March 28 facts for kids

March 28 is the 87th day of the year (88th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 278 days remain until the end of the year.

March 28th is a day filled with many interesting events throughout history, from ancient Roman times to modern discoveries and important political moments. Many famous people were also born or passed away on this day.

Events

Early History (Before 1600)

• AD 37 – Caligula officially became the Roman emperor, taking on important titles given to him by the Senate.
• 193 – After the Roman Emperor Pertinax was killed, his special guards, the Praetorian Guard, actually sold the throne to Didius Julianus in an auction!
• 364 – Roman Emperor Valentinian I made his brother Flavius Valens a co-emperor, meaning they would rule together.
• 1065 – The Great German Pilgrimage, a large group of travelers, was saved from Bedouin bandits by the governor of Ramla from the Fatimid Caliphate.
• 1566 – The first stone was laid for Valletta, which is now the capital city of Malta. This was done by Jean Parisot de Valette, a very important leader of the Knights Hospitaller.

Later History (1601–1900)

• 1776 – Juan Bautista de Anza found the perfect spot for what would become the Presidio of San Francisco in California.
• 1795 – A northern part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, called the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia, became part of Imperial Russia.
• 1801 – The Treaty of Florence was signed, which officially ended the war between France and the Kingdom of Naples.
• 1802 – Astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Matthäus Olbers discovered 2 Pallas, which was only the second asteroid ever found!
• 1809 – During the Peninsular War, France won a battle against Spain in the Battle of Medellín.
• 1814 – In the War of 1812, two American navy ships were captured by two British Royal Navy ships during the Battle of Valparaíso.
• 1842 – The famous Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra held its very first concert, led by Otto Nicolai.
• 1854 – The Crimean War began when France and Britain declared war on Russia.
• 1862 – During the American Civil War, Union soldiers stopped the Confederate army from invading the New Mexico Territory in the Battle of Glorieta Pass.

Modern Times (1901–Present)

• 1910 – Henri Fabre made history by becoming the first person to fly a seaplane, the Fabre Hydravion, taking off from water in France.
• 1918 – During World War I, General John J. Pershing sent the 42nd 'Rainbow' Division to take over a military sector in Baccarat, France. They were the first American division to hold an entire sector on their own for three months.
• 1918 – In the Finnish Civil War, fierce battles took place in Tampere, Finland, with many soldiers losing their lives on both sides.
• 1933 – The City of Liverpool airplane is thought to be the first airliner ever lost due to someone intentionally causing a fire on board.
• 1939 – The Spanish Civil War ended when Generalissimo Francisco Franco took control of Madrid after a long three-year siege.
• 1941 – World War II: The Battle of Cape Matapan began in Greece, a major naval battle between the navies of the United Kingdom, Australia, and Italy.
• 1942 – World War II: A British special forces team successfully disabled the Louis Joubert Lock in Saint-Nazaire, France. This was done to prevent the huge German battleship Tirpitz from using it to attack Allied ships.
• 1946 – During the Cold War, the United States Department of State released a report suggesting a plan for how nuclear power could be controlled internationally.
• 1959 – The government of Tibet was officially dissolved by the State Council of the People's Republic of China.
• 1965 – A strong earthquake in Chile caused several dams to break, burying the town of El Cobre and killing at least 500 people.
• 1979 – A problem at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania led to a partial meltdown of the reactor core.
• 1990 – United States President George H. W. Bush gave the Congressional Gold Medal to Jesse Owens after his death, recognizing his amazing achievements.
• 1994 – In South Africa, security guards for the African National Congress killed many Inkatha Freedom Party protesters during a demonstration.
• 1999 – During the Kosovo War, many Kosovo Albanians were killed in Izbica by military forces.
• 2001 – The Athens International Airport in Greece, named Eleftherios Venizelos, officially opened for flights.
• 2005 – A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 8.6 struck northern Sumatra, causing the deaths of over 1000 people.
• 2006 – More than a million people, including union members, students, and unemployed individuals, protested in France against a new government law.

