History of Today in India – 28 May

Explore the history of today 28 May in India, including important events, famous personalities, and milestones for UPSC SSC,Banking & PSC exams.

Last updated on 28 May 2026, 06:33 AM

📜 Important Events on 28 May in World History

28 May 2017: Former Formula One driver Takuma Sato wins his first Indianapolis 500, the first Japanese and Asian driver to do so. Double world champion Fernando Alonso retires from the race with an engine issue in his first entry of the event. Read more
28 May 2016: Harambe, a gorilla, is shot to death after grabbing a three-year-old boy in his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, resulting in widespread criticism and sparking various internet memes. Read more
28 May 2013: Start of the Gezi Park protests in Turkey. Read more
28 May 2012: The Arkankergen massacre in Kazakhstan's Alakol District kills 15 people. Read more
28 May 2011: Malta votes on the introduction of divorce; the proposal was approved by 53% of voters, resulting in a law allowing divorce under certain conditions being enacted later in the year. Read more
28 May 2010: In West Bengal, India, the Jnaneswari Express train derailment and subsequent collision kills 148 passengers. Read more
28 May 2008: The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly of Nepal formally declares Nepal a republic, ending the 240-year reign of the Shah dynasty. Read more
28 May 2004: The Iraqi Governing Council chooses Ayad Allawi, a longtime anti-Saddam Hussein exile, as prime minister of Iraq's interim government. Read more
28 May 2003: Peter Hollingworth resigns as Governor-General of Australia following criticism of his handling of child sexual abuse allegations during his tenure as Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane. Read more
28 May 2002: The last steel girder is removed from the original World Trade Center site. Cleanup duties officially end with closing ceremonies at Ground Zero in Manhattan, New York City. Read more
28 May 1999: In Milan, Italy, after 22 years of restoration work, Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece The Last Supper is put back on display. Read more
28 May 1998: Nuclear testing: Pakistan responds to a series of nuclear tests by India with five of its own codenamed Chagai-I, prompting the United States, Japan, and other nations to impose economic sanctions. Pakistan celebrates Youm-e-Takbir annually. Read more
28 May 1996: U.S. President Bill Clinton's former business partners in the Whitewater land deal, Jim McDougal and Susan McDougal, and the Governor of Arkansas, Jim Guy Tucker, are convicted of fraud. Read more
28 May 1995: The 7.0 Mw  Neftegorsk earthquake shakes the former Russian settlement of Neftegorsk with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). Total damage was $64.1–300 million, with 1,989 deaths and 750 injured. The settlement was not rebuilt. Read more
28 May 1991: The capital city of Addis Ababa falls to the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, ending both the Derg regime in Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Civil War. Read more
28 May 1987: An 18-year-old West German pilot, Mathias Rust, evades Soviet Union air defences and lands a private plane in Red Square in Moscow, Russia. Read more
28 May 1979: Konstantinos Karamanlis signs the full treaty of the accession of Greece with the European Economic Community. Read more
28 May 1977: The Beverly Hills Supper Club in Southgate, Kentucky, is engulfed by fire, killing 165 people inside. Read more
28 May 1975: Fifteen West African countries sign the Treaty of Lagos, creating the Economic Community of West African States. Read more
28 May 1975: At Brampton Centennial Secondary School, student Michael Slobodian kills two people and injures 13 others before committing suicide. Read more
28 May 1974: Northern Ireland's power-sharing Sunningdale Agreement collapses following a general strike by loyalists. Read more
28 May 1968: Garuda Indonesian Airways Flight 892 crashes near Nala Sopara in India, killing 30. Read more
28 May 1964: The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is founded, with Yasser Arafat elected as its first leader. Read more
28 May 1962: The Soviet Kosmos 5 satellite is launched. Read more
28 May 1961: Peter Benenson's article The Forgotten Prisoners is published in several internationally read newspapers. This will later be thought of as the founding of the human rights organization Amnesty International. Read more
28 May 1958: Cuban Revolution: Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement, heavily reinforced by Frank Pais Militia, overwhelm an army post in El Uvero. Read more
28 May 1948: Daniel François Malan is elected as Prime Minister of South Africa. He later goes on to implement Apartheid. Read more
28 May 1940: World War II: Belgium surrenders to Nazi Germany to end the Battle of Belgium. Read more
28 May 1940: World War II: Norwegian, French, Polish and British forces recapture Narvik in Norway. This is the first Allied infantry victory of the War. Read more
28 May 1937: Volkswagen, the German automobile manufacturer, is founded. Read more
28 May 1936: Alan Turing submits On Computable Numbers for publication. Read more
28 May 1934: Near Callander, Ontario, Canada, the Dionne quintuplets are born to Oliva and Elzire Dionne; they will be the first quintuplets to survive infancy. Read more
28 May 1932: In the Netherlands, construction of the Afsluitdijk is completed and the Zuiderzee bay is converted to the freshwater IJsselmeer. Read more
28 May 1926: The 28 May 1926 coup d'état: Ditadura Nacional is established in Portugal to suppress the unrest of the First Republic. Read more
28 May 1918: The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and the First Republic of Armenia declare their independence. Read more
28 May 1907: The first Isle of Man TT race is held. Read more
28 May 1905: Russo-Japanese War: The Battle of Tsushima ends with the destruction of the Russian Baltic Fleet by Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō and the Imperial Japanese Navy. Read more
28 May 1892: In San Francisco, John Muir organizes the Sierra Club. Read more
28 May 1871: The Paris Commune falls after two months. Read more
28 May 1830: U.S. President Andrew Jackson signs the Indian Removal Act which denies Native Americans their land rights and forcibly relocates them. Read more
28 May 1802: In Guadeloupe, 400 rebellious slaves, led by Louis Delgrès, blow themselves up rather than submit to Napoleon's troops. Read more

🎂 Important Births on 28 May in World History

28 May 2000: Phil Foden, English footballer Philip Walter Foden is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Manchester City and the England national team. Read more
28 May 2000: Risi Pouri-Lane, New Zealand rugby sevens player Risealeaana "Risi" Pouri-Lane is a New Zealand rugby union and sevens player. She captained the 2018 Youth Olympics squad that won gold in Buenos Aires. She also won gold medals with the Black Ferns sevens team at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, the 2020 Summer Olympics and 2024 Summer Olympics. Read more
28 May 1999: Cameron Boyce, American actor (died 2019) Cameron Mica Boyce was an American actor. He began his career as a child actor, appearing in the 2008 films Mirrors and Eagle Eye, along with the comedy film Grown Ups (2010) and its 2013 sequel. His first starring role was on the Disney Channel comedy series Jessie (2011–2015). Read more
28 May 1999: Jodie Burrage, British tennis player Jodie Anna Burrage is a British tennis player. She has a career-high WTA singles ranking of No. 85, achieved on 11 September 2023, and a best doubles ranking of world No. 114, set on 14 July 2025.
