History of Today 28 August: Important Events, Births and Deaths

Welcome to History of Today 28 August. On this page, you can read important historical events, famous births, notable deaths and general knowledge facts related to 28 August. This information is useful for UPSC, SSC, Banking, Railway, State PSC and other competitive exams.

Last updated on 28 August 2026, 01:03 AM

Important Events on 28 August in History

• 28 Aug 2022: Phoenix shooting: A man opens fire on pedestrians outside of a hotel in Phoenix, Arizona, resulting in the deaths of three people, including the perpetrator. Read more
• 28 Aug 2017: China–India border standoff: China and India both pull their troops out of Doklam, putting an end to a two-month-long stalemate over China's construction of a road in disputed territory. Read more
• 28 Aug 2016: The first experimental mission of ISRO's Scramjet Engine towards the realisation of an Air Breathing Propulsion System is successfully conducted from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota. Read more
• 28 Aug 2009: NASA's Space Shuttle Discovery launches on STS-128. Read more
• 28 Aug 2003: In "one of the most complicated and bizarre crimes in the annals of the FBI", Brian Wells dies after becoming involved in a complex plot involving a bank robbery, a scavenger hunt, and a homemade explosive device. Read more
• 28 Aug 1999: The Russian space mission Soyuz TM-29 reaches completion, ending nearly 10 years of continuous occupation on the space station Mir as it approaches the end of its life. Read more
• 28 Aug 1998: Pakistan's National Assembly passes a constitutional amendment to make the "Qur'an and Sunnah" the "supreme law" but the bill is defeated in the Senate. Read more
• 28 Aug 1998: Second Congo War: Loyalist troops backed by Angolan and Zimbabwean forces repulse the RCD and Rwandan offensive on Kinshasa. Read more
• 28 Aug 1996: Chicago Seven defendant David Dellinger, antiwar activist Bradford Lyttle, Civil Rights Movement historian Randy Kryn, and eight others are arrested by the Federal Protective Service while protesting in a demonstration at the Kluczynski Federal Building in downtown Chicago during that year's Democratic National Convention. Read more
• 28 Aug 1993: NASA's Galileo probe performs a flyby of the asteroid 243 Ida. Astronomers later discover a moon, the first known asteroid moon, in pictures from the flyby and name it Dactyl. Read more
• 28 Aug 1993: Singaporean presidential election: Former Deputy Prime Minister Ong Teng Cheong is elected President of Singapore. Although it is the first presidential election to be determined by popular vote, the allowed candidates consist only of Ong and a reluctant whom the government had asked to run to confer upon the election the semblance of an opposition. Read more
• 28 Aug 1993: The autonomous Croatian Community of Herzeg-Bosnia in Bosnia and Herzegovina is transformed into the Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia. Read more
• 28 Aug 1993: A Tajikistan Airlines Yakovlev Yak-40 crashes during takeoff from Khorog Airport in Tajikistan, killing 82. Read more
• 28 Aug 1990: Gulf War: Iraq declares Kuwait to be its newest province. Read more
• 28 Aug 1990: An F5 tornado strikes the Illinois cities of Plainfield and Joliet, killing 29 people. Read more
• 28 Aug 1988: Ramstein air show disaster: Three aircraft of the Frecce Tricolori demonstration team collide and the wreckage falls into the crowd. Seventy-five are killed and 346 seriously injured. Read more
• 28 Aug 1973: Norrmalmstorg robbery: Stockholm police secure the surrenders of hostage-takers Jan-Erik Olsson and Clark Olofsson, defusing the Norrmalmstorg hostage crisis. The behaviours of the hostages later give rise to the term Stockholm syndrome. Read more
• 28 Aug 1968: Police and protesters clash during 1968 Democratic National Convention protests as protesters chant "The whole world is watching". Read more
• 28 Aug 1964: The Philadelphia race riot begins. Read more
• 28 Aug 1963: March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gives his I Have a Dream speech. Read more
• 28 Aug 1957: U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond begins a filibuster to prevent the United States Senate from voting on the Civil Rights Act of 1957; he stopped speaking 24 hours and 18 minutes later. This would remain the longest speech ever conducted by a single Senator until Cory Booker spoke for 25 hours and five minutes, beginning on March 31, 2025. Read more
• 28 Aug 1955: Black teenager Emmett Till is lynched in Mississippi for whistling at a white woman, galvanizing the nascent civil rights movement. Read more
• 28 Aug 1946: The Workers' Party of North Korea, predecessor of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, is founded at a congress held in Pyongyang, North Korea. Read more
• 28 Aug 1944: World War II: Marseille and Toulon are liberated. Read more
• 28 Aug 1943: Denmark in World War II: German authorities demand that Danish authorities crack down on acts of resistance. The next day, martial law is imposed on Denmark. Read more
• 28 Aug 1937: Toyota Motors becomes an independent company. Read more
• 28 Aug 1936: Nazi Germany begins its mass arrests of Jehovah's Witnesses, who are interned in concentration camps. Read more
• 28 Aug 1924: The Georgian opposition stages the August Uprising against the Soviet Union. Read more
• 28 Aug 1921: Russian Civil War: The Red Army dissolves the Makhnovshchina after driving the Revolutionary Insurgent Army out of Ukraine. Read more
• 28 Aug 1917: Ten suffragists, members of the Silent Sentinels, are arrested while picketing the White House in favor of women's suffrage in the United States. Read more
• 28 Aug 1916: World War I: Germany declares war on Romania. Read more
• 28 Aug 1916: World War I: Italy declares war on Germany. Read more
• 28 Aug 1914: World War I: The Royal Navy defeats the German fleet in the Battle of Heligoland Bight. Read more
• 28 Aug 1913: Queen Wilhelmina opens the Peace Palace in The Hague. Read more
• 28 Aug 1909: A group of mid-level Greek Army officers launches the Goudi coup, seeking wide-ranging reforms. Read more
• 28 Aug 1901: Silliman University is founded in the Philippines. It is the first American private school in the country. Read more
• 28 Aug 1898: Caleb Bradham's beverage "Brad's Drink" is renamed "Pepsi-Cola". Read more
• 28 Aug 1890: The strongest storm in Finnish history kills at least three people. Read more
• 28 Aug 1879: Anglo-Zulu War: Cetshwayo, last king of the Zulus, is captured by the British. Read more
• 28 Aug 1867: The United States takes possession of the (at this point unoccupied) Midway Atoll. Read more
• 28 Aug 1862: American Civil War: The Second Battle of Bull Run, also known as the Battle of Second Manassas, begins in Virginia. The battle ends on August 30 with another Union defeat. Read more
• 28 Aug 1861: American Civil War: Union forces attack Cape Hatteras, North Carolina in the Battle of Hatteras Inlet Batteries which lasts for two days. Read more
• 28 Aug 1859: The Carrington event is the strongest geomagnetic storm on record to strike the Earth. Electrical telegraph service is widely disrupted. Read more
• 28 Aug 1850: Richard Wagner's Lohengrin premieres at the Staatskapelle Weimar. Read more
• 28 Aug 1849: Revolutions of 1848 in the Austrian Empire: After a month-long siege, Venice, which had declared itself independent as the Republic of San Marco, surrenders to Austria. Read more
• 28 Aug 1845: The first issue of Scientific American magazine is published. Read more
• 28 Aug 1833: The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 receives royal assent, making the purchase or ownership of slaves illegal in the British Empire with exceptions. Read more
• 28 Aug 1830: The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's new Tom Thumb steam locomotive races a horse-drawn car, presaging steam's role in U.S. railroads. Read more
• 28 Aug 1810: Napoleonic Wars: The French Navy accepts the surrender of a British Royal Navy fleet at the Battle of Grand Port. Read more

Famous Births on 28 August

• 28 Aug 2004: Kano Fujihira, Japanese entertainer Kano Fujihira is a Japanese singer, dancer, model, and actress. She is best known as a member of the girl group @onefive. She is a former member of the idol group Sakura Gakuin and a former support dancer for the metal band Babymetal. She is represented by the talent agency Amuse Inc. and is signed with the record label Avex Trax. Read more
• 28 Aug 2003: Quvenzhané Wallis, American actress Quvenzhané Wallis is an American actress and author. She made her acting debut in the drama film Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012), which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, making her the youngest nominee in the category and the first born in the 21st century. Subsequent credits included Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave (2013) and the 2014 remake of the musical Annie, in which her portrayal of the title character was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, as well as a voice role in the animated film Trolls (2016). Read more
• 28 Aug 2001: Kamilla Rakhimova, Russian tennis player Kamilla Stanislavovna Rakhimova is a Russian-born Uzbekistani professional tennis player. She has a career-high WTA singles ranking of No. 60, achieved on 30 December 2024 and a best doubles ranking of No. 51, attained on 25 August 2025. Read more
• 28 Aug 2000: Marissa Bode, American actress Marissa Bode is an American actress. After graduating from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, she gained recognition for her portrayal of Nessarose Thropp in the musical films Wicked (2024) and Wicked: For Good (2025). Read more
• 28 Aug 1998: Weston McKennie, American soccer player Weston James Earl McKennie is an American professional soccer player who plays primarily as a midfielder for Serie A club Juventus and the United States national team. A highly versatile player, he has been described as a "Swiss Army Knife" and is routinely deployed in any outfield position. Read more
• 28 Aug 1996: Kim Se-jeong, South Korean actress and singer Kim Se-jeong is a South Korean singer and actress. She finished second in Mnet's girl group survival show Produce 101, becoming a member of the project girl group I.O.I. She was also a member of Jellyfish Entertainment's girl group Gugudan. She is currently active as a solo artist and actress, best known for her lead roles in the television series School 2017 (2017), The Uncanny Counter (2020–2023), Business Proposal (2022), and Brewing Love (2024). Read more
• 28 Aug 1994: Manon Arcangioli, French tennis player Manon Arcangioli is a French professional tennis player. Read more
• 28 Aug 1994: Ons Jabeur, Tunisian tennis player Ons Jabeur is a Tunisian inactive tennis player. She has a career-high singles ranking by the WTA of No. 2, achieved on 27 June 2022, making her the highest-ranked African and Arab tennis player in WTA and ATP rankings' history. Jabeur has won five singles titles on WTA Tour, including a WTA 1000 event at the 2022 Madrid Open, and has been runner-up at three majors. She is the first African and Arab woman to contest a major singles final. Read more
• 28 Aug 1993: Jakub Sokolík, Czech footballer Jakub Sokolík is a Czech professional footballer who plays as a defender, most recently for Torquay United. Read more
• 28 Aug 1992: Bismack Biyombo, Congolese basketball player Bismack Biyombo Sumba is a Congolese professional basketball player who last played for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected seventh overall in the 2011 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings and subsequently traded to the Charlotte Bobcats. Read more
• 28 Aug 1992: Max Collins, American-Filipino actress and model Isabelle "Max" Abiera Collins is a Filipino actress and model. She is currently an exclusive artist of GMA Network, where she has appeared in several of the network's television shows. Read more
• 28 Aug 1992: Gabriela Drăgoi, Romanian gymnast Gabriela Drăgoi is a Romanian artistic gymnast. She is an Olympic bronze medalist and a European gold medalist with the team. Individually, she is a European bronze medalist on balance beam. Read more
• 28 Aug 1991: Felicio Brown Forbes, German footballer Felicio Anando Brown Steinert is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for China League One club Yanbian Longding. Born in Germany, and having represented Germany at youth level, he represents the Costa Rica national team. Read more
• 28 Aug 1991: Andreja Pejić, Bosnian model Andreja Pejić is an Australian actress and former model. Since coming out as a trans woman in 2013, she has become one of the most recognisable transgender models in the world. Read more
• 28 Aug 1990: Bojan Krkić, Spanish footballer Bojan Krkić Pérez, also known as simply Bojan, is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a forward or winger. Read more
• 28 Aug 1989: César Azpilicueta, Spanish footballer César Azpilicueta Tanco is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a right-back or centre-back. Read more
• 28 Aug 1989: Valtteri Bottas, Finnish race car driver Valtteri Viktor Bottas is a Finnish racing driver who competes in Formula One for Cadillac. Bottas has finished runner-up twice in the World Drivers' Championship in 2019 and 2020 with Mercedes. Read more
• 28 Aug 1989: Jo Kwon, South Korean singer and dancer Jo Kwon is a South Korean singer, television host, actor, entertainer and the leader of South Korean boy band 2AM. He has starred in multiple musicals such as Jesus Christ Superstar playing the role of King Herod and Everybody's Talking About Jamie as Jamie New. Read more
