What Happened On
Gun Control
July 28, 1982
San Francisco becomes the first major U.S. city to ban the sale and possession of hand guns.
Animal House
July 28, 1978
"TOGA! TOGA! TOGA!" National Lampoon's Animal House debuts, starring John Belushi, Peter Riegert, Tim Matheson, John Vernon, Verna Bloom, Tom Hulce, Stephen Furst, and Donald Sutherland. It was produced on a budget of $2.8 million and grossed over $141 million, making it one of the most successful comedies of all time.
First image of the Moon taken by a U.S. spacecraft
First image of the Moon taken by a U.S. spacecraft
First Photos of the Moon by a U.S. Spacecraft
July 28, 1964
Ranger 7 is launched. Three days later it sent back a series of pictures as it impacted into the Moon's surface. It would transmit over 4,300 photographs during its final 17 minutes of flight.
Photo Credit: Bettman archive, Corbis
Photo Credit: Bettman archive, Corbis
Bomber Crashes Into Empire State Building
July 28, 1945
A U.S. B25 bomber crashed into the 79th floor of the Empire State Building. Fourteen people were killed, including the pilot and his two crew members. A female elevator operator survived a 75-story elevator plunge, which still stands as the Guinness Record for the longest survived elevator fall.
Lieut. Col. William F. Smith Jr. was piloting the B-25 Mitchell bomber on a routine personnel transport mission when he asked for clearance to land, but was advised of zero visibility. Proceeding anyway, he became disoriented by the fog, and turned right instead of left after passing the Chrysler Building.
Coffee Rationing Ends
July 28, 1943
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt announces the end of coffee rationing, which had been restricted since the previous November due to World War II. Coffee was rationed to 1 pound (0.45 kg) per family every five weeks. Even though there was record coffee production in Latin American countries, the need for shipping war materials and German U-boat attacks limited transportation.
World War I Begins
July 28, 1914
The Great War, later known as World War I, begins when Austria declares war on Serbia in retaliation for the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip a month earlier. Soon other countries joined the conflict and the great war was on. More than 16 million people would die as a result of the war.
Mel Gibson mugshot
Mel Gibson mugshot
Mad to the Max
July 28, 2006
Mel Gibson, star of the Mad Max films and director of The Passion of the Christ is stopped for drunk driving. He then threatened the arresting officer and spewed out a string of anti-Semitic statements, stating that "The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." The following month Gibson pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor drunken-driving charge and was sentenced to three years probation.
Kennewick Man
July 28, 1996
The remains of a prehistoric man, who lived between 5,000 to 9,500 years ago, are found on a bank of the Columbia River near Kennewick, Washington.
Trans-Alaska Pipeline
July 28, 1977
The 800-mile (1,287 km) Trans-Alaska pipeline becomes fully operational when the first oil from Prudhoe Bay arrives in Valdez. The pipeline cost $8 billion to construct.
It rests on its supports and is not welded or otherwise affixed in place. This is because the extreme air temperature variation of over 150 °F (83 °C) from winter to summer causes heat expansion/contraction with the length of the pipeline changing by over 5 miles throughout the year.
14th Amendment Adopted by Congress
July 28, 1868
Defined U.S. citizenship and granted it to those born or naturalized in the U.S. It also stated that the rights of a citizen could not be removed without due process of the Law.
Metric System
July 28, 1866
U.S. President Andrew Johnson signs the Metric Act of 1866, making it lawful to use the metric system in the U.S.
Birthdays
Creator of Garfield
Jim Davis
Born July 28, 1945
American cartoonist. Creator of Garfield (1978), about a lazy, overweight, coffee drinking cat named Garfield, his owner Jon Arbuckle, and the dog Odie. It was eventually syndicated in over 2,500 newspapers and journals, earning the Guinness World Record for being the world's most widely syndicated comic strip.
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (Jacqueline Lee Bouvier)
Born July 28, 1929 d. 1994
American First Lady, widow of U.S. President John F. Kennedy and Aristotle Onassis.
Sliced Bread
Otto Frederick Rohwedder
Born July 28, 1880 d. 1960
American inventor and engineer. He created the first automatic bread-slicing machine for commercial use (1927). His bread slicer also wrapped the bread.
In 1930 Continental Baking Company introduced Wonder Bread as a sliced bread, which was a hit and soon other major companies followed.
Sliced bread was briefly banned during World War II to conserve wrapping paper ("the ready-sliced loaf must have a heavier wrapping than an unsliced one if it is not to dry out") and the steel used in the slicing machines. The ban was quickly rescinded due to the large public outcry.