Burrage has won one doubles title on the WTA Tour and one doubles title on WTA 125 tournaments, along with six titles in singles and seven in doubles on the ITF Circuit. Read more
28 May 1998: Kim Dahyun, South Korean rapper and singer Kim Da-hyun, known mononymously as Dahyun, is a South Korean singer, rapper, and actress. She is a member of the South Korean girl group Twice, formed by JYP Entertainment in 2015. Read more
28 May 1994: Alec Benjamin, American singer and songwriter Alec Shane Benjamin is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, his 2018 breakthrough "Let Me Down Slowly" from his debut 12-song mixtape Narrated for You reached the top 40 in over 25 countries. Read more
28 May 1994: John Stones, English footballer John Stones is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or defensive midfielder for Premier League club Manchester City the England national team. He will leave Manchester City on 30 June 2026, upon the expiry of his contract. He is known for his technical ability and physical presence on the pitch. Read more
28 May 1993: Daniel Alvaro, Australian rugby league player Daniel Alvaro is a former Italy international rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the Toulouse Olympique in the Super League. Read more
28 May 1993: Bárbara Luz, Portuguese tennis player Bárbara Luz is a former professional tennis player from Portugal. Read more
28 May 1991: Danielle Lao, American tennis player Danielle Marie Lao is an inactive American tennis player. Read more
28 May 1991: Kail Piho, Estonian skier Kail Piho is an Estonian Nordic combined skier. He was born in Võru. He competed in the World Cup 2015 season. Read more
28 May 1990: Kyle Walker, English footballer Kyle Andrew Walker is an English professional footballer who plays as a right-back for EFL Championship club Burnley. Known for his exceptional speed, he is widely regarded as one of the best
full-backs of his generation. Read more
28 May 1988: NaVorro Bowman, American football player NaVorro Roderick Bowman is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He most recently served as the linebackers coach for the Los Angeles Chargers. Bowman played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions and was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 2010 NFL draft. He was also a member of the Oakland Raiders. Read more
28 May 1988: Percy Harvin, American football player William Percy Harvin III is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Gators, who won the BCS National Championship in 2006 and 2008. A two-time first-team All-American, he was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft. Harvin also played for the Seattle Seahawks, New York Jets and Buffalo Bills. He was named the Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2009 and won Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seahawks in 2013 over the Denver Broncos. He attended and played football for Landstown High School in Virginia Beach, where his team won the high school state championship in 2004. Read more
28 May 1988: Craig Kimbrel, American baseball player Craig Michael Kimbrel is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros, and New York Mets. He is a nine-time All-Star, four-time Reliever of the Year, and a 2018 World Series champion. Read more
28 May 1988: David Perron, Canadian ice hockey player David Perron is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a left winger for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). Read more
28 May 1987: T.J. Yates, American football player Taylor Jonathan Yates is an American professional football coach and former player who currently serves as the passing game coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played professionally as a quarterback for seven seasons in the NFL. After playing college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels, Yates was selected by the Houston Texans in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL draft. He was also a member of the Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins, and Buffalo Bills. Since retiring from play, Yates has served as an assistant coach for both the Texans and Falcons. Read more
28 May 1986: Berrick Barnes, Australian rugby player Berrick Steven Barnes is an Australian rugby union coach and former dual-code player. His usual position was fly-half or inside centre. He previously played with Japanese Top League clubs Panasonic Wild Knights and Ricoh Black Rams, as well as in the Super Rugby with Australian teams the New South Wales Waratahs and the Queensland Reds; and the Australia national team. Read more
28 May 1986: Bryant Dunston, American-Armenian basketball player Bryant Kevin Dunston Jr. is an American-born naturalized Armenian professional basketball player who plays for Olimpia Milano of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He also represents the senior Armenian national team in international competition. Standing at a height of 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m), Dunston plays at the center position. Read more
28 May 1986: Michael Oher, American football player Michael Jerome Oher is an American former professional football tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played college football for the Ole Miss Rebels, earning unanimous All-American honors and winning the Jacobs Blocking Trophy in 2008. Oher was selected in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft by the Baltimore Ravens, where he spent his first five seasons and was a member of the team that won Super Bowl XLVII. He later played one season for the Tennessee Titans and his final two for the Carolina Panthers. Read more
28 May 1986: Seth Rollins, American wrestler Colby Daniel Lopez, better known by the ring name Seth Rollins, is an American professional wrestler. As of August 2010, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Rollins topped Pro Wrestling Illustrated's PWI 500 list of the top 500 wrestlers in the world in 2015, 2019, and 2023, was voted as the PWI Wrestler of the Year in 2015 and 2023, was named Wrestler of the Year by Sports Illustrated in 2022. Read more
28 May 1986: Ingmar Vos, Dutch decathlete Ingmar Vos is a former Dutch athlete who specialised in the Decathlon and Heptathlon. Read more
28 May 1985: Colbie Caillat, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Colbie Marie Caillat is an American singer-songwriter. She rose to fame on the social networking website Myspace in 2005. Read more
28 May 1985: Pablo Andrés González, Argentinian footballer Pablo Andrés González is an Argentine football coach and retired forward. He is the head coach of Italian Serie D club RG Ticino. Read more
28 May 1985: Kostas Mendrinos, Greek footballer Kostas Mendrinos is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Read more
28 May 1985: Carey Mulligan, English actress and singer Carey Hannah Mulligan is an English actress. She has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award. She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2025 for services to drama. Read more
28 May 1983: Steve Cronin, American soccer player Steve Michael Cronin is an American retired soccer player who played as a goalkeeper. Read more
28 May 1983: Humberto Sánchez, Dominican-American baseball player Humberto A. Sánchez is a Dominican minor league pitching coach and former professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). He threw a fastball in the low to mid 90s, as well as a low 90s slider, a curveball, and a changeup. Read more
28 May 1983: Roman Atwood, American YouTuber Roman Bernard Atwood is an American YouTube personality and prankster. He is best known for his vlogs, where he posts updates about his life. His vlogging channel, "RomanAtwoodVlogs", has a total of 5 billion views and 15 million subscribers. He also has another YouTube channel called "RomanAtwood", where he used to post prank videos. The channel has been inactive since 2016. His pranks have gained over 1.4 billion views and 10.4 million subscribers. He became the second YouTuber after Germán Garmendia to receive two Diamond Play Buttons for his first two channels. Read more