• 28 Aug 1988: Rosie MacLennan, Canadian trampoline gymnast Rosannagh "Rosie" MacLennan is a Canadian retired trampoline gymnast. She is the 2013 and 2018 World Trampoline champion, 2012 and 2016 Olympic champion, and 2011 and 2015 Pan American Games champion in the individual trampoline event. MacLennan was the Canadian National Women's champion in 2005, 2009 and 2011, and in 2007 was the World Champion in synchronized trampoline with Karen Cockburn. She has also won five silver and four bronze medals in World Championship competition in both the individual and synchro events. MacLennan trains at Skyrider's Trampoline Place in Richmond Hill, Ontario, with coach David Ross, who has coached all of Canada's Olympic trampolinists. Read more
• 28 Aug 1987: Caleb Moore, American snowmobile racer (died 2013) Caleb Moore was an American professional snowmobile racer, a quad freestyle motocross rider, and the only person to die as a result of injuries sustained during the X Games. During his X Games career, Moore claimed four medals. Read more
• 28 Aug 1986: Jeff Green, American basketball player Jeffrey Lynn Green is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As of 2025–26, he has played for 11 NBA teams in 18 seasons. Read more
• 28 Aug 1986: Tommy Hanson, American baseball player (died 2015) Thomas J. Hanson Jr. was an American professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Hanson made his MLB debut with Atlanta on June 7, 2009, and played with the Braves through 2012. He pitched his final Major League season in 2013 with the Angels, who had acquired him in a trade. He died aged 29 from organ failure following "complications of cocaine and alcohol toxicity". Read more
• 28 Aug 1986: Simon Mannering, New Zealand rugby league player Simon Alexander Mannering is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. He played for the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL. A New Zealand international second row forward, who could also play as a centre. He was appointed the New Zealand national team's captain in 2013 and was replaced by Jesse Bromwich in 2016 and was part of the 2008 World Cup-winning Kiwis team. Mannering was a one-club player who played his whole NRL career with the Warriors. With 301 appearances for the Warriors, Mannering is the club's most capped player. Read more
• 28 Aug 1985: Kjetil Jansrud, Norwegian skier Kjetil Jansrud is a Norwegian former World Cup alpine ski racer and Olympic champion. He competed in all alpine disciplines apart from slalom, and his best event was the giant slalom where he has six World Cup podiums and an Olympic silver medal. Since 2012, he had concentrated on the speed events, where all but two of his World Cup victories had come. At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, he won the super-G and placed third in the downhill. At the World Championships in 2019 at Åre, Jansrud won gold in the downhill. Kjetil is the current host of popular tv reality show Alt for Norge. Read more
• 28 Aug 1984: Will Harris, American baseball player William Taylor Harris is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Houston Astros and Washington Nationals. He made his major league debut in 2012. Read more
• 28 Aug 1983: Lasith Malinga, Sri Lankan cricketer Separamadu Lasith Malinga is a Sri Lankan former cricketer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest limited overs bowlers of all time. Playing as a right-arm fast bowler, Malinga was commonly used as a specialist death bowler, and captained the Sri Lanka national cricket team to the 2014 T20 World Cup title. He was nicknamed "Slinga Malinga" due to his distinctive round-arm action, sometimes referred to as a sling action. He announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on 14 September 2021. Read more
• 28 Aug 1983: Luke McAlister, New Zealand rugby player Charles Luke McAlister is a retired New Zealand rugby union footballer. He played at fly-half and at centre. He is the brother of New Zealand women's sevens player Kayla McAlister and son of rugby league footballer Charlie McAlister. Read more
• 28 Aug 1983: Lilli Schwarzkopf, German heptathlete Lilli Schwarzkopf is a German heptathlete. Read more
• 28 Aug 1982: Anderson Silva de França, Brazilian footballer Anderson Silva de França, known as Anderson de Silva, is a Brazilian former footballer who played as a midfielder. Read more
• 28 Aug 1982: Kevin McNaughton, Scottish footballer Kevin Paul McNaughton is a Scottish professional football player and coach who is a co-manager of Midlands Premier League club Dundee North End. A versatile player able to play anywhere in defence, McNaughton was also used in a defensive midfield role. He began his career in the Scottish Premier League, playing for Aberdeen for six years. He joined Cardiff City in 2006, spending nine years at the Welsh side, making over 250 appearances. He had two loan spells at Bolton Wanderers before joining Wigan Athletic on a permanent basis in 2015. He retired from playing football in 2017, after a year with Inverness Caledonian Thistle, but reversed this decision in December 2017 after an injury crisis at Forfar Athletic, where he had joined as a coach the previous month. Read more
• 28 Aug 1982: Thiago Motta, Brazilian-Italian footballer Thiago Motta is an Italian professional football manager and former player who was most recently the head coach of Serie A club Juventus. Read more
• 28 Aug 1982: Carlos Quentin, American baseball player Carlos José Quentin is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox and San Diego Padres. In 2008 and 2011, Quentin was selected as an All-Star. Read more
• 28 Aug 1981: Kezia Dugdale, Scottish politician Kezia Alexandra Ross Dugdale is a Scottish former politician who served as Leader of the Scottish Labour Party from 2015 to 2017. A former member of the Scottish Labour Party and Co-operative Party, she was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Lothian region from 2011 to 2019. Read more
• 28 Aug 1981: Daniel Gygax, Swiss footballer Daniel Gygax is a Swiss former professional footballer who played as a winger or attacking midfielder. He earned 35 caps for the Swiss national team, playing at two European Championships and the 2006 FIFA World Cup. At club level, Gygax played mostly for Swiss clubs but has also played in France for Lille and Metz, before moving to Germany to play for 1. FC Nürnberg. Read more
• 28 Aug 1981: Raphael Matos, Brazilian race car driver Raphael "Rafa" Matos is a Brazilian professional racing driver. He was the 2008 Firestone Indy Lights Series champion and the 2007 Champ Car Atlantic Series champion. In sports car racing, Matos is a three-time champion of the Trans-Am Series, winning the title in the 2018, 2021 and 2024 seasons, all in the TA2 class. He lives in Miami. Read more
• 28 Aug 1981: Ahmed Talbi, Moroccan footballer Ahmed Talbi is a Moroccan footballer. As of 2005, he played for Wydad Casablanca. As of 2013, he was a starting player for Renaissance de Berkane. Read more
• 28 Aug 1981: Agata Wróbel, Polish weightlifter Agata Ewa Wróbel is a Polish weightlifter, and is a world record-breaker in the +75 kg category. Read more
• 28 Aug 1980: Antony Hämäläinen, Finnish singer-songwriter Antony Hämäläinen is a Finnish extreme metal vocalist living in the United States. Read more
• 28 Aug 1980: Debra Lafave, American sex offender and former teacher Debra Jean Williams, better known by her former married name of Debra Lafave, is an American sex offender and former teacher at Angelo L. Greco Middle School in Temple Terrace, Florida. In 2005, she pleaded guilty to lewd or lascivious battery against a teenager stemming from a sexual encounter with a male student referred to as "M.M." in police reports and "Jack" in her estranged then-husband's book Gorgeous Disaster: The Tragic Story of Debra LaFave, in the summer of 2004 when she was 23 and "M.M." was 14. Lafave's plea bargain included no prison time, opting for three years of house arrest due to safety concerns, seven years of probation, and lifetime registration as a sex offender. Read more
• 28 Aug 1980: Ryan Madson, American baseball player Ryan Michael Madson is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Kansas City Royals, Oakland Athletics, Washington Nationals, and Los Angeles Dodgers. Madson won World Series championships with the Phillies in 2008 and the Royals in 2015. He is third all-time in postseason pitching appearances, behind only Mariano Rivera and Kenley Jansen. Read more
• 28 Aug 1980: Jaakko Ojaniemi, Finnish decathlete Jaakko Ojaniemi is a Finnish former decathlete. After winning medals in junior level, he represented Finland several times in major athletics competitions. Read more
• 28 Aug 1980: Jonathan Reynolds, English lawyer and politician Jonathan Neil Reynolds is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade and President of the Board of Trade since 2026, having previously held the positions from 2024 to 2025. A member of the Labour and Co-operative parties, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Stalybridge and Hyde since 2010. Read more
• 28 Aug 1979: Shaila Dúrcal, Spanish singer-songwriter Shaila de los Ángeles Morales de las Heras, better known as Shaila Dúrcal, is a Spanish singer and songwriter. Her parents are singers Rocío Dúrcal and Antonio Morales ("Junior"). Read more
• 28 Aug 1979: Robert Hoyzer, German footballer and referee In early 2005, German football was overshadowed by the discovery of a €2 million match fixing scandal centred on second division referee Robert Hoyzer, who confessed to fixing and betting on matches in the 2. Bundesliga, the DFB-Pokal, and the then third division Regionalliga. The scandal has been described as the largest controversy in German football since the Bundesliga scandal of the early 1970s, as numerous players, coaches and officials have been accused of involvement with an organised crime group in the scheme, which came on the eve of Germany playing host to the 2006 World Cup. Read more
• 28 Aug 1979: Kristen Hughes, Australian netball player Kristen Heinrich is an Australian netball player, who played for the Adelaide Thunderbirds in the ANZ Championship in 2008. Read more
• 28 Aug 1979: Markus Pröll, German footballer Markus Pröll is a German former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. During his career, he played for 1. FC Köln and Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany and Panionios in Greece. Read more
• 28 Aug 1979: Ruth Riley, American basketball player Ruth Ellen Riley Hunter is an American former professional basketball player, playing most recently for the Atlanta Dream in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Her Notre Dame team won the NCAA women's championship in 2001, and her Detroit Shock team won the WNBA championship in 2003 and 2006. Riley was the Most Valuable Player in the 2001 and 2003 championship series, becoming the first person to win the MVP awards in both the NCAA and the WNBA championships. She has also played on teams that won the National Women's Basketball League (NWBL) championship, the gold medal at the Olympic Games, and the 2010 EuroCup Championship. In 2019, Riley was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. Read more
• 28 Aug 1978: Karine Turcotte, Canadian weightlifter Karine Turcotte is a Canadian weightlifter. Read more
• 28 Aug 1976: Federico Magallanes, Uruguayan footballer Gerardo Federico Magallanes González is a Uruguay former footballer who played as a forward. Read more
• 28 Aug 1975: Jamie Cureton, English footballer Jamie Cureton is an English football coach and player who plays as a striker for Eastern Counties League Division One North club Holland. Read more
• 28 Aug 1975: Gareth Farrelly, Irish footballer and manager Gareth Farrelly is an Irish football manager and former professional footballer. Read more
• 28 Aug 1975: Hamish McLachlan, Australian television personality Hamish Angus McLachlan is an Australian sports broadcaster with Seven Sport. Read more
• 28 Aug 1975: Royce Willis, New Zealand rugby player Royce Kevin Willis was an international rugby union player who represented New Zealand in 12 matches between 1998 and 2002. Read more
• 28 Aug 1974: Johan Andersson, Swedish game designer and programmer Johan Andersson is a Swedish video game designer and studio manager for Paradox Tinto, a division of Paradox Interactive based in Sitges, Spain near Barcelona. Andersson is widely considered to be the central creative force behind the company’s grand strategy games, having led the design and production of flagship titles like Europa Universalis, Hearts of Iron, and Victoria. Read more
• 28 Aug 1974: Takahito Eguchi, Japanese pianist and composer Takahito Eguchi is a Japanese composer, orchestrator, and musician. He is best known for collaborating with Noriko Matsueda on Final Fantasy X-2 and with Tomoya Ohtani on several Sonic the Hedgehog games. Eguchi became interested in music when he was six years old after hearing his neighbor playing the piano. He attended the Tokyo Conservatoire Shobi where he acquainted Matsueda. Read more
• 28 Aug 1974: Carsten Jancker, German footballer and manager Carsten Jancker is a German football coach and former player. He played as a forward for various teams between 1993 and 2009, including 1. FC Köln, Rapid Wien, Bayern Munich, Udinese Calcio, FC Kaiserslautern, Shanghai Shenhua, and SV Mattersburg, as well as the Germany national team. Read more
• 28 Aug 1973: Kirby Morrow, Canadian actor, comedian, and writer (died 2020) Kirby Robert Morrow was a Canadian actor, comedian and writer. In animation, he was known as the voice of Miroku from InuYasha, its four movies, and Inuyasha: The Final Act, Van Fanel from the Ocean dub of Escaflowne, Cyclops from X-Men: Evolution, Jay from Class of the Titans, Teru Mikami from Death Note, Trowa Barton from Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Rey Za Burrel from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny, Ryo Takatsuki from Project ARMS, Goku from Ocean Productions' dub of Dragon Ball Z, Hot Shot from Transformers: Cybertron and his main role as Cole from LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu. On camera, he was known for the recurring role of Captain Dave Kleinman from Stargate Atlantis. Read more
