1863
Austrian Archduke. He and his wife's assassination by a Serbian nationalist led to World War I.
Daniel Decatur Emmett
Died June 28, 1904 b. 1815
American composer. He popularized Dixie (1859), which became the unofficial anthem of the Confederacy. He also formed the first black-face minstrel troupe (1843).
Maria Mitchell
Died June 28, 1889 b. 1818
American astronomer. She was the first professional woman astronomer in the United States and the first woman elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She was also elected to the Hall of Fame for Great Americans in 1905.
Saint Paul I
Died June 28, 767 b. ????
Italian religious leader, 93rd Pope (757-767).
Saint Leo II
Died June 28, 683 b. ????
Italian religious leader, 80th Pope (682-683).