28 May 1982: Alexa Davalos, French-American actress Alexa Davalos Dunas is an American actress. Her early role as Gwen Raiden on the fourth season of the TV series Angel (2002–03) was followed by other television roles and some Hollywood films, including The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) and Defiance (2008). In the late 2010s, she starred as Juliana Crain, the main character in the Amazon Studios series The Man in the High Castle. She also played Special Agent Kristin Gaines in the CBS drama series FBI: Most Wanted (2021–2023). Read more
28 May 1982: Jhonny Peralta, Dominican-American baseball player Jhonny Antonio Peralta is a Dominican former professional baseball shortstop who played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). The Cleveland Indians signed him as an amateur free agent in his native Dominican Republic in 1999, and he made his major league debut for the Indians on June 12, 2003. He subsequently played for the Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Cardinals. A solid hitter with power, Peralta has rated average defensively. He throws and bats right-handed, stands 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m), and weighs 225 pounds (102 kg). Read more
28 May 1981: Laura Bailey, American voice actress Laura Bailey is an American voice actress. She made her debut as Kid Trunks in the Funimation dub of Dragon Ball Z and has since voiced Henrietta in Gunslinger Girl, Emily / Glitter Lucky in Glitter Force, Tohru Honda in Fruits Basket, Lust in Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, the title character in the Funimation dub of Shin-Chan, and Maka Albarn in Soul Eater. She is a cast member of the web series Critical Role, playing Vex'ahlia ("Vex"), Jester Lavorre, Imogen Temult and Thimble among others. Read more
28 May 1981: Daniel Cabrera, Dominican-American baseball player Daniel Alberto Cabrera Cruz is a Dominican former professional baseball right-handed starting pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles, Washington Nationals, and Arizona Diamondbacks, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Chunichi Dragons. He is a tall pitcher, standing at 6' 7" and 225 lb. Read more
28 May 1981: Eric Ghiaciuc, American football player Eric M. Ghiaciuc [GUY-check] is an American former professional football player who was a center in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL draft. He played college football for the Central Michigan Chippewas. Read more
28 May 1981: Adam Green, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Adam Green is an American singer-songwriter, artist and filmmaker. Read more
28 May 1980: Miguel Pérez, Spanish footballer Miguel Alfonso Pérez Aracil is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a midfielder. Read more
28 May 1980: Lucy Shuker, English tennis player Lucy Jessica Shuker is a British wheelchair tennis player who is currently the highest ranked woman in the sport in Britain. A previous singles and doubles National Champion, Shuker has represented Great Britain at four successive Paralympic Games, twice winning a bronze medal in the women's doubles and is former world doubles champion and World Team Cup silver medallist amongst a number of other national and international successes. Read more
28 May 1979: Abdulaziz al-Omari, Saudi Arabian terrorist, hijacker of American Airlines Flight 11 (died 2001) Abdulaziz al-Omari was a Saudi imam and terrorist who was one of five hijackers of American Airlines Flight 11 as part of the September 11 attacks in 2001. He accompanied Mohamed Atta before the attack and boarded the airplane with him. Read more
28 May 1979: Ronald Curry, American football player and coach Ronald Antonio Curry is an American football coach and former wide receiver who is the wide receivers coach for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He has previously served as an assistant coach for the San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints, and Buffalo Bills. Read more
28 May 1978: Jake Johnson, American actor Mark Jake Johnson Weinberger is an American actor. He has starred as Nick Miller in the Fox sitcom New Girl (2011–2018), for which he was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series in 2013. He has also voiced a version of Spider-Man in the animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and its 2023 sequel. Read more
28 May 1977: Elisabeth Hasselbeck, American talk show host and author Elisabeth DelPadre Hasselbeck is an American television personality and talk show host. She rose to prominence in 2001 as a contestant on the second season of the American version of Survivor, where she finished in fourth place. She married NFL player Tim Hasselbeck the following year. Read more
28 May 1976: Steven Bell, Australian rugby league player Steven "Steve" Bell is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who last played for the Catalans Dragons in the Super League. A Queensland State of Origin representative three-quarter, he previously played club football in the NRL for the Melbourne Storm, then the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. Read more
28 May 1976: Zaza Enden, Georgian-Turkish wrestler, basketball player, and coach Zaza Enden (born Zaza Eladze on 28 May 1976 in Tbilisi, Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Union is a professional wrestler and a Turkish professional basketball player of Georgian descent. He is 2.06 m tall and weighs 116 kg. His well-known nickname is "Tatu". Zaza Enden plays at the power forward position. He came to Turkey in 1992, firstly to Trabzon, afterwards he had his Turkish citizenship. Read more
28 May 1976: Roberto Goretti, Italian footballer Roberto Goretti is an Italian professional football technical director and former player, who is the technical director of Reggiana. He played as a midfielder. Read more
28 May 1976: Glenn Morrison, Australian rugby league player and coach Glenn Adam Morrison, is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and coach. He played for the Parramatta Eels, the Balmain Tigers, the North Sydney Bears and the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League before moving to England to play for the Bradford Bulls and then the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats (captain). He was later the head coach of the Dewsbury Rams. In 2021, Morrison was appointed Head coach of Cleveland Rugby League, in the newly created North American Rugby League. Read more
28 May 1976: Liam O'Brien, American voice actor Liam Christopher O'Brien is an American voice actor, writer, and director. He is a regular cast member of the Dungeons & Dragons actual play series Critical Role, playing Vax'ildan ("Vax"), Caleb Widogast, Orym, and Halandil Fang. He has been involved in many video games, cartoons, and English-language adaptations of Japanese anime. His major anime roles include Gaara in Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, and Boruto, Vincent Law in Ergo Proxy, Captain Jushiro Ukitake in Bleach, Lloyd in Code Geass, Kenzo Tenma in Monster, Akihiko Sanada in Persona 3, and Nephrite in the Viz Media dub of Sailor Moon. Read more
28 May 1975: Maura Johnston, American journalist, critic, and academic Maura K. Johnston is a writer, editor and music critic. A member of Boston College's journalism faculty, she has written for Rolling Stone, The Boston Globe, Pitchfork, The Awl, The New York Times, Spin and The Guardian. Read more
28 May 1974: Hans-Jörg Butt, German footballer Hans-Jörg Butt, often simply called Jörg Butt, is a German former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Read more
28 May 1974: Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistani cricketer Misbah-ul-Haq Khan Niazi PP SI is a former Pakistani international cricketer and former cricket coach. Misbah captained Pakistan national cricket team in all formats and is former head coach and former chief selector of the national team. As captain, he led Pakistan to being the champions of the 2012 Asia Cup. Misbah was a member of the team that won the 2009 ICC World Twenty20, two years after the defeat from the final in the previous tournament. Read more