• 28 Aug 1972: Ravindu Shah, Kenyan cricketer Ravindu Dhirajlal Shah is a Kenyan former cricketer. He was a right-handed batsman. He was part of Kenya's 1999, 2003 and 2007 World Cup squads. Read more
• 28 Aug 1972: Jay Witasick, American baseball player and coach Gerald Alphonse "Jay" Witasick Jr. is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched all or parts of 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1996 to 2007, primarily as a relief pitcher. Read more
• 28 Aug 1971: Shane Andrews, American baseball player Darrell Shane Andrews is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball. He graduated from Carlsbad New Mexico High School in 1990. Andrews began his minor-league career in 1990 with the Gulf Coast Expos. In 1992, he led he South Atlantic League with 25 home runs and 107 walks. Read more
• 28 Aug 1971: Raúl Márquez, Mexican-American boxer and sportscaster Raúl Márquez is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2008. He held IBF junior middleweight title between April and December 1997. Márquez also represented the U.S. at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Read more
• 28 Aug 1970: Melina Aslanidou, German-Greek singer-songwriter Melina Aslanidou is a Greek singer. Read more
• 28 Aug 1970: Rick Recht, American singer-songwriter Richard Samuel "Rick" Recht is an American rock musician who was one of the early pioneers of contemporary Jewish rock music in the early 2000s, performing for Jewish teenage and young adult audiences. He is the founder and executive director of Songleader Boot Camp (SLBC). Read more
• 28 Aug 1969: Jack Black, American actor, comedian, singer, songwriter, and musician Thomas Jacob "Jack" Black is an American actor, comedian, singer, songwriter, and musician. He has played leading roles in family and comedy films, in addition to his voice work in animated features. His accolades include an Emmy Award, a Grammy Award, and nominations for two Critics' Choice Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. In 2018, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Read more
• 28 Aug 1969: Pierre Turgeon, Canadian-American ice hockey player Pierre Julien Turgeon is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. Selected first overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1987 NHL entry draft, Turgeon played in the NHL for the Sabres, New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche. He is the younger brother of former NHL player Sylvain Turgeon.  Read more
• 28 Aug 1967: Jamie Osborne, English jockey and trainer Jamie Osborne is a Lambourn-based racehorse trainer and former National Hunt jockey. Read more
• 28 Aug 1966: Priya Dutt, Indian social worker and politician Priya Dutt Roncon is an Indian politician and social worker. She was elected for the first time to the 14th Lok Sabha from Mumbai North West constituency in Maharashtra on 22 November 2005, representing the Indian National Congress party. She represented the Mumbai North Central constituency in the 15th Lok Sabha from 2009. In the 2014 and 2019 Indian general elections, she was defeated by Poonam Mahajan of the BJP. Read more
• 28 Aug 1965: Dan Crowley, Australian rugby player Dan Crowley is an Australian former rugby union player who played as a prop. He won 38 caps for the Australia national team and played over 100 times for the Queensland Reds during his rugby career. He is one of only 43 players who have won the Rugby World Cup on multiple occasions. Read more
• 28 Aug 1965: Sonia Kruger, Australian television host and actress Sonia Melissa Kruger is an Australian television presenter, actress and media personality. She is best known for co-hosting the Australian version of Dancing with the Stars alongside Chris Brown, and for the role of Tina Sparkle in the 1992 film Strictly Ballroom. Kruger was also the host of Big Brother Australia from 2012 to 2014 on Nine, and later returned as host during its revival on Channel 7, from 2020 to 2023. Read more
• 28 Aug 1965: Satoshi Tajiri, Japanese video game developer; created Pokémon Satoshi Tajiri is a Japanese video game designer and director who is the creator of the Pokémon franchise and the co-founder and president of video game developer Game Freak. Read more
• 28 Aug 1964: Lee Janzen, American golfer Lee McLeod Janzen is an American professional golfer who is best known for winning the U.S. Open twice in 1993 and 1998. He currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions, and was an eight-time winner on the PGA Tour. Read more
• 28 Aug 1964: Kaj Leo Johannesen, Faroese footballer and politician, 12th Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands Kaj Leo Holm Johannesen is a Faroese politician. He was the prime minister of the Faroe Islands, representing the Faroese Unionist Party (Sambandsflokkurin). He took office, succeeding Jóannes Eidesgaard on 26 September 2008 and left office on 15 September 2015, after his party and coalition with Fólkaflokkurin and Miðflokkurin lost the general election on 1 September 2015. Johannesen is also a former international football player; he was goalkeeper for the Faroe Islands national football team. Read more
• 28 Aug 1963: Maria Gheorghiu, Romanian folk singer-songwriter Maria Gheorghiu is a Romanian folk singer and songwriter. In 1993, she won first prize at the National Festival of Folk Music 'Om Bun'. Read more
• 28 Aug 1963: Regina Jacobs, American runner Regina Jacobs is an American former middle-distance runner from Los Angeles. She had an extended career that included two IAAF World Championships in Athletics silver medals and an indoor world championship at the age of 39. Three months later, her career ended after winning what would have been a fifth straight National Championship in the 1500 meters when she was disqualified and banned for doping related to the BALCO scandal. Read more
• 28 Aug 1962: Paul Allen, English footballer Paul Kevin Allen is an English former professional footballer and delegate liaison officer for the Professional Footballers' Association. Read more
• 28 Aug 1962: Craig Anton, American actor and screenwriter Craig Ward Anton is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his roles as Mr. Pettus in Lizzie McGuire and Lloyd Diffy in Phil of the Future. Read more
• 28 Aug 1962: David Fincher, American director and producer David Andrew Leo Fincher is an American director. Often described as one of the pre-eminent directors of his generation, his films have collectively grossed over $2.1 billion worldwide. Fincher has received numerous accolades, including nominations for three Academy Awards as well as a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and two Grammy Awards. Read more
• 28 Aug 1961: Kim Appleby, English singer-songwriter and actress Kim Loraine Appleby is a pop singer and songwriter. She participated in the duo Mel and Kim with her sister Melanie Appleby. Read more
• 28 Aug 1961: Cliff Benson, American football player Clifford Anthony Benson is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Atlanta Falcons, Washington Redskins, and New Orleans Saints. He was selected by the Falcons in the fifth round of the 1984 NFL draft. He played for Alan B. Shepard High School in Palos Heights, Illinois. He played college football for the Purdue Boilermakers and was selected in the fifth round of the 1984 NFL draft. Read more
• 28 Aug 1961: Ian Pont, English cricketer and coach Ian Leslie Pont is an English former cricketer and current coach, specialising in coaching Twenty20 cricket. Known for a powerful throw and a brief foray into the world of baseball, Pont mainly played for Essex during his career, as did his brother Keith Pont. Ian Pont won the Nat West (1985), Sunday/Pro 40 League (1985) and County Championship (1986) titles with Essex. Read more
• 28 Aug 1961: Deepak Tijori, Indian actor and director Deepak Tijori is an Indian film director and actor who works in Bollywood and Gujarati films and is well known for his supporting roles in Aashiqui (1990), Sadak (1991), Khiladi (1992), Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992), Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (1994), Ghulam (1998) and Baadshah (1999). He also starred as a lead actor in Pehla Nasha (1993). Tijori started his directing career with Oops! (2003), a film about male strippers. This was followed by Fareb (2005), Khamoshh… Khauff Ki Raat (2005), Tom, Dick, and Harry (2006) and Fox (2009). Thriller at 10 – Fareb, a TV mini-series produced by Tijori won the 2001 Indian Television Academy Awards in the category best mini-series. His recent directorial, Do Lafzon Ki Kahani, was released in the year 2016. Read more
• 28 Aug 1959: Brian Thompson, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter Brian Earl Thompson is an American actor. His career began with a small role in the 1984 film The Terminator. He played the villainous "Night Slasher" in the 1986 film Cobra. His first named role was on Werewolf, a horror series that ran during Fox's inaugural broadcasting year of 1987–1988. Thompson has played several characters in the Star Trek franchise—the most notable being the Klingon Lieutenant Klag, who informed Commander William Riker that "Gagh is always best when served live", the Alien Bounty Hunter on The X-Files, and Eddie Fiori on Kindred: The Embraced. In 2014, he produced, wrote and starred in the B movie parody The Extendables. Read more
• 28 Aug 1957: Greg Clark, English businessman and politician, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Gregory David Clark is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy from 2016 to 2019. He also was Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government from 2015 to 2016 and Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities from July to September 2022. Later, he was the Chair of the Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Tunbridge Wells from 2005 until 2024. Read more
• 28 Aug 1957: Ivo Josipović, Croatian lawyer, jurist, and politician, 3rd President of Croatia Ivo Josipović is a Croatian academic, jurist, composer, and politician who served as the president of Croatia from 2010 to 2015. Read more
• 28 Aug 1956: Luis Guzmán, Puerto Rican actor Luis Guzmán is a Puerto Rican actor. His career spans over 40 years and includes a number of films and television series. He has appeared in Paul Thomas Anderson's films Boogie Nights (1997), Magnolia (1999) and Punch-Drunk Love (2002), and Steven Soderbergh's films Out of Sight (1998), The Limey (1999) and Traffic (2000). His other film credits include Q & A (1990), The Hard Way (1991), Carlito's Way (1993), Snake Eyes (1998) and Keanu (2016). For his role in The Limey, he received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male. Read more
• 28 Aug 1956: John Long, American basketball player John Eddie Long is an American former professional basketball player. Read more
• 28 Aug 1956: Steve Whiteman, American singer-songwriter Steve Whiteman is an American rock vocalist, best known for being the lead singer of Kix. Read more
• 28 Aug 1954: Katharine Abraham, American feminist economist Katharine G. Abraham is an American economist who is a Distinguished University Professor of economics and survey methodology at the University of Maryland. She was commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics from 1993 to 2001 and a member of the Council of Economic Advisers from 2011 to 2013. She was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 2022 and, in 2024, was elected to be the President-Elect and then the President of the American Economic Association. Read more
• 28 Aug 1954: George M. Church, American geneticist, chemist, and engineer George McDonald Church is an American geneticist, molecular engineer, chemist, serial entrepreneur, and pioneer in personal genomics and synthetic biology. He is the Robert Winthrop Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School, Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a founding member of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University. Read more
• 28 Aug 1954: John Dorahy, Australian rugby player and coach John Kevin Dorahy, also known by the nickname of "Joe Cool", is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and coach. He played in the Australian New South Wales Rugby League premiership and also represented for NSW Country, New South Wales Origin and Australia. Dorahy later played and coached in the English Championship, and coached in the Super League. He began his playing career at fullback and in later years moved into the centres. As coach of Wigan, he is one of a select few to have a guided his club to the league championship and Challenge Cup 'double'. Read more
• 28 Aug 1954: Ravi Kanbur, Indian-English economist and academic Sanjiv M. Ravi Kanbur, is T.H. Lee Professor of World Affairs, International Professor of Applied Economics, and Professor of Economics at Cornell University. He worked for the World Bank for almost two decades and was the director of the World Development Report. Read more
• 28 Aug 1953: Ditmar Jakobs, German footballer Ditmar Jakobs is a German former footballer who played as a defender. He played as a centre-back, a classical libero in the mold of Franz Beckenbauer or Willi Schulz. Read more
• 28 Aug 1953: Tõnu Kaljuste, Estonian conductor and journalist Tõnu Kaljuste is an Estonian conductor. Read more
• 28 Aug 1952: Jacques Chagnon, Canadian educator and politician Jacques Chagnon is a retired Canadian politician who served in the National Assembly of Quebec from 1985 to 2018. A member of Quebec Liberal Party, he was appointed Minister of Education in 1994, when his party went back on to form government in 2003, he was appointed Minister of Public Security until 2005. Read more