Births

Born Before 1900

• 1472 – Fra Bartolomeo, a famous Italian painter.
• 1515 – Teresa of Ávila, a Spanish nun and saint.
• 1592 – John Amos Comenius, a Czech bishop and important educator.
• 1613 – Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang of China, a powerful figure in Chinese history.
• 1750 – Francisco de Miranda, a Venezuelan general and politician who played a key role in South American independence.
• 1760 – Thomas Clarkson, an English activist who fought against slavery.
• 1802 – Flora Robson, an English actress.
• 1819 – Joseph Bazalgette, an English engineer famous for designing London's sewer system.
• 1836 – Frederick Pabst, a German-American brewer who founded the Pabst Brewing Company.
• 1862 – Aristide Briand, a French politician and Prime Minister who won the Nobel Peace Prize.
• 1868 – Maxim Gorky, a well-known Russian novelist and playwright.
• 1890 – Paul Whiteman, an American violinist and bandleader, known as the "King of Jazz."
• 1892 – Corneille Heymans, a Belgian scientist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
• 1895 – Spencer W. Kimball, an important religious leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
• 1897 – Sepp Herberger, a German footballer and manager.

Born After 1900

• 1905 – Marlin Perkins, an American zoologist and popular television host.
• 1910 – Ingrid of Sweden, who became the Queen of Denmark.
• 1912 – Marina Raskova, a brave Russian pilot and navigator.
• 1914 – Edmund Muskie, an American politician who served as the United States Secretary of State.
• 1921 – Dirk Bogarde, a famous English actor and author.
• 1928 – Zbigniew Brzezinski, a Polish-American political expert and United States National Security Advisor.
• 1930 – Jerome Isaac Friedman, an American physicist who won the Nobel Prize.
• 1935 – Michael Parkinson, a well-known English journalist and author.
• 1936 – Mario Vargas Llosa, a Peruvian writer and politician who won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
• 1942 – Daniel Dennett, an American philosopher.
• 1942 – Neil Kinnock, a Welsh politician.
• 1944 – Rick Barry, a famous American basketball player.
• 1945 – Rodrigo Duterte, who became the 16th President of the Philippines.
• 1946 – Wubbo Ockels, a Dutch physicist and astronaut.
• 1948 – Dianne Wiest, an American actress.
• 1955 – Reba McEntire, a very popular American singer-songwriter and actress.
• 1959 – Laura Chinchilla, who became the President of Costa Rica.
• 1970 – Vince Vaughn, a well-known American actor.
• 1975 – Kate Gosselin, an American television personality.
• 1981 – Julia Stiles, an American actress.
• 1986 – Lady Gaga, a famous American singer-songwriter and actress.
• 1986 – Barbora Strýcová, a Czech tennis player.
• 1988 – Geno Atkins, an American football player.
• 1991 – Derek Carr, an American football player.
• 1991 – Marie-Philip Poulin, a Canadian ice hockey player.
• 2004 – Anna Shcherbakova, a Russian figure skater.

Deaths

Died Before 1900

• 193 – Pertinax, a Roman emperor.
• 592 – Guntram, a French king.
• 1285 – Pope Martin IV.
• 1584 – Ivan the Terrible, a famous Russian king.
• 1687 – Constantijn Huygens, a Dutch poet and composer.
• 1881 – Modest Mussorgsky, a famous Russian pianist and composer.
• 1893 – Edmund Kirby Smith, an American general.

Died After 1900

• 1917 – Albert Pinkham Ryder, an American painter.
• 1929 – Katharine Lee Bates, an American poet and songwriter, who wrote "America the Beautiful."
• 1941 – Virginia Woolf, a very influential English writer.
• 1943 – Sergei Rachmaninoff, a famous Russian pianist, composer, and conductor.
• 1953 – Jim Thorpe, an American football player and Olympic athlete.
• 1958 – W. C. Handy, an American trumpet player and composer, known as the "Father of the Blues."
• 1969 – Dwight D. Eisenhower, an American general and the 34th President of the United States.
• 1982 – William Giauque, a Canadian chemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
• 1985 – Marc Chagall, a famous Russian-French painter.
• 1987 – Maria von Trapp, an Austrian-American singer whose family inspired "The Sound of Music."
• 1994 – Eugène Ionesco, a Romanian-French playwright.
• 2004 – Peter Ustinov, a well-known English-Swiss actor, director, and writer.
• 2009 – Maurice Jarre, a French-American composer known for movie scores.
• 2023 – Paul O'Grady, an English comedian and actor.
• 2023 – Ryuichi Sakamoto, a Japanese composer and actor.

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:

* Priscus * Pope Sixtus III * March 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

• Serfs Emancipation Day (Tibet)
• Teachers' Day (Czech Republic and Slovakia)

See also

In Spanish: 28 de marzo para niños