28 May 1973: Marco Paulo Faria Lemos, Portuguese footballer and manager Marco Paulo Faria de Lemos, known as Marco Paulo, is a Portuguese retired footballer who played as a central midfielder. He was also a manager. Read more
28 May 1972: Doriva, Brazilian footballer and manager Dorival Guidoni Júnior, known simply as Doriva, is a Brazilian football coach and retired footballer who played as a central midfielder. Read more
28 May 1972: Michael Boogerd, Dutch cyclist and manager Michael Boogerd is a Dutch former professional road bicycle racer. He was one of the leaders of a generation of Dutch cyclists in the late 1990s and early 2000s, together with teammate Erik Dekker and female cyclist Leontien van Moorsel. Read more
28 May 1971: Isabelle Carré, French actress and singer Isabelle Carré is a French actress. She has appeared in more than 70 films since 1989. She won a César Award for Best Actress for her role in Se souvenir des belles choses (2001), and has been nominated a further six times for Beau fixe (1992), Le Hussard sur le toit (1995), La Femme défendue (1997), Les Sentiments (2003), Entre ses mains (2005) and Anna M. (2007). Read more
28 May 1971: Ekaterina Gordeeva, Russian figure skater and sportscaster Ekaterina "Katia" Alexandrovna Gordeeva is a Soviet and Russian figure skater. With her late husband Sergei Grinkov, she is the 1988 and 1994 Olympic Champion, a four-time World Champion, a three-time European Champion, the 1990 Goodwill Games champion, 1987 Soviet champion, and 1994 Russian champion in pair skating. After Grinkov's death, Gordeeva continued performing as a singles skater. Read more
28 May 1971: Marco Rubio, American lawyer and politician Marco Antonio Rubio is an American politician, attorney, and diplomat serving since 2025 as the 72nd United States Secretary of State. He is also the acting National Security Advisor. A member of the Republican Party, Rubio represented Florida in the United States Senate from 2011 to 2025. Read more
28 May 1970: Glenn Quinn, American actor (died 2002) Glenn Martin Christopher Francis Quinn was an Irish actor, best known for his portrayal of Mark Healy on the 1990s family sitcom Roseanne and his role as the half-demon Allen Francis Doyle on Angel, a spin-off series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Read more
28 May 1969: Mike DiFelice, American baseball player and manager Michael William DiFelice is an American former Major League Baseball journeyman catcher. He is a graduate from the University of Tennessee, and was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 11th round of the 1991 Major League Baseball draft. He made his major league debut in 1996 with the Cards. On April 17, 1997, he recorded his first stolen base with a steal of home against pitcher Kevin Brown who threw a wild pitchout. Read more
28 May 1969: Rob Ford, Canadian politician, 64th Mayor of Toronto (died 2016) Robert Bruce Ford was a Canadian politician and businessman who served as the 64th mayor of Toronto from 2010 to 2014. Before and after his term as mayor, Ford was a city councillor; first being elected to Toronto City Council in the 2000 municipal election, before being re-elected to his council seat twice. Read more
28 May 1968: Kylie Minogue, Australian singer-songwriter, producer, and actress Kylie Ann Minogue is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and the fashion world as a major style icon. Her accolades include two Grammy Awards, four Brit Awards and eighteen ARIA Music Awards. Minogue is the highest-selling Australian female artist of all time, with sales surpassing 80 million records worldwide. In 2024, Time included her in its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Read more
28 May 1967: Glen Rice, American basketball player Glen “Glen Man” Anthony Rice is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a small forward, Rice was a three-time NBA All-Star and made 1,559 three-point field goals during his 15-year career. Rice played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines, and was selected by the Miami Heat with the fourth overall pick in the 1989 NBA draft. He won an NCAA championship in 1989 and an NBA championship in 2000. In recent years, Rice has taken up mixed martial arts fight promotion as owner of G-Force Fights based in Miami, Florida, and is an NBA scout and team ambassador for the Miami Heat. He is the father of Glen Rice Jr. Read more
28 May 1966: Roger Kumble, American director, screenwriter, and playwright Roger Kumble is an American film director, screenwriter, and playwright. Read more
28 May 1966: Miljenko Jergović, Bosnian novelist and journalist Miljenko Jergović is a Bosnian writer. Read more
28 May 1966: Gavin Robertson, Australian cricketer Gavin Ron Robertson is an Australian former cricketer. He was a right-handed offbreak bowler and a lower-order batsman. Read more
28 May 1965: Chris Ballew, American singer-songwriter and bass player Christopher Ballew is an American musician best known as the lead singer and bassist of the alternative rock group the Presidents of the United States of America. He also performed and recorded as a children's artist under the pseudonym Caspar Babypants, from 2009 until 2021. Read more
28 May 1965: Mary Coughlan, Irish politician Mary Coughlan is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Tánaiste from 2008 to 2011, Deputy leader of Fianna Fáil from 2008 to 2011, Minister for Health and Children from January 2011 to March 2011, Minister for Education and Skills from 2010 to 2011, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment from 2008 to 2010, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food from 2004 to 2008, Minister for Social and Family Affairs from 2002 to 2004 and Minister of State for the Gaeltacht and the Islands from 2001 to 2002. She served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Donegal South-West constituency from 1987 to 2011. Read more
28 May 1964: Jeff Fenech, Australian boxer and trainer Jeff Fenech is an Australian former professional boxer who competed between 1984 and 2008. He won world titles in three weight divisions, having held the IBF bantamweight title from 1985 to 1987, the WBC super-bantamweight title from 1987 to 1988, the WBC featherweight title from 1988 to 1990. He retroactively won a fourth weight division title, the WBC super-featherweight title in 1991, after the WBC recounted his first bout against Azumah Nelson which had been a controversial decision draw. Fenech was trained by renowned Sydney-based trainer Johnny Lewis. Read more
28 May 1964: Armen Gilliam, American basketball player and coach (died 2011) Armen Louis Gilliam was an American professional basketball player who played 13 years in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1987 to 2000. He also played one season for the Pittsburgh Xplosion of the American Basketball Association. Gilliam returned to the court after retirement as the head basketball coach for the (NCAA) Division III Penn State Altoona Lions from 2002 to 2005. Read more
28 May 1964: Zsa Zsa Padilla, Filipino singer and actress Esperanza "Zsa Zsa" Perez Padilla is a Filipino singer, actress, television host, music producer and businesswoman. Read more
28 May 1964: Phil Vassar, American singer-songwriter Phillip George Vassar Jr. is an American country music artist. Vassar made his debut on the country music scene in the late 1990s, co-writing singles for several country artists, including Tim McGraw, Jo Dee Messina, Collin Raye, and Alan Jackson. In 1999, he was named by American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) as Country Songwriter of the Year. Read more