• 28 Aug 1952: Rita Dove, American poet and essayist Rita Frances Dove is an American poet and essayist. She served as poet laureate consultant in poetry to the Library of Congress from 1993 to 1995, becoming the first African American appointed to the position after it was established in 1986. In 1987, she became the second African American to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Dove was special consultant in poetry to the Library of Congress during its bicentennial year (1999–2000) and served as Poet Laureate of Virginia from 2004 to 2006. She has been teaching at the University of Virginia since 1989. Read more
• 28 Aug 1952: Wendelin Wiedeking, German businessman Wendelin Frederik Wiedeking is the former president and chief executive officer of the German car manufacturer, Porsche AG, a post he held from 1993 through July 23, 2009. He was also speaker of the company's executive committee and was a member of the supervisory board of Volkswagen AG from 2006 to 2009. Read more
• 28 Aug 1951: Colin McAdam, Scottish footballer (died 2013) Colin McAdam was a Scottish professional football player, best known for his time with Rangers. He played as both a centre back and a striker during his career. Read more
• 28 Aug 1951: Wayne Osmond, American singer-songwriter and actor (died 2025) Melvin Wayne Osmond was an American musician. He was the second-oldest of the original Osmond Brothers singers and the fourth oldest of the nine Osmond siblings. Read more
• 28 Aug 1951: Keiichi Suzuki, Japanese singer-songwriter Keiichi Suzuki is a Japanese musician, singer, and record producer who co-founded the Moonriders, a group that became one of Japan's most innovative rock bands. He is known to audiences outside Japan for his musical contributions to the video games EarthBound Beginnings/Mother (1989) and EarthBound/Mother 2 (1994), both of which have been released on several soundtracks. More recently, he has composed film scores including The Blind Swordsman: Zatōichi (2003), Tokyo Godfathers (2003), Uzumaki (2000), Chicken Heart (2009), as well as Takeshi Kitano's Outrage trilogy. Read more
• 28 Aug 1950: Ron Guidry, American baseball player and coach Ronald Ames Guidry, nicknamed "Louisiana Lightning" and "Gator", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees. Guidry was also the pitching coach of the Yankees from 2006 to 2007. Read more
• 28 Aug 1950: Tony Husband, English cartoonist (died 2023) William Anthony Husband was a British cartoonist known for his black humour. He was mainly known for his work in Private Eye magazine, and his work has appeared in The Times, the Daily Mail and the Sunday Express as well as magazines including Playboy and The Spectator. Read more
• 28 Aug 1949: Hugh Cornwell, English singer-songwriter and guitarist Hugh Alan Cornwell is an English musician, singer-songwriter and writer, best known for being the lead vocalist and lead guitarist for the punk rock and new wave band the Stranglers from 1974 to 1990. Since leaving the Stranglers, Cornwell has recorded a further ten solo studio albums and continues to record and perform live. Read more
• 28 Aug 1949: Svetislav Pešić, Serbian basketball player and coach Svetislav "Kari" Pešić is a Serbian former basketball player and coach. Read more
• 28 Aug 1948: Vonda N. McIntyre, American author (died 2019) Vonda Neel McIntyre was an American science fiction writer and biologist. Read more
• 28 Aug 1948: Murray Parker, New Zealand cricketer and educator Norman Murray Parker is a former New Zealand cricketer who played in three Test matches and one One Day International during 1976. Read more
• 28 Aug 1948: Heather Reisman, Canadian publisher and businesswoman Heather Maxine Reisman is a Canadian businesswoman and philanthropist. Reisman is the founder and chief executive of the Canadian retail chain Indigo Books and Music. She is the co-founder and past Chair of Kobo, and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2019. Read more
• 28 Aug 1948: Danny Seraphine, American drummer and producer Daniel Peter Seraphine is an American drummer, record producer, theatrical producer, and film producer. He is best known as the original drummer and a founding member of the rock band Chicago, a tenure which lasted from February 1967 to May 1990. Read more
• 28 Aug 1948: Elizabeth Wilmshurst, English academic and jurist Elizabeth Susan Wilmshurst, Distinguished Fellow of the International Law Programme at Chatham House, and Professor of International Law at University College London, is best known for her role as Deputy Legal Adviser at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom on the eve of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Read more
• 28 Aug 1947: Emlyn Hughes, English footballer (died 2004) Emlyn Walter Hughes was an English footballer. He started his career at Blackpool in 1964 before moving to Liverpool in 1967. He made 665 appearances for Liverpool and captained the side to three league titles, an FA Cup in 1974, two European Cups, including Liverpool's first in 1977; and two UEFA Cups. Hughes was named the Football Writers' Player of the Year in 1977. Read more
• 28 Aug 1947: Liza Wang, Hong Kong actress and singer Elizabeth "Liza" Wang Ming-chun GBS SBS, is a Hong Kong diva, actress and MC. She is a personality in Chinese-speaking communities. She has been nicknamed "The Big Sister" in the Hong Kong entertainment circle. Wang was a delegate in the National People's Congress from 1988 to 1997, and she is a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Read more
• 28 Aug 1945: Bob Segarini, American-Canadian singer-songwriter (died 2023) Robert Joseph Segarini was an American-Canadian recording artist, singer, songwriter, composer, and radio host. During a professional music career primarily developed between 1968 and the early 1980s, Segarini was particularly popular in Canada. He is also notable as one of the founding members of The Wackers. Read more
• 28 Aug 1944: Marianne Heemskerk, Dutch swimmer Marianne Yvonne Heemskerk is a former butterfly swimmer from the Netherlands, who won the silver medal in the 100 m butterfly at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy. She was also part of the 4 × 100 m medley relay team that finished fourth. She also participated in the 1964 Summer Olympics but did not reach the finals. Heemskerk broke the world record in the women's 200m butterfly on 12 June 1960 in Leipzig, East Germany. Read more
• 28 Aug 1943: Jihad Al-Atrash, Lebanese actor and voice actor Jihad Al-Atrash is a Lebanese actor and voice actor. Read more
• 28 Aug 1943: Surayud Chulanont, Thai general and politician, 24th Prime Minister of Thailand Surayud Chulanont is a Thai former politician and military officer who was the 24th prime minister of Thailand and head of Thailand's interim government between 2006 and 2008. He is a former supreme commander of the Royal Thai Army and is currently Privy Councilor to King Vajiralongkorn. Read more
• 28 Aug 1943: Robert Greenwald, American director and producer Robert Greenwald is an American filmmaker, and the founder of Brave New Films, a nonprofit film and advocacy organization whose work is distributed for free in concert with nonprofit partners and movements in order to educate and mobilize for progressive causes. With Brave New Films, Greenwald has made investigative documentaries such as Uncovered: The War on Iraq (2004), Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism (2004), Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price (2005), Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers (2006), Rethink Afghanistan (2009), Koch Brothers Exposed (2012), and War on Whistleblowers (2013), Suppressed 2020: The Fight to Vote (2020), Suppressed and Sabotaged: The Fight to Vote (2022), Suppressed and Sabotaged: The Fight to Vote (2024), Beyond Bars (2023), as well as many short investigative films and internet videos. Read more
• 28 Aug 1943: Shuja Khanzada, Pakistani colonel and politician (died 2015) Shuja Khanzada was a Pakistani politician and retired army colonel, who was serving as the Home Minister of Punjab from 2014 until his assassination on 16 August 2015. Read more
• 28 Aug 1942: Wendy Davies, Welsh historian and academic Wendy Elizabeth Davies is a British historian who is an emerita professor of history at University College London, England. Her research focuses on rural societies in early medieval Europe, focusing on the regions of Wales, Brittany and Iberia. Read more
• 28 Aug 1942: Jorge Urosa, Venezuelan cardinal (died 2021) Jorge Liberato Urosa Savino was a Venezuelan prelate of the Catholic Church. Read more
• 28 Aug 1941: Michael Craig-Martin, Irish painter and illustrator Sir Michael Craig-Martin is an Irish-born contemporary conceptual artist and painter. He is known for fostering and adopting the Young British Artists, many of whom he taught, and for his conceptual artwork, An Oak Tree. He is an emeritus Professor of Fine Art at Goldsmiths. His memoir and advice for the aspiring artist, On Being An Artist, was published by London-based publisher Art / Books in April 2015. Read more
• 28 Aug 1941: Toomas Leius, Estonian tennis player and coach Toomas Leius was an Estonian tennis player who competed for the Soviet Union. Read more
• 28 Aug 1941: John Stanley Marshall, English drummer (died 2023) John Stanley Marshall was an English drummer and founding member of the jazz rock band Nucleus. He is most well known as the drummer for Soft Machine and its asscociated acts from 1972 until his retirement from the group in 2022. Read more
• 28 Aug 1941: Paul Plishka, American opera singer Paul Plishka was an American operatic bass based at the Metropolitan Opera (Met) in New York City where he appeared first in 1967 and last in 2018, in 88 roles and 1672 performances. He also sang at leading houses internationally, a regular guest at La Scala in Milan and touring with the ensemble to Tokyo and Moscow. His voice was described as dark, rich, powerful and expressive. After years of small roles he performed leading roles, developing in Verdi's Don Carlos from a Monk to the Grand Inquisitor at the 1998 Salzburg Festival and Philip II of Spain. He chose the title role of Verdi's Falstaff for his 25th anniversary at the Met. Read more
• 28 Aug 1940: William Cohen, American lawyer and politician, 20th United States Secretary of Defense William Sebastian Cohen is an American attorney, author, and politician. A member of the Republican Party, Cohen also served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1973 to 1979, United States Senate from 1979 to 1997, and as secretary of defense from 1997 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Read more
• 28 Aug 1940: Roger Pingeon, French cyclist (died 2017) Roger Pingeon was a French professional road bicycle racer. Read more
• 28 Aug 1939: John Kingman, English mathematician and academic Sir John Frank Charles Kingman is a British mathematician. He served as N. M. Rothschild and Sons Professor of Mathematical Sciences and Director of the Isaac Newton Institute at the University of Cambridge from 2001 until 2006, when he was succeeded by David Wallace. He is known for developing the mathematics of the coalescent theory, a theoretical model of inheritance that is fundamental to modern population genetics. Read more
• 28 Aug 1938: Maurizio Costanzo, Italian journalist and academic (died 2023) Maurizio Costanzo was an Italian television host, journalist, screenwriter, and film director. Read more
• 28 Aug 1938: Bengt Fahlström, Swedish journalist (died 2017) Bengt Fahlström was a Swedish journalist and television presenter, he presented Barnjournalen at SVT between 1972 and 1988. In 1979, he was awarded the Stora Journalistpriset for his work with the show. Read more
• 28 Aug 1938: Marcello Gandini, Italian automotive designer (died 2024) Marcello Gandini was an Italian car designer widely known for his work with the Italian car design house Bertone, where his work included designing the Alfa Romeo Carabo and Montreal, Lancia Stratos Zero, Maserati Khamsin, Ferrari GT4, Fiat X1/9, and multiple Lamborghinis, including the Miura, Countach, Espada, and Urraco production cars, as well as the Marzal and Bravo concept cars. Gandini himself said his design interests prioritised vehicle architecture, construction, assembly, and mechanisms over styling. Read more
• 28 Aug 1938: Paul Martin, Canadian lawyer and politician, 21st Prime Minister of Canada Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, also known as Paul Martin Jr., is a Canadian lawyer and retired politician who served as the 21st prime minister of Canada and the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2003 to 2006. Read more
• 28 Aug 1936: Don Denkinger, American baseball player and umpire (died 2023) Donald Anton Denkinger was an American umpire in Major League Baseball (MLB) who worked in the American League (AL) from 1969 to 1998. Denkinger wore uniform number 11, when the AL adopted uniform numbers in 1980. He is best remembered for an incorrect safe call he made at first base in Game 6 of the 1985 World Series, which came to be known as The Call. Read more
• 28 Aug 1936: Warren M. Washington, American atmospheric scientist Warren Morton Washington was an American atmospheric scientist, a chair of the National Science Board, and a Distinguished Scholar at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado. His research was part of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore. In 2019, he was awarded the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement. Read more
• 28 Aug 1935: Melvin Charney, Canadian sculptor and architect (died 2012) Melvin Charney C.Q. was a Canadian artist and architect. Read more
• 28 Aug 1935: Gilles Rocheleau, Canadian businessman and politician (died 1998) Gilles Rocheleau was a member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1988 to 1993. He co-founded the Bloc Québécois with Lucien Bouchard in 1990. Read more
• 28 Aug 1933: Philip French, English journalist, critic, and producer (died 2015) Philip Neville French was an English film critic and radio producer. French began his career in journalism in the late 1950s, before eventually becoming a BBC Radio producer, and later a film critic. He began writing for The Observer in 1963 and retired as film critic in 2013, but continued to write until his death. Read more