Creator of Peter Rabbit
Beatrix Potter
Born July 28, 1866 d. 1943
English author, illustrator. Writings: The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1901). The story is about Peter Rabbit, his triplet siblings, Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail, and their widowed mother who warned them to stay clear of McGregor's garden, who's wife had put their father in a pie after he was caught in the garden.
The original story was written in 1893 for the five-year-old son of Potter's former governess. Potter revised the story in 1901 and after several publishers' rejections had 250 copies privately printed. The book has since sold over 45 million copies and is one of the best-selling books in history.
Terry Fox
Born July 28, 1958 d. 1981
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.
Hugo Chávez (Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías)
Born July 28, 1954 d. 2013
President of Venezuela (1999-2013).
Vida Rochelle Blue
Born July 28, 1949 d. 2023
American left-handed baseball pitcher, MVP (1971). He was the only pitcher to start in an All Star game in both the National League (1971) and the American League (1978). He was a member of the Oakland Athletics dynasty that won three consecutive World Series championships from 1972 to 1974.
Georgia Engel
Born July 28, 1948 d. 2019
American actress. TV: The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1972-77, Ted's wife Georgette) and Everybody Loves Raymond (2003-05, Pat MacDougall).
Struthers (left) in All in the Family
Struthers (left) in All in the Family
Sally Struthers
Born July 28, 1947
American Emmy-winning actress. TV: All in the Family (1971-79, Gloria), Gilmore Girls (2000-07, Babette Dell), and spokesperson for Christian Children's Fund.
Linda Kelsey
Born July 28, 1946
American actress. TV: Lou Grant (Billie Newman).
Rick Wright
Born July 28, 1943 d. 2008
English keyboardist. Founding member of Pink Floyd. Music: Dark Side of the Moon (1972, #1), Wish You Were Here (1975, #1), and The Wall (1979, #1).
Bill Bradley
Born July 28, 1943
U.S. Senator (1979-97, D-New Jersey), Hall of Fame basketball player (1967-77 NY Nicks).
Earl Silas Tupper
Born July 28, 1907 d. 1983
American businessman, invented Tupperware (1942) and used the neighborhood party method to sell it.
The Vagabond Lover
Rudy Vallee (Hubert Prior Vallee)
Born July 28, 1901 d. 1986
American singer, actor. Known as "The Vagabond Lover", He learned the saxophone through a mail-order course. He was also the recipient of the world's first singing telegram.
Radio: Fleischmann Hour (1929-36).
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Born July 28, 1746 d. 1809
American patriot, signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Deaths
Francis Crick
Died July 28, 2004 b. 1916
British biochemist, co-winner of the 1962 Nobel prize for discovering the structure of DNA (1953). He also contributed to the development of radar.
Johann Sebastian Bach
Died July 28, 1750 b. 1685
German composer and organist. One of the greatest composers in music history and one of the "Three Bs of Music" (Bach, Beethoven, Brahms).
Freedom of the Press
John Peter Zenger
Died July 28, 1746 b. 1697
American printer, publisher. His arrest in 1734 and later acquittal on the charge of libel helped establish freedom of the press in America. He had published articles criticizing the governor of New York.
Portrait of Cyrano de Bergerac
Portrait of Cyrano de Bergerac
Cyrano de Bergerac
Died July 28, 1655 b. 1619
French dramatist. Cyrano de Bergerac was the inspiration for French poet Edmond Rostand's fictionalized play Cyrano de Bergerac (1897). In the play, Cyrano loves the beautiful Roxane, whom he is obliged to woo on behalf of his more handsome but less articulate friend.
Eileen Brennan
Died July 28, 2013 b. 1932
American Emmy-winning actress. TV: Private Benjamin (1981-83, and film version 1980, Capt. Doreen Lewis).
Hyatt Hotel Magnate
Hyatt Robert von Dehn
Died July 28, 1973 b. 1915
American hotel magnate, co-founder of the Hyatt hotel chain. He built the first airport hotel (Los Angeles International Airport, 1953).
Otto Hahn
Died July 28, 1968 b. 1879
German chemist, co-discovered, with Fritz Strassman, nuclear fission (1938) for which he won the Nobel Prize. He also discovered the element protactinium and is credited with being the first person to split an atom.
William James Mayo
Died July 28, 1939 b. 1861
American surgeon. He and his brother, Charles Horace Mayo, co-founded the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (1915).
Antonio Vivaldi
Died July 28, 1741 b. 1678
Italian Baroque violin virtuoso and composer. Also known as "The Red Priest" due to his red hair.
Victor II
Died July 28, 1057 b. ????
religious leader, 153rd Pope (1055-57).