28 May 1963: Houman Younessi, Australian-American biologist and academic (died 2016) Houman Younessi was an Iranian-American educator, practitioner, consultant and investigator in informatics, large scale software development processes, computer science, decision science, molecular biology and functional genomics. He was a research professor at University of Connecticut, and was previously the head of faculty and professor at Hartford Graduate Campus of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Hartford, Connecticut and prior to that, a member of the faculty at Swinburne University of Technology in Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia where he attained tenure in 1997. Read more
28 May 1960: Mark Sanford, American military veteran (USAF) and politician, 115th Governor of South Carolina Marshall Clement "Mark" Sanford Jr. is an American politician and author who served as the U.S. representative for South Carolina's 1st congressional district from 1995 to 2001 and from 2013 to 2019, and as the 115th governor of South Carolina from 2003 to 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party. Read more
28 May 1960: Mary Portas, English journalist and author Mary Margaret Portas is an English retail consultant and broadcaster who hosts retail- and business-related television shows. Portas was appointed by David Cameron, the British Prime Minister, to lead a review into the future of Britain's high streets. Read more
28 May 1959: Risto Mannisenmäki, Finnish racing driver Risto Mannisenmäki is a former rally co-driver and two-times world champion with driver Tommi Mäkinen. Read more
28 May 1957: Colin Barnes, English footballer Colin Barnes is an English former professional footballer born in Notting Hill, London, who played as a forward in the Football League for Torquay United. Read more
28 May 1957: Kirk Gibson, American baseball player and manager Kirk Harold Gibson is an American former professional baseball outfielder and manager. Gibson spent most of his career in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Detroit Tigers, but also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kansas City Royals, and Pittsburgh Pirates. He batted and threw left-handed. He is currently a special assistant for the Tigers. Read more
28 May 1957: Ben Howland, American basketball player and coach Benjamin Clark Howland is an American college basketball coach who most recently served as the men's head coach at Mississippi State University from to 2015 to 2022. He served as the head men's basketball coach at Northern Arizona University from 1994 to 1999, the University of Pittsburgh from 1999 to 2003, and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) from 2003 to 2013. Howland became the first men's coach in modern college basketball history to be fired shortly after winning an outright power-conference title. He is one of the few NCAA Division I coaches to take four teams to the NCAA tournament. Read more
28 May 1956: Jerry Douglas, American guitarist and producer Gerald Calvin Douglas is an American Dobro and lap steel guitar player and record producer. He is widely regarded as "perhaps the finest Dobro player in contemporary acoustic music, and certainly the most celebrated and prolific". A 14-time Grammy winner, he has been called "Dobro's matchless contemporary master" by The New York Times and is among the most innovative recording artists in music, both as a solo artist and member of numerous bands, such as Alison Krauss and Union Station and The Earls of Leicester. He has been a co-director of the Transatlantic Sessions since 1998. Read more
28 May 1956: Jeff Dujon, Jamaican cricketer Peter Jeffrey Leroy Dujon is a Jamaican retired cricketer and current commentator. He was a part of the West Indies squad who finished as runners-up at the 1983 Cricket World Cup. Read more
28 May 1956: Markus Höttinger, Austrian racing driver (died 1980) Markus Höttinger was an Austrian racing driver who died after an accident at Germany's Hockenheimring during the third lap of the second round of the 1980 European Formula Two Championship, on 13 April 1980. He was 23 years old at the time. Read more
28 May 1956: Peter Wilkinson, English admiral Vice Admiral Peter John Wilkinson, is a retired senior Royal Navy officer who served as Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Personnel) from 2007 to 2010. He was National President of the Royal British Legion from 2012 until 2016. Read more
28 May 1955: Laura Amy Schlitz, American author and librarian Laura Amy Schlitz is an American author of children's literature. She is a librarian and storyteller at the Park School of Baltimore in Brooklandville, Maryland. Read more
28 May 1954: João Carlos de Oliveira, Brazilian jumper (died 1999) João Carlos de Oliveira, also known as "João do Pulo" was a Brazilian athlete who competed in the triple jump and the long jump. Read more
28 May 1954: Youri Egorov, Russian pianist and composer (died 1988) Youri Aleksandrovich Egorov was a Soviet and Dutch classical pianist. Read more
28 May 1954: Charles Saumarez Smith, English historian and academic Sir Charles Robert Saumarez Smith is a British cultural historian specialising in the history of art, design and architecture. He was the secretary and chief executive of the Royal Academy of Arts in London from 2007 until he stepped down in 2018. He was replaced by Axel Rüger, who took up the position in 2019. Read more
28 May 1954: Péter Szilágyi, Hungarian conductor and politician (died 2013) Péter Szilágyi was a Hungarian music conductor and politician, member of the National Assembly (MP) for Berettyóújfalu between 1994 and 2002. He was a member of the Committee on Education and Science. Read more
28 May 1954: John Tory, Canadian lawyer and politician, 65th Mayor of Toronto John Howard Tory is a Canadian lawyer, broadcaster, businessman, and former politician who served as the 65th mayor of Toronto from 2014 to 2023. He led the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario from 2004 to 2009 and was Leader of the Official Opposition from 2005 to 2007. Outside politics, Tory served as the 9th Commissioner of the CFL from 1997 to 2000 and has worked for Rogers Communications. Read more
28 May 1953: Pierre Gauthier, Canadian ice hockey player and manager Pierre Gauthier is a Canadian former general manager of the Montreal Canadiens, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, and Ottawa Senators. He is currently the director of player personnel of the Chicago Blackhawks. Read more
28 May 1952: Roger Briggs, American pianist, composer, conductor, and educator Roger Briggs is an American composer, conductor, pianist, and educator. Read more
28 May 1949: Martin Kelner, English journalist, author, comedian, singer, actor and radio presenter Martin Barry Kelner is a British journalist, author, comedian, singer, actor and TV presenter, whose primary career is in radio presenting. He has spent over 40 years hosting radio shows, mostly for the BBC, in particular Radio Leeds. He has been regularly accompanied throughout his career by comedy sidekick Edouard Lapaglie. Read more
28 May 1949: Wendy O. Williams, American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress (died 1998) Wendy Orlean Williams was an American singer, best known as the lead singer of the punk rock band Plasmatics. She was noted for her onstage theatrics, which included partial nudity, exploding equipment, firing a shotgun, and chainsawing guitars. Performing her own stunts in videos, she often sported a mohawk hairstyle. In 1985, during the height of her popularity as a solo artist, she was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. Read more
28 May 1948: Michael Field, Australian politician, 38th Premier of Tasmania Michael Walter Field, is a former Australian politician, holding office as the Premier of Tasmania between 1989 and 1992. Field is also a former chancellor of the University of Tasmania, holding that position from January 2013 to 30 June 2021. He was leader of the Tasmanian Branch of the Labor Party from 1988 until his retirement in 1996. Field is best known for operating in minority government with the support of the Independents, Tasmania's nascent Green party, with an agreement known as the Labor–Green Accord. Read more