• 28 Aug 1933: Patrick Kalilombe, Malawian bishop and theologian (died 2012) Patrick Augustine Kalilombe was a Roman Catholic theologian who was the Bishop of Lilongwe from 1972 to 1979. Read more
• 28 Aug 1932: Yakir Aharonov, Israeli academic and educator Yakir Aharonov is an Israeli physicist specializing in quantum physics. He has been a Professor of Theoretical Physics and the James J. Farley Professor of Natural Philosophy at Chapman University in California since 2008. He was a distinguished professor in the Perimeter Institute between 2009-2012 and is a professor emeritus at Tel Aviv University and at University of South Carolina. He is president of the IYAR, The Israeli Institute for Advanced Research. Read more
• 28 Aug 1932: Andy Bathgate, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (died 2016) Andrew James Bathgate was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who was a right winger for 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins between 1952 and 1971. In 2017 Bathgate was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" in history. Read more
• 28 Aug 1931: Tito Capobianco, Argentinian director and producer (died 2018) Tito Capobianco was an Argentine American stage director and general manager of several opera companies. Read more
• 28 Aug 1931: Cristina Deutekom, Dutch soprano and actress (died 2014) Cristina Deutekom was a Dutch operatic dramatic coloratura soprano. Read more
• 28 Aug 1931: Ola L. Mize, American colonel, Medal of Honor recipient (died 2014) Ola Lee Mize was a United States Army officer and a recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Korean War. Read more
• 28 Aug 1931: John Shirley-Quirk, English actor, singer, and educator (died 2014) John Stanton Shirley-Quirk CBE was an English bass-baritone. A member of the English Opera Group from 1964 to 1976, he gave premiere performances of several operatic and vocal works by Benjamin Britten, recording these and other works under the composer's direction. He also sang and recorded a wide range of works by other composers, ranging from Handel through Tchaikovsky to Henze. Read more
• 28 Aug 1931: Roger Williams, English hepatologist and academic (died 2020) Roger Stanley Williams was a British professor of hepatology. He was Director of the Institute of Hepatology, London and Professor of Hepatology, King's College London. He was also Medical Director of the charity, the Foundation for Liver Research a UK registered charity and was the lead person of the Lancet Commission into Liver Disease in the UK. Read more
• 28 Aug 1930: Windsor Davies, British actor (died 2019) Windsor Davies was a Welsh actor. He is best remembered for playing Battery Sergeant Major Williams in the sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum (1974–1981) over its entire run. The show's popularity resulted in Davies and his co-star Don Estelle achieving a UK number-one hit with a version of "Whispering Grass" in 1975. He later starred with Donald Sinden in Never the Twain (1981–1991), and his deep Welsh-accented voice was heard extensively in advertising voice-overs. Read more
• 28 Aug 1930: Ben Gazzara, American actor (died 2012) Biagio Anthony "Ben" Gazzara was an American actor and director of film, stage, and television. He received numerous accolades including a Primetime Emmy Award and a Drama Desk Award, in addition to nominations for three Golden Globe Awards and three Tony Awards. Read more
• 28 Aug 1929: István Kertész, Hungarian conductor (died 1973) István Kertész was a Hungarian orchestral and operatic conductor who led many of the world's orchestras, including the Cleveland, Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Detroit, San Francisco and Minnesota Orchestras in the United States, as well as the London Symphony, Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic, and L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. Read more
• 28 Aug 1929: Roxie Roker, American actress (died 1995) Roxie Albertha Roker was an American actress. She was best known for her portrayal of Helen Willis on the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons. In 1973, she performed as Mattie Williams in the Broadway play The River Niger, and was nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Play at the 28th Tony Awards. Roker is the mother of rock musician Lenny Kravitz and grandmother of actress Zoë Kravitz. Read more
• 28 Aug 1928: F. William Free, American businessman (died 2003) F. William Free was an American advertising executive. He is best remembered for the controversial 1971 advertising slogan for National Airlines, "I'm Cheryl – Fly Me." Read more
• 28 Aug 1928: Vilayat Khan, Indian sitar player and composer (died 2004) Vilayat Khan was an Indian classical sitar player, considered by many to be the greatest sitarist of his age. Along with Imdad Khan, Enayat Khan, and Imrat Khan, he is credited with the creation and development of gayaki ang on the sitar. Read more
• 28 Aug 1925: Billy Grammer, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2011) Billy Wayne Grammer was an American country music singer and accomplished guitar player. He recorded the million-selling "Gotta Travel On", which made it onto both the country and pop music charts in 1959. Grammer would become a regular performer on the Grand Ole Opry, eventually designing, and marketing his namesake guitar after co-founding a guitar company, in Nashville, Tennessee. Read more
• 28 Aug 1925: Donald O'Connor, American actor, singer, and dancer (died 2003) Donald David Dixon Ronald O'Connor was an American dancer, singer and actor. He came to fame in a series of films in which he co-starred, in succession, with Gloria Jean, Peggy Ryan, and Francis the Talking Mule. Read more
• 28 Aug 1925: Philip Purser, English author and critic (died 2022) Philip John Purser was a British television critic and novelist. Read more
• 28 Aug 1924: Tony MacGibbon, New Zealand cricketer and engineer (died 2010) Anthony Roy MacGibbon was a cricketer who played 26 Tests for New Zealand in the 1950s. Read more
• 28 Aug 1924: Peggy Ryan, American actress and dancer (died 2004) Margaret O'Rene Ryan was an American dancer and actress, best known for starring in a series of movie musicals at Universal Pictures with Donald O'Connor and Gloria Jean. Read more
• 28 Aug 1924: Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Ukrainian-American rabbi and author (died 2014) Meshullam Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, commonly referred to as Reb Zalman, was an American rabbi, writer, and activist, and one of the founders of the Jewish Renewal movement and an innovator in ecumenical dialogue. Read more
• 28 Aug 1921: John Herbert Chapman, Canadian physicist and engineer (died 1979) John Herbert Chapman was a Canadian space researcher. He started his career with his work on radio propagation and the ionosphere. Read more
• 28 Aug 1921: Fernando Fernán Gómez, Spanish actor, director, and playwright (died 2007) Fernando Fernández Gómez, better known as Fernando Fernán Gómez, was a Spanish actor, screenwriter, film director, theater director, novelist, and playwright. Prolific in all these fields, he was elected member of the Royal Spanish Academy in 1998. He was born in Lima, Peru while his mother, Spanish actress Carola Fernán-Gómez, was making a tour in Latin America. He would later use her surname for his stage name when he moved to Spain in 1924. Read more
• 28 Aug 1921: Nancy Kulp, American actress and soldier (died 1991) Nancy Jane Kulp was an American character actor, writer and comedian widely known as Miss Jane Hathaway on the CBS television series The Beverly Hillbillies. Read more
• 28 Aug 1921: Lidia Gueiler Tejada, the first female President of Bolivia (died 2011) Lydia Gueiler Tejada was a Bolivian politician who served as the 56th president of Bolivia from 1979 to 1980. She was one of the first female republican heads of state and the first woman to serve as president of Bolivia. Read more
• 28 Aug 1919: Godfrey Hounsfield, English biophysicist and engineer Nobel Prize laureate (died 2004) Sir Godfrey Newbold Hounsfield was a British electrical engineer who shared the 1979 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine with Allan MacLeod Cormack for his part in developing the diagnostic technique of X-ray computed tomography (CT). Read more
• 28 Aug 1918: L. B. Cole, American illustrator and publisher (died 1995) Leonard Brandt Cole, commonly known as L. B. Cole, was a comic book artist, editor, and publisher who worked during the Golden Age of Comic Books, producing work in various genres. Cole was particularly known for his bold covers, featuring what he referred to as "poster colors"—the use of primary colors often over black backgrounds. In addition to his covers, Cole did interior art for comics published by Holyoke Publications, Gilberton, and Ajax/Farrell. He also worked as an editor for Holyoke in the 1940s. Read more
• 28 Aug 1916: Hélène Baillargeon, Canadian singer and actress (died 1997) Hélène Baillargeon (1916–1997) was a Canadian singer, actor, and folklorist probably best known as the host of the CBC Television show Chez Hélène from 1959 to 1973. Read more
• 28 Aug 1916: C. Wright Mills American sociologist and author (died 1962) Charles Wright Mills was an American sociologist, and a professor of sociology at Columbia University from 1946 until his death in 1962. Mills published widely in both popular and intellectual journals, and is remembered for several books, such as The Power Elite, White Collar: The American Middle Classes, and The Sociological Imagination, which was in 1998 named by the International Sociological Association as the second most important sociological book of the 20th century. Read more
• 28 Aug 1916: Jack Vance, American author (died 2013) John Holbrook Vance was an American writer of fantasy, science fiction, and mysteries. He wrote several mystery novels under pen names, including Ellery Queen. Read more
• 28 Aug 1915: Max Robertson, Bengal-born English sportscaster and author (died 2009) William Maxwell Robertson was a sports commentator, radio and television presenter and author. He is best remembered for his forty years of tennis coverage on BBC Radio. Read more
• 28 Aug 1915: Tasha Tudor, American author and illustrator (died 2008) Tasha Tudor was an American illustrator and writer of children's books. Read more
• 28 Aug 1913: Robertson Davies, Canadian journalist, author, and playwright (died 1995) William Robertson Davies was a Canadian novelist, playwright, critic, journalist, and professor. He was one of Canada's best known and most popular authors and one of its most distinguished "men of letters", a term Davies gladly accepted for himself. Davies was the founding Master of Massey College, a graduate residential college associated with the University of Toronto. Read more
• 28 Aug 1913: Jack Dreyfus, American businessman, founded the Dreyfus Corporation (died 2009) John J. Dreyfus Jr. was an American financial expert and the founder of the Dreyfus Funds. Read more
• 28 Aug 1913: Lindsay Hassett, Australian cricketer and sportscaster (died 1993) Arthur Lindsay Hassett was an Australian cricketer who played for Victoria and the Australian national team. The diminutive Hassett was an elegant middle-order batsman, described by Wisden as, "… a master of nearly every stroke … his superb timing, nimble footwork and strong wrists enabled him to make batting look a simple matter". His sporting career at school singled him out as a precocious talent, but he took a number of seasons to secure a regular place in first-class cricket and initially struggled to make large scores. Selected for the 1938 tour of England with only one first-class century to his name, Hassett established himself with three consecutive first-class tons at the start of the campaign. Although he struggled in the Tests, he played a crucial role in Australia's win in the Fourth Test, with a composed display in the run-chase which sealed the retention of the Ashes. Upon returning to Australia, he distinguished himself in domestic cricket with a series of high scores, becoming the only player to score two centuries in a match against Bill O'Reilly—widely regarded as the best bowler in the world. Read more
• 28 Aug 1913: Robert Irving, English conductor and director (died 1991) Robert Augustine Irving, DFC*, was a British conductor whose reputation was mainly as a ballet conductor. Read more
• 28 Aug 1913: Terence Reese, English bridge player and author (died 1996) John Terence Reese was a British bridge player and writer, regarded as one of the finest of all time in both fields. He was born in Epsom, Surrey, England to middle-class parents, and was educated at Bradfield College and New College, Oxford, where he studied classics and attained a double first, graduating in 1935. Read more
• 28 Aug 1913: Richard Tucker, American tenor and actor (died 1975) Richard Tucker was an American operatic tenor and cantor. Long associated with the Metropolitan Opera, Tucker's career was primarily centered in the United States. Read more
• 28 Aug 1911: Joseph Luns, Dutch politician and diplomat, 5th Secretary General of NATO (died 2002) Joseph Marie Antoine Hubert Luns was a Dutch politician, diplomat and jurist who served as the fifth secretary general of NATO from 1971 to 1984, being the longest-serving officeholder since the office was established in 1952. Prior to this, he was Minister of Foreign Affairs, starting in 1956. Luns was a member of the now-defunct Catholic People's Party (KVP), later merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA). Read more
