May 28 facts for kids

May 28 is the 148th day of the year (149th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 217 days remain until the end of the year.

May 28 is a special day with many important events throughout history. From ancient battles to modern inventions and big changes in countries, this date has seen a lot happen. Many famous people were also born or passed away on this day. Let's explore some of the key moments and figures connected to May 28.

Historic Events on May 28

Ancient Times and Early History

• 585 BC – A solar eclipse happened just as two armies, led by Alyattes and Cyaxares, were fighting. This amazing event, predicted by the Greek thinker Thales, led to a peace agreement. It's one of the oldest events we know the exact date for!
• 621 – In China, Li Shimin, a prince, won a huge battle called the Battle of Hulao. His victory helped the Tang Dynasty take control of China after a long civil war.
• 1533 – The Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, announced that King Henry VIII of England's marriage to Anne Boleyn was official. This was a very important moment in English history.
• 1588 – The huge Spanish Armada, a fleet of 130 ships with 30,000 men, began its journey from Lisbon, Portugal. It was heading towards the English Channel to try and invade England.

From the 1600s to the 1900s

• 1644 – During the English Civil War, Royalist troops attacked the town of Bolton in what is known as the Bolton Massacre.
• 1754 – The French and Indian War began with a battle in Pennsylvania. A young Lieutenant colonel George Washington led Virginia soldiers to victory against a French group.
• 1802 – In Guadeloupe, about 400 enslaved people, led by Louis Delgrès, bravely resisted capture by Napoleon's troops. They chose to fight to the end rather than be re-enslaved.
• 1830 – U.S. President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act. This law forced many Native American tribes to leave their ancestral lands and move to new areas.
• 1871 – The Paris Commune, a revolutionary government in Paris, France, came to an end after two months.
• 1892 – In San Francisco, the famous nature lover John Muir started the Sierra Club. This group works to protect the environment and wild places.

Modern Events (1901–Present)

• 1905 – The Battle of Tsushima ended with a huge victory for the Imperial Japanese Navy over the Russian Baltic Fleet. This was a key moment in the Russo-Japanese War.
• 1907 – The very first Isle of Man TT motorcycle race was held. It's still a famous and challenging race today.
• 1918 – The nations of Azerbaijan and Armenia both declared their independence.
• 1932 – In the Netherlands, the huge Afsluitdijk dam was finished. This project turned a large bay called the Zuiderzee into a freshwater lake, the IJsselmeer.
• 1934 – Near Callander, Canada, the Dionne quintuplets were born. They were the first set of five babies to all survive infancy, which was a very rare event at the time.
• 1936 – The brilliant mathematician Alan Turing published his important paper On Computable Numbers. This work laid the foundation for modern computers.
• 1937 – The famous German car company Volkswagen was founded.
• 1940 – During World War II, Belgium surrendered to Nazi Germany, ending the Battle of Belgium. On the same day, Allied forces (from Norway, France, Poland, and Britain) successfully recaptured Narvik in Norway. This was the first time Allied infantry won a major battle in the war.
• 1948 – Daniel François Malan became the Prime Minister of South Africa. He later started the system of Apartheid, which enforced strict racial segregation and discrimination.
• 1961 – Peter Benenson's article The Forgotten Prisoners was published. This article led to the creation of Amnesty International, a global organization that works to protect human rights.
• 1964 – The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was founded, with Yasser Arafat becoming its first leader.
• 1975 – Fifteen countries in West Africa signed the Treaty of Lagos, creating the Economic Community of West African States. This group helps these countries work together on economic issues.
• 1977 – A terrible fire at the Beverly Hills Supper Club in Kentucky killed 165 people.
• 1987 – An 18-year-old German pilot named Mathias Rust flew his small plane all the way to Red Square in Moscow, Russia, without being stopped by Soviet air defenses. It was a huge surprise!
• 1991 – The capital city of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia fell to the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front. This ended the Ethiopian Civil War and the previous government.
• 1998 – Pakistan conducted five nuclear tests, code-named Chagai-I. This was a response to similar tests by India and led to economic sanctions from other countries. Pakistan celebrates this day as Youm-e-Takbir.
• 1999 – In Milan, Italy, Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting The Last Supper was put back on display after 22 years of careful restoration work.
• 2002 – The cleanup work at the Ground Zero in New York City officially ended. This was where the Twin Towers stood before the attacks of September 11, 2001.
• 2008 – The country of Nepal officially became a republic, ending 240 years of rule by kings.
• 2011 – Malta voted to allow divorce, with 53% of voters approving the change. A law allowing divorce was then passed later that year.
• 2016 – Harambe, a gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, was shot after a young boy entered his enclosure. This event caused a lot of discussion and became widely known online.
• 2017 – Japanese racing driver Takuma Sato won his first Indianapolis 500 race, becoming the first Japanese and Asian driver to achieve this.

Famous Births on May 28

Born Before the 1600s

• 1140 – Xin Qiji, a famous Chinese poet, general, and politician.
• 1371 – John the Fearless, a powerful Duke of Burgundy.
• 1588 – Pierre Séguier, an important French politician.