28 May 1948: Pierre Rapsat, Belgian singer and songwriter (died 2002) Pierre Rapsat was a Belgian singer-songwriter who had a very successful career in his homeland and also spells of popularity in other Francophone countries. Outside these areas, he is best known for his participation in the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest. Read more
28 May 1947: Zahi Hawass, Egyptian archaeologist and academic Zahi Abass Hawass is an Egyptian archaeologist, Egyptologist, and former Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, a position he held twice. He has worked at archaeological sites in the Nile Delta, the Western Desert and the Upper Nile Valley. Read more
28 May 1947: Lynn Johnston, Canadian author and illustrator Lynn Johnston is a Canadian cartoonist and author, best known for her newspaper comic strip For Better or For Worse. She was the first woman and first Canadian to win the National Cartoonist Society's Reuben Award. Read more
28 May 1947: Leland Sklar, American singer-songwriter and bass player Leland Bruce Sklar is an American bassist and session musician. He rose to prominence as a member of James Taylor's backing band, which coalesced into a group in its own right, The Section, which supported so many of Asylum Records' artists that they became known as Asylum's de facto house band, as those artists became iconic singer-songwriters of the 1970s. Read more
28 May 1946: Bruce Alexander, English actor Bruce John Alexander is a British actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Superintendent Norman Mullett in the ITV television series A Touch of Frost, in which he plays the superior of the main character Jack Frost, played by David Jason. Read more
28 May 1946: Skip Jutze, American baseball player Alfred Henry "Skip" Jutze is an American former professional baseball player. He played all or part of six seasons in Major League Baseball, primarily as a catcher. Read more
28 May 1946: Janet Paraskeva, Welsh politician Dame Janet Paraskeva is a British government official. Read more
28 May 1946: K. Satchidanandan, Indian poet and critic K. Satchidanandan is an Indian poet and critic, writing in Malayalam and English. A pioneer of modern poetry in Malayalam, a bilingual literary critic, playwright, editor, columnist and translator, he is the former editor of Indian Literature journal and the former secretary of Sahitya Akademi. He is also social advocate for secular anti-caste views, supporting causes like environment, human rights and free software and is a well known speaker on issues concerning contemporary Indian literature. He is the festival director of Kerala Literature Festival. Read more
28 May 1946: William Shawcross, English journalist and author Sir William Hartley Hume Shawcross is a British journalist, writer, and broadcaster. He is the incumbent Commissioner for Public Appointments. From 2012 to 2018 he chaired the Charity Commission for England and Wales. Read more
28 May 1945: Patch Adams, American physician and author, founded the Gesundheit! Institute Hunter Doherty "Patch" Adams is an American physician, comedian, social activist, clown, and author. He founded the Gesundheit! Institute as a not-for-profit in 1989. Each year he also organizes volunteers from around the world to travel to various countries where they dress as clowns to bring humor to orphans, patients, and other people. Read more
28 May 1945: John N. Bambacus, American military veteran (USMC) and politician John N. Bambacus is an American politician, and represented District 1 in the Maryland Senate, which covers Garrett, Allegany, and Washington Counties. Read more
28 May 1945: John Fogerty, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer John Cameron Fogerty is an American musician. Together with Doug Clifford, Stu Cook, and his brother Tom Fogerty, he founded the swamp rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR), for which he was the lead singer, lead guitarist, and principal songwriter. CCR had nine Top 10 singles and eight gold albums between 1968 and 1972, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. Read more
28 May 1945: Jean Perrault, Canadian politician, Mayor of Sherbrooke, Quebec Jean Perrault, is a Canadian politician, who served as mayor of Sherbrooke, Quebec from 1994 to 2009, and as president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Read more
28 May 1945: Helena Shovelton, English physician Dame Helena Shovelton is former Chair of the UK National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux, former Chair of the UK National Lottery Commission, and former Chief Executive of the British Lung Foundation. Read more
28 May 1944: Faith Brown, English actress and singer Faith Brown is an English actress, singer, comedian and impressionist. She was a star of the ITV impressions show Who Do You Do?, and was The Voice in the TV show Trapped!. Read more
28 May 1944: Rudy Giuliani, American lawyer and politician, 107th mayor of New York City Rudolph William Louis Giuliani is an American politician and disbarred lawyer who served as the 108th mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. He previously served as the U.S. Associate Attorney General from 1981 to 1983 and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 1983 to 1989. Giuliani led the 1980s federal prosecution of New York City mafia bosses as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. After a failed campaign for mayor of New York City in the 1989 election, he succeeded in 1993, and was reelected in 1997, campaigning on a "tough on crime" platform. He led New York's controversial "civic cleanup" from 1994 to 2001, and appointed William Bratton as New York City's new police commissioner. In 2000, he ran against First Lady Hillary Clinton for a U.S. Senate seat from New York, but left the race once diagnosed with prostate cancer. For his mayoral leadership following the September 11 attacks in 2001, he was called "America's mayor" and was named Time Person of the Year for 2001. Read more
28 May 1944: Gladys Knight, American singer-songwriter and actress Gladys Maria Knight is an American singer and actress. Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys Knight & the Pips, which included her brother Merald "Bubba" Knight and cousins William Guest and Edward Patten. She has won seven Grammy Awards, and is often referred to as the "Empress of Soul". Read more
28 May 1944: Sondra Locke, American actress and director (died 2018) Sandra Louise Anderson, professionally known as Sondra Locke, was an American actress and director. Read more
28 May 1944: Rita MacNeil, Canadian singer and actress (died 2013) Rita MacNeil was a Canadian singer and songwriter from the community of Big Pond on Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island. Her biggest hit, "Flying On Your Own", was a crossover Top 40 hit in 1987 and was covered by Anne Murray the following year, although she had hits on the country and adult contemporary charts throughout her career. In the United Kingdom, MacNeil's song "Working Man" was a No. 11 hit in 1990. Read more
28 May 1944: Patricia Quinn, British actress and singer Patricia Quinn, Lady Stephens is a Northern Irish actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Magenta in the 1975 musical comedy horror film The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and the original stage play from which it was adapted. She appeared as Dr. Nation McKinley in the 1981 musical film Shock Treatment. In 2012, Quinn played the role of Megan in the horror film The Lords of Salem. Read more
28 May 1944: Gary Stewart, American singer-songwriter (died 2003) Gary Ronnie Stewart was an American musician and songwriter, known for his distinctive vibrato voice. At the height of his popularity in the mid-1970s, Time magazine described him as the "king of honkytonk." He had a series of country chart hits from the mid- to late 1970s, the biggest of which was "She's Actin' Single ", which topped the U.S. country singles chart in 1975. Read more