• 28 Aug 1910: Morris Graves, American painter and academic (died 2001) Morris Cole Graves was an American painter. He was one of the earliest Modern artists from the Pacific Northwest to achieve national and international acclaim. His style, referred to by some reviewers as Mysticism, used the muted tones of the Northwest environment, Asian aesthetics and philosophy, and a personal iconography of birds, flowers, chalices, and other images to explore the nature of consciousness. Read more
• 28 Aug 1910: Tjalling Koopmans, Dutch-American mathematician and economist Nobel Prize laureate (died 1985) Tjalling Charles Koopmans was a Dutch-American mathematician and economist. He was the joint winner with Leonid Kantorovich of the 1975 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his work on the theory of the optimum allocation of resources. Koopmans showed that on the basis of certain efficiency criteria, it is possible to make important deductions concerning optimum price systems. Read more
• 28 Aug 1908: Roger Tory Peterson, American ornithologist and author (died 1996) Roger Tory Peterson was an American naturalist, conservationist, citizen scientist ornithologist, artist and illustrator, educator, and a founder of the 20th-century environmental movement, where he was an inspiration for many. Read more
• 28 Aug 1906: John Betjeman, English poet and academic (died 1984) Sir John Betjeman was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and first president of The Hackney Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture, helping to save St Pancras railway station from demolition. He began his career as a journalist and ended it as one of the most popular British Poets Laureate and a much-loved figure on British television. Read more
• 28 Aug 1905: Cyril Walters, Welsh-English cricketer (died 1992) Cyril Frederick Walters was a Welsh first-class cricketer who had most of his success after leaving Glamorgan to do duty as captain-secretary of Worcestershire. In this role he developed his batting to such an extent that for a brief period he became an England regular and even captained them in one match as a deputy for Bob Wyatt. However, he unexpectedly completely gave up cricket soon after that, to the dismay of his country and county. Read more
• 28 Aug 1904: Secondo Campini, Italian-American engineer (died 1980) Secondo Campini was an Italian engineer and one of the pioneers of the jet engine. Read more
• 28 Aug 1904: Leho Laurine, Estonian chess player (died 1998) Leho Laurine was an Estonian chess master. Read more
• 28 Aug 1903: Bruno Bettelheim, Austrian-American psychologist and author (died 1990) Bruno Bettelheim was an Austrian-born American scholar, public intellectual and writer who spent most of his academic and clinical career in the United States. An early writer on autism, Bettelheim's work focused on the education of emotionally disturbed children, as well as Freudian psychology more generally. In the U.S., he later gained a position as professor at the University of Chicago and director of the Sonia Shankman Orthogenic School for Disturbed Children, and after 1973 taught at Stanford University. Read more
• 28 Aug 1899: Charles Boyer, French-American actor, singer, and producer (died 1978) Charles Boyer was a French-American actor who appeared in more than 80 films between 1920 and 1976. After receiving an education in drama, Boyer started on the stage, but he found his success in American films during the 1930s. His memorable performances were among the era's most highly praised, in romantic dramas such as The Garden of Allah (1936), Algiers (1938), and Love Affair (1939), as well as the mystery-thriller Gaslight (1944). He received four Oscar nominations for Best Actor. He also appeared as himself on the CBS sitcom I Love Lucy. Read more
• 28 Aug 1899: Andrei Platonov, Russian author and poet (died 1951) Andrei Platonovich Platonov was a Soviet Russian novelist, short story writer, philosopher, playwright, and poet. Although Platonov regarded himself as a communist, his principal works were banned until thirty years after his death because of their skeptical attitude toward collectivization of agriculture (1929–1940) and other Stalinist policies, as well as for their experimental, avant-garde form infused with existentialism which was not in line with the dominant socialist realism doctrine. His famous works include the novels The Foundation Pit (1930), Soul (1935) and Chevengur (1928). Read more
• 28 Aug 1899: James Wong Howe, Chinese American cinematographer (died 1976) James Wong Howe, ASC was a Chinese-born American cinematographer and film director, who worked on over 130 films during the Golden Age of Hollywood and well into the 1970s. During the 1930s and 1940s, he was one of the most sought after cinematographers in Hollywood due to his innovative filming techniques. Howe was known as a master of the use of shadow and one of the first to use deep-focus cinematography. Read more
• 28 Aug 1898: Charlie Grimm, American baseball player, manager, and sportscaster (died 1983) Charles John Grimm, nicknamed "Jolly Cholly", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman, most notably for the Chicago Cubs; he was also a sometime radio sports commentator, and a popular goodwill ambassador for baseball. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates early in his career, but was traded to the Cubs in 1925 and worked mostly for the Cubs for the rest of his career. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, to parents of German extraction, Grimm was known for being outgoing and chatty, even singing old-fashioned songs while accompanying himself on a left-handed banjo. Grimm is one of a select few to have played and managed in 2,000 games each. Read more
• 28 Aug 1896: Firaq Gorakhpuri, Indian author, poet, and critic (died 1982) Raghupati Sahay, also known by his pen name Firaq Gorakhpuri, was an Indian writer, critic, and, according to one commentator, one of the most noted contemporary Urdu poets from India. He established himself among peers including Muhammad Iqbal, Yagana Changezi, Jigar Moradabadi and Josh Malihabadi. Read more
• 28 Aug 1894: Karl Böhm, Austrian conductor and director (died 1981) Karl August Leopold Böhm was an Austrian conductor. He was best known for his performances of the music of Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner, and Richard Strauss. Read more
• 28 Aug 1891: Benno Schotz, Estonian-Scottish sculptor and engineer (died 1984) Benno Schotz was an Estonian-born Scottish sculptor, and one of Scotland's leading artists during the twentieth century. Read more
• 28 Aug 1888: Evadne Price, Australian actress, astrologer, and author (died 1985) Evadne Price, probably born Eva Grace Price, was an Australian British writer, actress, astrologer and media personality. She also wrote under the pseudonym Helen Zenna Smith. Read more
• 28 Aug 1887: August Kippasto, Estonian-Australian wrestler and poet (died 1973) August Johannes Kippasto was an Estonian wrestler who competed for the Russian Empire at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm. Read more
• 28 Aug 1887: István Kühár, Slovenian priest and politician (died 1922) István Kühár was a Slovene Roman Catholic priest, politician, and writer in Hungary, and later in Yugoslavia. Read more
• 28 Aug 1885: Vance Palmer, Australian author, playwright, and critic (died 1959) Edward Vivian "Vance" Palmer was an Australian novelist, dramatist, essayist and critic. Read more
• 28 Aug 1884: Peter Fraser, Scottish-New Zealand journalist and politician, 24th Prime Minister of New Zealand (died 1950) Peter Fraser was a New Zealand politician who served as the 24th prime minister of New Zealand from 27 March 1940 until 13 December 1949. Considered a major figure in the history of the New Zealand Labour Party, he was in office longer than any other Labour prime minister, and is to date New Zealand's fourth-longest-serving head of government. Read more
• 28 Aug 1878: George Whipple, American physician and pathologist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1976) George Hoyt Whipple was an American physician, pathologist, biomedical researcher, and medical school educator and administrator. Whipple shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1934 with George Richards Minot and William Parry Murphy "for their discoveries concerning liver therapy in cases of anemia". This makes Whipple the first of several Nobel laureates affiliated with the University of Rochester. Read more
• 28 Aug 1867: Umberto Giordano, Italian composer and academic (died 1948) Umberto Menotti Maria Giordano was an Italian composer, mainly of operas. His best-known work in that genre was Andrea Chenier (1896). Read more
• 28 Aug 1859: Matilda Howell, American archer (died 1938) Matilda "Lida" Scott Howell was an American archer who competed in the early twentieth century. She won three gold medals in Archery at the 1904 Summer Olympics in Missouri in the double national and Columbia rounds and for the US team. She was 45 when she won the medals. Read more
• 28 Aug 1859: Vittorio Sella, Italian mountaineer and photographer (died 1943) Vittorio Sella was an Italian photographer and mountaineer, whose photographs of mountains are regarded as some of the finest ever made. Read more
• 28 Aug 1853: Vladimir Shukhov, Russian architect and engineer, designed the Adziogol Lighthouse (died 1939) Vladimir Grigoryevich Shukhov was a Russian and Soviet engineer-polymath, scientist and architect renowned for his pioneering works on new methods of analysis for structural engineering that led to breakthroughs in industrial design of the world's first hyperboloid structures, diagrid shell structures, tensile structures, gridshell structures, oil reservoirs, pipelines, boilers, ships and barges. He is also the inventor of the first cracking method. Read more
• 28 Aug 1840: Alexander Cameron Sim, Scottish-Japanese pharmacist and businessman, founded Kobe Regatta & Athletic Club (died 1900) Alexander Cameron Sim (28 August 1840 – 28 November 1900) was a Scottish-born pharmacist and entrepreneur, active in Japan during the Meiji period. He developed the Ramune soft drink and founded the Kobe Regatta & Athletic Club. Read more
• 28 Aug 1837: Francis von Hohenstein, duke of Teck (died 1900) Francis, Duke of Teck, known as Count Francis von Hohenstein until 1863, was an Austrian-born nobleman who married into the British royal family. His wife, Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, was a first cousin of Queen Victoria. He was the father of Queen Mary, the consort of King George V, and thus maternal grandfather of both Edward VIII and George VI. Francis held the Austrian title of Count of Hohenstein, and the German titles of Prince (Fürst) and later Duke of Teck, and was given the style of Serene Highness in 1863. He was granted the British style of Highness in 1887. Read more
• 28 Aug 1833: Edward Burne-Jones, English artist of the Pre-Raphaelite movement (died 1898) Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet, was an English painter and designer associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood's style and subject matter. Read more
• 28 Aug 1827: Catherine Mikhailovna, Russian grand duchess (died 1894) Grand Duchess Catherine Mikhailovna of Russia, was the third of five daughters of Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia and Princess Charlotte of Württemberg. She was also the wife of Duke Georg August of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Read more
• 28 Aug 1822: Graham Berry, English-Australian politician, 11th Premier of Victoria (died 1904) Sir Graham Berry
  was an Australian colonial politician and the 11th Premier of Victoria. He was one of the most radical and colourful figures in the politics of colonial Victoria, and made the most determined efforts to break the power of the Victorian Legislative Council, the stronghold of the landowning class. Read more
• 28 Aug 1816: Charles Sladen, English-Australian politician, 6th Premier of Victoria (died 1884) Sir Charles Sladen,, Australian colonial politician, was the 6th Premier of Victoria. Read more
• 28 Aug 1814: Sheridan Le Fanu, Irish author (died 1873) Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu was an Irish writer of Gothic literature, journalist and newspaper proprietor. Le Fanu is considered by literary critics to be among the greatest ghost story writers of the Victorian era, as several of his works were central to the development of the genre. He was the author of Gothic short stories and macabre poems, novels such as Uncle Silas (1864), and the collection of five stories In a Glass Darkly (1872), in which the novella Carmilla (1872) is significant as a foundational work of vampire literature. Read more
• 28 Aug 1801: Antoine Augustin Cournot, French mathematician and philosopher (died 1877) Antoine Augustin Cournot was a French philosopher and mathematician who contributed to the development of economics. Read more

Notable Deaths on 28 August

• 28 Aug 2024: Obi Ndefo, American actor (born 1972) Obi Ndefo was an American actor and yoga teacher, best known as Bodie Wells on the television drama Dawson's Creek, and for his recurring role as Rak'nor in Stargate SG-1. Read more
• 28 Aug 2024: Steve Silberman, American writer and journalist (born 1957) Stephen Louis Silberman was an American writer for Wired magazine and was an editor and contributor there for more than two decades. In 2010, Silberman was awarded the AAAS "Kavli Science Journalism Award for Magazine Writing." His featured article, known as "The Placebo Problem", discussed the impact of placebos on the pharmaceutical industry. Read more
• 28 Aug 2020: Chadwick Boseman, American actor and playwright (born 1976) Chadwick Aaron Boseman was an American actor and playwright. Through his two-decade career, he appeared in a number of projects spanning both blockbuster and independent films, and received various accolades, including an Actor Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award. Read more