Born Between 1601 and 1900

• 1738 – Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, a French physician.
• 1759 – William Pitt the Younger, who became the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom at a very young age.
• 1779 – Thomas Moore, a well-known Irish poet and composer.
• 1807 – Louis Agassiz, a Swiss-American scientist who studied fossils and geology.
• 1853 – Carl Larsson, a beloved Swedish painter and author.
• 1858 – Carl Richard Nyberg, a Swedish inventor who developed the blow torch.
• 1888 – Jim Thorpe, an amazing American athlete who excelled in many sports, including the Olympics.
• 1900 – Tommy Ladnier, an American trumpet player.

Born After 1900

• 1908 – Ian Fleming, the English author who created the famous James Bond spy novels.
• 1910 – T-Bone Walker, an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
• 1911 – Thora Hird, a popular English actress.
• 1912 – Ruby Payne-Scott, an Australian physicist and astronomer who was a pioneer in radio astronomy.
• 1912 – Patrick White, an Australian novelist and playwright who won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
• 1923 – György Ligeti, a Hungarian-Austrian composer.
• 1923 – N. T. Rama Rao, a famous Indian actor and politician.
• 1925 – Bülent Ecevit, who served as the Prime Minister of Turkey several times.
• 1931 – Carroll Baker, an American actress.
• 1938 – Jerry West, a legendary American basketball player and coach.
• 1939 – Maeve Binchy, a beloved Irish novelist.
• 1942 – Stanley B. Prusiner, an American scientist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
• 1944 – Rudy Giuliani, an American lawyer and politician who was the Mayor of New York City.
• 1944 – Gladys Knight, a famous American singer-songwriter.
• 1945 – John Fogerty, an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, known for his work with Creedence Clearwater Revival.
• 1947 – Zahi Hawass, a well-known Egyptian archaeologist.
• 1947 – Lynn Johnston, a Canadian author and illustrator, creator of the comic strip For Better or For Worse.
• 1956 – Jerry Douglas, an American guitarist and producer.
• 1957 – Kirk Gibson, an American baseball player and manager.
• 1968 – Kylie Minogue, a very popular Australian singer and actress.
• 1969 – Rob Ford, a Canadian politician who served as the Mayor of Toronto.
• 1971 – Marco Rubio, an American lawyer and politician.
• 1985 – Colbie Caillat, an American singer-songwriter.
• 1985 – Carey Mulligan, a talented English actress.
• 1986 – Seth Rollins, a famous American professional wrestler.
• 1998 – Kim Dahyun, a South Korean rapper and singer, member of the group Twice.
• 2000 – Phil Foden, a talented English footballer.

Notable Deaths on May 28

Passed Away Before the 1600s

• 576 – Germain of Paris, a French bishop and saint.
• 1023 – Wulfstan, an English archbishop.
• 1357 – Afonso IV of Portugal, a king of Portugal.
• 1556 – Saitō Dōsan, a Japanese samurai warrior.

Passed Away Between 1601 and 1900

• 1787 – Leopold Mozart, an Austrian violinist and composer, and father of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
• 1805 – Luigi Boccherini, an Italian cellist and composer.
• 1843 – Noah Webster, an American who created the first American dictionary.
• 1849 – Anne Brontë, an English novelist and poet, known for Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.
• 1878 – John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Passed Away After 1900

• 1916 – Ivan Franko, a Ukrainian economist, journalist, and poet.
• 1937 – Alfred Adler, an Austrian psychologist who founded individual psychology.
• 1971 – Audie Murphy, an American soldier who became one of the most decorated heroes of World War II, and later an actor.
• 1972 – Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, who was briefly king before giving up the throne.
• 1975 – Ezzard Charles, an American boxer and former world heavyweight champion.
• 1981 – Mary Lou Williams, an American jazz pianist and composer.
• 1984 – Eric Morecambe, a very popular English comedian.
• 1998 – Phil Hartman, a Canadian-American actor and comedian, known for his work on Saturday Night Live.
• 2010 – Gary Coleman, an American actor, famous for his role in the TV show Diff'rent Strokes.
• 2014 – Maya Angelou, a celebrated American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist.
• 2018 – Jens Christian Skou, a Danish medical doctor who won the Nobel Prize.

Holidays and Celebrations

• Armed Forces Day (Croatia) – A day to honor the military in Croatia.
• Christian feast day:
  • Bernard of Menthon
  • Germain of Paris
  • John Calvin (in the Episcopal Church)
  • Lanfranc
  • Margaret Pole
  • William of Gellone
  • May 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Downfall of the Derg (Ethiopia) – Celebrates the end of the Derg regime.
• Flag Day (Philippines) – A day to celebrate the national flag of the Philippines.
• Menstrual Hygiene Day – A global day to raise awareness about menstrual hygiene.
• Republic Day (Nepal) – Celebrates Nepal becoming a republic.
• TDFR Republic Day (Azerbaijan and Armenia) – Celebrates the independence of Armenia and Azerbaijan in 1918.
• Youm-e-Takbir (Pakistan) – Celebrates Pakistan's nuclear tests in 1998.