28 May 1944: Billy Vera, American singer-songwriter and actor Billy Vera is an American singer, songwriter, actor, author, and music historian. He has been a singer and songwriter since the 1960s, his most successful record being "At This Moment", a US number 1 hit in 1987. He continues to perform with his group Billy Vera & The Beaters and won a Grammy Award in 2013. Read more
28 May 1943: Terry Crisp, Canadian ice hockey player and coach Terrance Arthur Crisp is a Canadian former professional ice hockey coach and player. Crisp played ten seasons in the National Hockey League for the Boston Bruins, St. Louis Blues, New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers between 1965 and 1977. Crisp coached for 11 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Philadelphia Flyers, Calgary Flames and Tampa Bay Lightning. Crisp also worked as a radio and TV broadcaster for the Nashville Predators. Crisp retired from his broadcast duties at the end of the 2021–22 season. Read more
28 May 1942: Stanley B. Prusiner, American neurologist and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate Stanley Ben Prusiner is an American neurologist and biochemist. He is the director of the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Prusiner discovered prions, a class of infectious self-reproducing pathogens primarily or solely composed of protein, a scientific theory considered by many as a heretical idea when first proposed. He received the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research in 1994 and the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1997 for research on prion diseases developed by him and his team of experts beginning in the early 1970s. Read more
28 May 1941: Beth Howland, American actress and singer (died 2015) Elizabeth Howland was an American actress known for her work on stage and television. She was best known for playing waitress Vera Gorman in the sitcom Alice. Read more
28 May 1940: David Brewer, English politician, Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London (died 2023)
Sir David William Brewer was a British marine insurance broker who served as Lord Mayor of London (2005/06) and Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London to Elizabeth II (2008–15). Read more
28 May 1940: Shlomo Riskin, American rabbi and academic, founded the Lincoln Square Synagogue Shlomo Riskin is an Orthodox rabbi, and the founding rabbi of Lincoln Square Synagogue on the Upper West Side of New York City, which he led for 20 years; founding chief rabbi of the Israeli settlement of Efrat in the Israeli-occupied West Bank; former dean of Manhattan Day School in New York City; and founder and Chancellor of the Ohr Torah Stone Institutions, a network of high schools, colleges, and graduate Programs in the United States and Israel. Read more
28 May 1939: Maeve Binchy, Irish novelist (died 2012) Anne Maeve Binchy Snell was an Irish novelist, playwright, short story writer, columnist, and speaker. Her novels were characterised by a sympathetic and often humorous portrayal of small-town life in Ireland, and surprise endings. Her novels, which were translated into 37 languages, sold more than 40 million copies worldwide. Her death at age 73, announced by Vincent Browne on Irish television late on 30 July 2012, was mourned as the death of one of Ireland's best-loved and most recognisable writers. Read more
28 May 1938: Jerry West, American basketball player, coach, and executive (died 2024) Jerry Alan West was an American basketball player and executive. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. His nicknames included "the Logo", in reference to his silhouette being the basis for the NBA logo; "Mr. Clutch", for his ability to make a big play in a key situation such as his famous buzzer-beating 60-foot shot that tied game 3 of the 1970 NBA Finals against the New York Knicks; "Mr. Outside", in reference to his perimeter play with the Lakers and "Zeke from Cabin Creek" for the creek near his birthplace of Chelyan, West Virginia. Read more
28 May 1936: Claude Forget, Canadian academic and politician Claude E. Forget, is a Canadian economist and former politician. Read more
28 May 1936: Ole K. Sara, Norwegian politician (died 2013) Ole Klemet J. Sara was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. Read more
28 May 1936: Betty Shabazz, American educator and activist (died 1997) Betty Shabazz, also known as Betty X, was an American educator and civil rights advocate who was married to Malcolm X. Read more
28 May 1933: John Karlen, American actor (died 2020) John Karlen was an American actor. He was best known for his multiple roles on the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows from 1967 to 1971, most notably as Willie Loomis, and as Harvey Lacey on the crime drama television series Cagney & Lacey (1982–88). He won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1986 for the latter role. Read more
28 May 1933: Zelda Rubinstein, American actress and activist (died 2010) Zelda May Rubinstein was an American actress and human rights activist, known as eccentric medium Tangina Barrons in the Poltergeist film series. Playing "Ginny", she was a regular on David E. Kelley's Emmy Award-winning television series Picket Fences for two seasons. She also made guest appearances in the TV show Poltergeist: The Legacy (1996), as seer Christina, and was the voice of Skittles candies in their long-running "Taste the Rainbow" ad campaign. Rubinstein was also known for her outspoken activism for little people and her early participation in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Read more
28 May 1932: Tim Renton, Baron Renton of Mount Harry, English politician, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries (died 2020) Ronald Timothy Renton, Baron Renton of Mount Harry, was a British Conservative Party politician. Read more
28 May 1931: Carroll Baker, American actress Carroll Baker is a retired American actress. After studying under Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio, Baker began performing on Broadway in 1954. From there, she was recruited by director Elia Kazan to play the lead in the adaptation of two Tennessee Williams plays into the film Baby Doll in 1956. Her role in the film as a coquettish but sexually naïve Southern bride earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Read more
28 May 1931: Gordon Willis, American cinematographer (died 2014) Gordon Hugh Willis Jr., ASC was an American cinematographer and film director, known for his influential work during the American New Wave of the 1970s, collaborating with directors like Woody Allen and Alan J. Pakula, as well as working with Francis Ford Coppola on the Godfather trilogy. Read more
28 May 1930: Edward Seaga, American-Jamaican academic and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Jamaica (died 2019) Edward Philip George Seaga was a Jamaican politician and record producer. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Jamaica, from 1980 to 1989, and the leader of the Jamaica Labour Party from 1974 to 2005. He served as Leader of the Opposition from 1974 to 1980, and again from 1989 until January 2005. Read more
28 May 1929: Patrick McNair-Wilson, English politician (died 2025) Sir Patrick Michael Ernest David McNair-Wilson was a British Conservative Member of Parliament and consultant. Read more
28 May 1928: Sally Forrest, American actress and dancer (died 2015) Sally Forrest was an American film, stage and TV actress of the 1940s and 1950s. She studied dance from a young age and shortly out of high school was signed to a contract by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Read more
28 May 1925: Bülent Ecevit, Turkish journalist, scholar, and politician, 16th Prime Minister of Turkey (died 2006) Mustafa Bülent Ecevit was a Turkish statesman, poet, writer, scholar, and journalist. He served as the Prime Minister of Turkey four times between 1974 and 2002, specifically in 1974, 1977, 1978–79, and 1999–2002. Ecevit was Chairman of the Republican People's Party (CHP) from 1972 to 1980, and became Chairman of the Democratic Left Party (DSP) in 1987. Read more