• 28 Aug 2017: Mireille Darc, French actress and model (born 1938) Mireille Darc was a French actress, director, photographer, singer and model. She appeared as a lead character in Jean-Luc Godard's 1967 film Weekend. Darc was a Knight of the Legion of Honour and Commander of the National Order of Merit. Alain Delon was her longtime co-star and companion. Read more
• 28 Aug 2016: Juan Gabriel, Mexican singer and songwriter (born 1950) Alberto Aguilera Valadez, known professionally as Juan Gabriel, was a Mexican singer-songwriter. Colloquially nicknamed Juanga and El Divo de Juárez, Juan Gabriel was known for his flamboyant style, which broke norms and standards within the Latin music industry. Widely regarded as one of the best and most prolific Mexican composers and singers of all time, he is considered a pop icon. Read more
• 28 Aug 2016: Mr. Fuji, American professional wrestler and manager (born 1934) Harry Masayoshi Fujiwara was an American professional wrestler, actor and manager, known professionally by his ring name Mr. Fuji. He was famous for often throwing salt in the eyes of fan favorite wrestlers. Notable wrestlers and tag teams managed by him include Don Muraco, Yokozuna and Demolition. Read more
• 28 Aug 2015: Al Arbour, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (born 1932) Alger Joseph Arbour was a Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and executive. He is seventh for games coached in National Hockey League history and eighth all-time in wins. Under Arbour, the New York Islanders won four consecutive Stanley Cups from 1980 to 1983 and won a record 19 consecutive playoff series through 1984. His 740 wins with the Islanders is the most for a coach with one team in NHL history. Born in Sudbury, Ontario, Arbour played amateur hockey as a defenceman with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League. He played his first professional games with the Detroit Red Wings in 1953. Claimed by the Chicago Black Hawks in 1958, Arbour would help the team win a championship in 1961. Arbour played with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the next five years, winning another Cup in 1962. He was selected by the St. Louis Blues in their 1967 expansion draft and played his final four seasons with the team. Read more
• 28 Aug 2015: Mark Krasniqi, Kosovan ethnographer, poet, and translator (born 1920) Mark Krasniqi was a Kosovar Albanian ethnographist, publicist, writer and translator who did most of his work while residing in Yugoslavia. Read more
• 28 Aug 2015: Nelson Shanks, American painter and educator (born 1937) John Nelson Shanks was an American artist and painter. His best known works include his portrait of Diana, Princess of Wales, first shown at Hirschl & Adler Gallery in New York City, April 24 to June 28, 1996, and the portrait of president Bill Clinton for the National Portrait Gallery. Read more
• 28 Aug 2014: Glenn Cornick, English bass guitarist (born 1947) Glenn Douglas Barnard Cornick was an English bass guitarist, and the original bassist for the British rock band Jethro Tull from 1967 to 1970. Rolling Stone has called his playing with Tull as "stout, nimble underpinning, the vital half of a blues-ribbed, jazz-fluent rhythm section". Read more
• 28 Aug 2014: Hal Finney, American cryptographer and programmer (born 1956) Harold Thomas Finney II was an American software developer. In his early career, he was credited as lead developer on several console games. He later worked for PGP Corporation. He was an early Bitcoin contributor, and received the first Bitcoin transaction from the currency's creator Satoshi Nakamoto. Read more
• 28 Aug 2014: John Anthony Walker, American soldier and spy (born 1937) John Anthony Walker Jr. was a United States Navy chief warrant officer and communications specialist convicted of spying for the Soviet Union from 1967 to 1985 and sentenced to life in prison. Read more
• 28 Aug 2013: John Bellany, Scottish painter and academic (born 1942) John Bellany was a Scottish painter. Read more
• 28 Aug 2013: Lorella Cedroni, Italian political scientist and philosopher (born 1961) Lorella Cedroni was an Italian political philosopher. Read more
• 28 Aug 2013: Edmund B. Fitzgerald, American businessman (born 1926) Edmund Bacon Fitzgerald was an American business executive from Wisconsin and was a key figure in bringing major league baseball back to Milwaukee in the form of the Milwaukee Brewers in 1970. Read more
• 28 Aug 2013: Frank Pulli, American baseball player and umpire (born 1935) Frank Victor Pulli was an American professional baseball umpire, working in the National League from 1972 until 1999. He umpired many postseason games, including four World Series. Pulli wore uniform number 14 during his career. Read more
• 28 Aug 2013: Barry Stobart, English footballer (born 1938) Barry Henry Stobart was an English footballer who played in the Football League as a forward for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Shrewsbury Town during the 1960s. Read more
• 28 Aug 2013: Rafael Díaz Ycaza, Ecuadorian journalist, author, and poet (born 1925) Rafael Díaz Ycaza was an Ecuadorian poet, novelist, short story writer, and columnist for the Ecuadorian newspaper El Universo. Read more
• 28 Aug 2012: Rhodes Boyson, English educator and politician (born 1925) Sir Rhodes Boyson was an English educator, author and Conservative Party politician who served as Member of Parliament for Brent North. He was knighted and made a member of the Privy Council in 1987. Read more
• 28 Aug 2012: Shulamith Firestone, Canadian-American activist and author (born 1945) Shulamith Bath Shmuel Ben Ari Firestone was an American radical feminist writer and activist. She was a prominent figure in the early development of radical feminism and second-wave feminism and a founding member of three radical feminist organizations: New York Radical Women, Redstockings, and New York Radical Feminists. Within these movements, she was referred to by some as "the firebrand" and "the fireball". Read more
• 28 Aug 2012: Dick McBride, American author, poet, and playwright (born 1928) Richard William McBride was an American beat poet, playwright and novelist. He worked at City Lights Booksellers & Publishers from 1954 to 1969. Read more
• 28 Aug 2012: Saul Merin, Polish-Israeli ophthalmologist and academic (born 1933) Saul Merin was an Israeli ophthalmologist specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of retinal and genetic eye diseases. Read more
• 28 Aug 2012: Ramón Sota, Spanish golfer (born 1938) Ramón Sota Ocejo was a Spanish professional golfer. Read more
• 28 Aug 2011: Bernie Gallacher, English footballer (born 1967) Bernard Gallacher was a Scottish professional footballer who made 113 appearances in the English Football League, playing predominantly at left-back. Read more
• 28 Aug 2010: William P. Foster, American bandleader and educator (born 1919) William Patrick Foster, also known as The Law and The Maestro, was the director of the noted Florida A&M University Marching "100". He served as the band's director from 1946 to his retirement in 1998. His innovations revolutionized college marching band technique and the perceptions of the collegiate band. Foster was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame, the National Association for Distinguished Band Conductors Hall of Fame, the Florida Music Educators Association Hall of Fame and the Afro-American Hall of Fame among others. He also served as the president of the American Bandmasters Association and was appointed to the National Council on the Arts by President Bill Clinton. Foster wrote the book titled The Man Behind the Baton. Read more
• 28 Aug 2009: Adam Goldstein, American drummer, DJ, and producer (born 1973) Adam Michael Goldstein, known professionally as DJ AM, was an American DJ. Born in Philadelphia, Goldstein became interested in deejaying as a child after watching Herbie Hancock perform his 1983 single "Rockit". Goldstein developed a drug addiction as a teenager and was sent to the controversial rehabilitation center Straight, Incorporated. After he left the center, his drug problems became worse; he was addicted to crack cocaine for several years in his early twenties. After he attempted suicide in 1997, Goldstein became sober and later sponsored other addicts through Alcoholics Anonymous. Read more
• 28 Aug 2009: Richard Egan, US Ambassador, Owner of Dell EMC, Engineer (born 1936) Richard John Egan was an American business executive, political fundraiser, and United States Ambassador to Ireland (2001–2003). Read more
• 28 Aug 2008: Phil Hill, American race car driver (born 1927) Philip Toll Hill Jr. was an American racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 1958 to 1966. Hill won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1961 with Ferrari, and won three Grands Prix across eight seasons. In endurance racing, Hill was a three-time winner of both the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 12 Hours of Sebring, all with Ferrari. Upon winning the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1964 with NART, Hill became the first driver to complete the Triple Crown of endurance racing. Read more
• 28 Aug 2007: Arthur Jones, American businessman, founded Nautilus, Inc. and MedX Corporation (born 1926) Arthur Allen Jones was the founder of Nautilus, Inc. and MedX, Inc. and the inventor of the Nautilus exercise machines, including the Nautilus pullover, which was first sold in 1970. Jones was a pioneer in the field of physical exercise i.e. weight and strength training. He was born in Arkansas, and grew up in Seminole, Oklahoma. Read more
• 28 Aug 2007: Hilly Kristal, American businessman, founded CBGB (born 1932) Hillel Kristal was an American club owner, manager and musician who was the owner of the New York City club CBGB, which opened in 1973 and closed in 2006 over a rent dispute. Read more
• 28 Aug 2007: Paul MacCready, American engineer and businessman, founded AeroVironment (born 1925) Paul Beattie MacCready Jr. was an American aeronautical engineer. He was the founder of AeroVironment and the designer of the human-powered aircraft that won the first Kremer prize. He devoted his life to developing more efficient transportation vehicles that could "do more with less". Read more
• 28 Aug 2007: Francisco Umbral, Spanish journalist and author (born 1935) Francisco Alejandro Pérez Martínez, better known as Francisco Umbral, was a Spanish journalist, novelist, biographer and essayist. Read more
• 28 Aug 2007: Miyoshi Umeki, Japanese-American actress (born 1929) Miyoshi Umeki was a Japanese and American singer and actress. She was the first East Asia-born woman to win an Academy Award for acting, winning Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Sayonara (1957). She was also a three-time Golden Globe nominee, and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Flower Drum Song. Read more
• 28 Aug 2006: Heino Lipp, Estonian shot putter and discus thrower (born 1922) Heino Lipp was an Estonian athlete, who was one of the greatest decathlete in the decade of the 1940s, but he was never able to compete in the Olympic Games, because citizens of the Soviet Union were never allowed to travel outside the Soviet Union dominated Iron Curtain countries. He also competed in the shot put, making 6 European records in the event. Read more
• 28 Aug 2006: Benoît Sauvageau, Canadian educator and politician (born 1963) Benoît Sauvageau was a Canadian politician, who served as a Bloc Québécois member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1993 until his death in 2006. Read more
• 28 Aug 2006: Melvin Schwartz, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1932) Melvin Schwartz was an American physicist. He shared the 1988 Nobel Prize in Physics with Leon M. Lederman and Jack Steinberger for their development of the neutrino beam method and their demonstration of the doublet structure of the leptons through the discovery of the muon neutrino. Read more
• 28 Aug 2005: Jacques Dufilho, French actor (born 1914) Jacques Dufilho was a French actor. He was born in Bègles (Gironde) and he died in Lectoure (Gers). Read more
• 28 Aug 2005: Esther Szekeres, Hungarian-Australian mathematician and academic (born 1910) Esther Szekeres was a Hungarian–Australian mathematician. Read more
• 28 Aug 2005: George Szekeres, Hungarian-Australian mathematician and academic (born 1911) George Szekeres, born Szekeres György, was a Hungarian–Australian mathematician. After migrating to Australia after World War II, he worked first for the University of Adelaide, and then the University of New South Wales. He is known for his co-authoring a paper with fellow Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdős known as the "Happy Ending problem", and married mathematician Esther Klein. Read more
• 28 Aug 1995: Earl W. Bascom, American rodeo performer and painter (born 1906) Earl Wesley Bascom was an American-Canadian painter, printmaker, sculptor, cowboy, rodeo performer, inventor, and Hollywood actor. Raised in Canada, he portrayed in works of fine art his own experiences of cowboying and rodeoing across the American and Canadian West. Bascom was awarded the Pioneer Award by the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2016 and inducted into several halls of fame including the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1984. Bascom was called the "Cowboy of Cowboy Artists," the "Dean of Rodeo Cowboy Sculpture" and the "Father of Modern Rodeo." He was a participant member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Read more
• 28 Aug 1995: Michael Ende, German scientist and author (born 1929) Michael Andreas Helmuth Ende was a German writer of fantasy and children's fiction. He is known for his epic fantasy The Neverending Story ; other well-known works include Momo and Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver. His works have been translated into more than 40 languages and sold more than 35 million copies. Read more
• 28 Aug 1993: William Stafford, American poet and academic (born 1914) William Edgar Stafford was an American poet and pacifist. He was the father of poet and essayist Kim Stafford. He was appointed the twentieth Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1970. Read more
• 28 Aug 1991: Alekos Sakellarios, Greek director and screenwriter (born 1913) Alekos Sakellarios was a Greek writer and a director. Read more
• 28 Aug 1990: Willy Vandersteen, Belgian author and illustrator (born 1913) Willebrord Jan Frans Maria "Willy" Vandersteen was a Belgian creator of comic books. In a career spanning 50 years, he created a large studio and published more than 1,000 comic albums in over 25 series, selling more than 200 million copies worldwide. Read more
• 28 Aug 1989: John Steptoe, American author and illustrator (born 1950) John Steptoe was an author and illustrator children's books dealing with aspects of the African-American experience. He is best known for Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters (1987), which is noted for its presentation of African culture. Read more
• 28 Aug 1988: Jean Marchand, Canadian union leader and politician, 43rd Secretary of State for Canada (born 1918) Jean Marchand was a Québécois public figure, trade unionist and politician in Quebec, Canada. Read more
• 28 Aug 1988: Max Shulman, American author and screenwriter (born 1919) Maximilian Shulman was an American writer and humorist best known for his television and short story character Dobie Gillis, as well as for best-selling novels. Read more
• 28 Aug 1987: John Huston, Irish actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1906) John Marcellus Huston was an American and Irish filmmaker and actor. In a career spanning five decades, he wrote the screenplays for many of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics. He received numerous accolades including two Academy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards, as well as a nomination for a BAFTA Award. He also received the BAFTA Fellowship in 1980, a Special Lion for the Overall Work in 1985, and a Silver Lion in 1953. Read more
• 28 Aug 1986: Russell Lee, American photographer and journalist (born 1903) Russell Werner Lee was an American photographer and photojournalist, best known for his work for the Farm Security Administration (FSA) during the Great Depression. His images documented the ethnography of various American classes and cultures. Lee was known for his technical innovation, particularly his use of direct flash photography to capture indoor environments that other photographers of the era avoided. Read more
• 28 Aug 1985: Ruth Gordon, American actress and screenwriter (born 1896) Ruth Gordon Jones was an American actress, playwright, screenwriter and novelist, widely known for a career that spanned seven decades, beginning by performing on Broadway at age 19. Known for her nasal voice and distinctive personality, Gordon gained international recognition and critical acclaim for film roles that continued into her 70s and 80s. Her later work included performances in Rosemary's Baby (1968), What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice? (1969), Where's Poppa? (1970), Harold and Maude (1971), Every Which Way but Loose (1978), Any Which Way You Can (1980), and My Bodyguard (1980). Read more
• 28 Aug 1984: Muhammad Naguib, Egyptian general and politician, 1st President of Egypt (born 1901) Major General Mohamed Bey Naguib Youssef Qutb El-Qashlan, known simply as Mohamed Naguib, was an Egyptian military officer and revolutionary who, along with Gamal Abdel Nasser, was one of the two principal leaders of the Free Officers movement of 1952 that toppled the monarchy of Egypt and the Sudan, leading to the establishment of the Republic of Egypt. Read more
• 28 Aug 1982: Geoff Chubb, South African cricketer (born 1911) Geoffrey Walter Ashton Chubb was a South African cricketer who played five Test matches for South Africa on the tour of England in 1951 aged 40. Read more
• 28 Aug 1981: Béla Guttmann, Hungarian footballer, coach, and manager (born 1899) Béla Guttmann was a Hungarian footballer and coach, most famously remembered for his manegerial stints at S.L. Benfica. Before the war, he played as a midfielder for MTK Hungária, Hakoah Vienna, and several clubs in the United States. Guttmann also played for the Hungary national team, including at the 1924 Olympic Games. During the occupation of Hungary by the Wehrmacht, Guttmann, who was Jewish, was deported to a Nazi slave labor camp where he was tortured, though he ultimately survived the Holocaust. Read more
• 28 Aug 1978: Bruce Catton, American historian and journalist (born 1899) Charles Bruce Catton was an American historian and journalist who wrote books concerning the American Civil War. As a narrative historian, Catton specialized in popular history, featuring interesting characters and historical vignettes, in addition to the basic facts, dates, and analyses. His books were well researched and included footnotes. He won the Pulitzer Prize for History and the National Book Award for Nonfiction in 1954 for his book A Stillness at Appomattox (1953), a study of the final campaign of the war in Virginia and third book in his Army of the Potomac trilogy. Read more
• 28 Aug 1978: Robert Shaw, English actor (born 1927) Robert Archibald Shaw was an English actor and writer. Beginning his career in theatre, Shaw joined the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre after the Second World War and appeared in productions of Macbeth, Henry VIII, Cymbeline, and other Shakespeare plays. With the Old Vic company (1951–52), he continued primarily in Shakespearean roles. In 1959, he starred in a West End production of The Long and the Short and the Tall. Read more
• 28 Aug 1976: Anissa Jones, American actress (born 1958) Mary Anissa Jones was an American child actress known for her role as Buffy Davis on the CBS sitcom Family Affair, which ran from 1966 to 1971. She died from a drug overdose, five years after the show ended. Read more
• 28 Aug 1975: Fritz Wotruba, Austrian sculptor (born 1907) Fritz Wotruba was an Austrian sculptor of Czecho-Hungarian descent. He was considered one of the most notable sculptors of the 20th century in Austria. In his work, he increasingly dissolves figurative components in favor of geometrical abstraction with the shape of the cube as the basic form. Read more
• 28 Aug 1972: Prince William of Gloucester (born 1941) Prince William of Gloucester was a member of the British royal family. The elder son of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, he was a grandson of George V, nephew of Edward VIII and George VI, and first cousin of Elizabeth II. At birth, he was fourth in line to the throne; by the time of his death, he was ninth. A graduate of Cambridge and Stanford, he joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, serving in Lagos and Tokyo before returning to undertake royal duties. Read more
• 28 Aug 1971: Reuvein Margolies, Israeli author and scholar (born 1889) Reuben Margolies was an Israeli author, Talmudic scholar and head of the Rambam library. Read more
• 28 Aug 1968: Dimitris Pikionis, Greek architect and academic (born 1887) Demetrios "Dimitris" Pikionis was a Greek architect, and also painter, of the 20th century who had a considerable influence on modern Greek architecture. He was a founding member of the Association of Greek Art Critics, AICA-Hellas, International Association of Art Critics. His oeuvre includes buildings and urban planning in Athens and the entirety of Greece—including several schools and a playground in Filothei, Athens. Read more
• 28 Aug 1965: Giulio Racah, Italian-Israeli physicist and mathematician (born 1909) Giulio (Yoel) Racah was an Italian–Israeli physicist and mathematician. He was Acting President of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem from 1961 to 1962. Read more
• 28 Aug 1959: Bohuslav Martinů, Czech-American composer and educator (born 1890) Bohuslav Jan Martinů was a Czech composer of modern classical music. He wrote 6 symphonies, 15 operas, 14 ballet scores, and a large body of orchestral, chamber, vocal, and instrumental works. He became a violinist in the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, and briefly studied under Czech composer and violinist Josef Suk. After leaving Czechoslovakia in 1923 for Paris, Martinů deliberately withdrew from the Romantic style in which he had been trained. During the 1920s he experimented with modern French stylistic developments, exemplified by his orchestral works Half-time and La Bagarre. He also adopted jazz idioms, for instance in his Kitchen Revue. Read more
• 28 Aug 1955: Emmett Till, African-American kidnapping and lynching victim (born 1941) Emmett Louis Till was an African-American boy who, at 14 years old, was abducted and lynched in Mississippi in 1955. The brutality of his murder and the acquittal of his killers drew attention to the long history of violent persecution of African Americans in the United States. Till posthumously became an icon of the civil rights movement. Read more
• 28 Aug 1943: Georg Hellat, Estonian architect (born 1870) Georg Hellat was an Estonian architect. Read more
• 28 Aug 1943: Boris III of Bulgaria (born 1894) Boris III was the Tsar of the Kingdom of Bulgaria from 1918 until his death in 1943. Read more
• 28 Aug 1937: George Prendergast, Australian politician, 28th Premier of Victoria (born 1854) George Michael "Mick" Prendergast was an Australian politician who served as the 28th Premier of Victoria. He was born to Irish emigrant parents in Adelaide, but he grew up in Stawell, Victoria. He was apprenticed as a printer, and worked as a compositor in Ballarat, Sydney and Narrandera before settling in Melbourne in 1887. A member of the Typographical Association, he represented that union at the Melbourne Trades Hall, of which he was President in 1893. Read more
• 28 Aug 1934: Edgeworth David, Welsh-Australian geologist and explorer (born 1858) Sir Tannatt William Edgeworth David, was a Welsh Australian geologist, Antarctic explorer, and military veteran. He was knighted for his role in the First World War. Read more
• 28 Aug 1919: Adolf Schmal, Austrian fencer and cyclist (born 1872) Felix Adolf Schmal was an Austrian fencer and racing cyclist. He was born in Dortmund and died in Salzburg. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. Read more
• 28 Aug 1903: Frederick Law Olmsted, American journalist and architect, co-designed Central Park (born 1822) Frederick Law Olmsted was an American landscape architect, journalist, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the United States. Olmsted was famous for co-designing many well-known urban parks with his partner Calvert Vaux, beginning with Central Park in New York City, which led to numerous other urban park designs including Prospect Park in Brooklyn, Cadwalader Park in Trenton, New Jersey, and Forest Park in Portland, Oregon. Read more
• 28 Aug 1900: Henry Sidgwick, English economist and philosopher (born 1838) Henry Sidgwick was an English utilitarian philosopher and economist and is best known in philosophy for his utilitarian treatise The Methods of Ethics. His work in economics has also had a lasting influence. Read more
• 28 Aug 1891: Robert Caldwell, English missionary and linguist (born 1814) Robert Caldwell was a British missionary and linguist. Read more
• 28 Aug 1888: Julius Krohn, Finnish poet and journalist (born 1835) Julius Leopold Fredrik Krohn was a Finnish folk poetry researcher, professor of Finnish literature, poet, hymn writer, translator and journalist. He was born in Viipuri and was of Baltic German origin. Krohn worked as a lecturer on Finnish language in Helsinki University from the year 1875 and as a supernumerary professor from 1885. He was one of the most notable researchers into Finnish folk poetry in the 19th century. His native language was German. Read more
• 28 Aug 1839: William Smith, English geologist and engineer (born 1769) William 'Strata' Smith was an English geologist, credited with creating the first detailed, nationwide geological map of any country. At the time his map was first published he was overlooked by the scientific community; his relatively humble education and family connections prevented him from mixing easily in learned society. Financially ruined, Smith spent time in debtors' prison. It was only late in his life that Smith received recognition for his accomplishments, and became known as the "father of English geology". Read more
• 28 Aug 1832: Edward Dando, English thief Edward Dando was a thief who came to public notice in Britain because of his unusual habit of overeating at food stalls and inns, and then revealing that he had no money to pay. Although the fare he consumed was varied, he was particularly fond of oysters, having once eaten 25 dozen of them with a loaf and a half of bread with butter. Read more
• 28 Aug 1820: Andrew Ellicott, American surveyor and urban planner (born 1754) Andrew Ellicott was an American land surveyor who helped map many of the territories west of the Appalachians, surveyed the boundaries of the District of Columbia, continued and completed Pierre (Peter) Charles L'Enfant's work on the plan for Washington, D.C., and served as a teacher in survey methods for Meriwether Lewis. Read more
• 28 Aug 1818: Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, American fur trader, founded Chicago (born 1750) Jean Baptiste Point du Sable is regarded as the first permanent settler of what would become Chicago, Illinois, United States and is recognized as the city's founder. The site where he settled near the mouth of the Chicago River around the 1780s is memorialized as a National Historic Landmark, now located in Pioneer Court. Read more
• 28 Aug 1805: Alexander Carlyle, Scottish church leader and author (born 1722) Alexander Carlyle was a Scottish church leader, and autobiographer. He served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1770/71. Read more

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