28 May 1925: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, German opera singer and conductor (died 2012) Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau was a German lyric baritone and conductor of classical music. One of the most famous Lieder performers of the post-war period, he is best known as a singer of Franz Schubert's Lieder, particularly "Winterreise" of which his recordings with accompanists Gerald Moore and Jörg Demus are still critically acclaimed half a century after their release. Read more
28 May 1924: Edward du Cann, English naval officer and politician (died 2017) Sir Edward Dillon Lott du Cann was a British politician and businessman. He was a member of Parliament (MP) from 1956 to 1987 and served as Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1967 and as chairman of the party's 1922 Committee from 1972 to 1984. Read more
28 May 1924: Paul Hébert, Canadian actor (died 2017) Paul Hébert, OC, CQ was a French Canadian television and stage actor and director, and the founder of six theatres in Quebec. He is best known for his role as Siméon Desrosiers in Le Temps d’une paix, a Canadian soap opera. Read more
28 May 1923: György Ligeti, Hungarian-Austrian composer and educator (died 2006) György Sándor Ligeti was a Hungarian composer of contemporary classical music. He has been described as "one of the most important avant-garde composers in the latter half of the twentieth century" and "one of the most innovative and influential among progressive figures of his time". Read more
28 May 1923: N. T. Rama Rao, Indian actor, director, producer, and politician, 10th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (died 1996) Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, often referred to by his initials NTR, was an Indian actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, film editor, philanthropist, and politician who served as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh over four terms for seven years. He founded the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in 1982, the first regional party of Andhra Pradesh. He is regarded as one of the most influential figures of Indian cinema. He starred in over 300 films, predominantly in Telugu cinema, and was referred to as "Viswa Vikhyatha Nata Sarvabhouma". He was one of the earliest method actors of Indian cinema. In 2013, Rao was voted as "Greatest Indian Actor of All Time" in a CNN-IBN national poll conducted on the occasion of the Centenary of Indian Cinema. Read more
28 May 1922: Lou Duva, American boxer, trainer, and manager (died 2017) Louis Duva was an American boxing trainer, manager and boxing promoter who handled nineteen world champions. The Duva family promoted boxing events in over twenty countries on six continents. Duva was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame, the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame, and The Meadowlands Sports Hall of Fame. Read more
28 May 1922: Roger Fisher, American author and academic (died 2012) Roger D. Fisher was a Samuel Williston Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and director of the Harvard Negotiation Project. Read more
28 May 1922: Tuomas Gerdt, Finnish soldier (died 2020) Kaiho Tuomas Albin Gerdt was a Finnish soldier and Knight of the Mannerheim Cross, numbered #95. He was born in Heinävesi. Gerdt, serving as a junior runner officer in the infantry regiment 7, was awarded the Mannerheim Cross on 8 September 1942. At that time he held the rank of a sergeant. After coming home from the war on 13 November 1944, Gerdt worked as a manager in Oy Wilh. Schauman Ab and as an office manager in Oy Kaukas Ab and Kymmene Oy. Gerdt, serving as the chairman of the Mannerheim Cross Knight Foundation, was the last living Knight of the Mannerheim Cross. Read more
28 May 1921: D. V. Paluskar, Indian Hindustani classical musician (died 1955) Pandit Dattatreya Vishnu Paluskar, was a Hindustani classical vocalist. He was considered a child prodigy. Read more
28 May 1921: Heinz G. Konsalik, German journalist and author (died 1999) Heinz G. Konsalik was a German novelist. Konsalik was his mother's maiden name. Read more
28 May 1921: Tom Uren, Australian soldier, boxer, and politician (died 2015) Thomas Uren was an Australian politician and Deputy Leader of the Australian Labor Party from 1975 to 1977. Uren served as the Member for Reid in the Australian House of Representatives from 1958 to 1990, being appointed Minister for Urban and Regional Development (1972–75), Minister for Territories and Local Government (1983–84) and Minister for Local Government and Administrative Services (1984–87). He helped establish the heritage and conservation movement in Australia and, in particular, worked to preserve the heritage of inner Sydney. Read more
28 May 1918: Johnny Wayne, Canadian comedian (died 1990) Johnny Wayne was a Canadian comedian and comedy writer best known for his work as part of the comedy duo Wayne and Shuster alongside Frank Shuster (1916–2002). Read more
28 May 1917: Barry Commoner, American biologist, academic, and politician (died 2012) Barry Commoner was an American cellular biologist, college professor, and politician. He was a leading ecologist and among the founders of the modern environmental movement. He was the director of the Center for Biology of Natural Systems and its Critical Genetics Project. He ran as the Citizens Party candidate in the 1980 U.S. presidential election. His work studying the radioactive fallout from nuclear weapons testing led to the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963. Read more
28 May 1916: Walker Percy, American novelist and essayist (died 1990) Walker Percy, OblSB was an American writer whose interests included philosophy and semiotics. Percy is noted for his philosophical novels set in and around New Orleans; his first, The Moviegoer, won the National Book Award for Fiction. Read more
28 May 1915: Joseph Greenberg, American linguist and academic (died 2001) Joseph Harold Greenberg was an American linguist, known mainly for his work concerning linguistic typology and the genetic classification of languages. Read more
28 May 1914: W. G. G. Duncan Smith, English captain and pilot (died 1996) Wilfrid George Gerald Duncan Smith was a flying ace of the Second World War in the Royal Air Force. He was the father of Iain Duncan Smith, a Member of Parliament and Leader of the Conservative Party. Read more
28 May 1912: Herman Johannes, Indonesian scientist, academic, and politician (died 1992) Herman Johannes was an Indonesian professor, scientist, politician and National Hero. Johannes was the rector of Universitas Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta (1961–1966), Coordinator for Higher Education from 1966 to 1979, a member of Indonesia's Presidential Supreme Advisory Council from 1968 to 1978, and the Minister for Public Works and Energy (1950–1951). He was also a member of the Executive Board of UNESCO from 1954 to 1957. Read more
28 May 1912: Ruby Payne-Scott, Australian physicist and astronomer (died 1981) Ruby Violet Payne-Scott was an Australian pioneer in radiophysics and radio astronomy. Read more
28 May 1912: Patrick White, Australian novelist, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1990) Patrick Victor Martindale White was an Australian novelist and playwright who explored themes of religious experience, personal identity and the conflict between visionary individuals and a materialistic, conformist society. Influenced by the modernism of James Joyce, D. H. Lawrence and Virginia Woolf, he developed a complex literary style and a body of work that challenged the dominant realist prose tradition of his home country, was satirical of Australian society, and sharply divided local critics. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1973 and is the only Australian to have been awarded it. Read more
28 May 1911: Bob Crisp, South African cricketer (died 1994) Robert James Crisp was a South African cricketer who played in nine Test matches between 1935 and 1936. He appeared for Rhodesia, Western Province, Worcestershire and South Africa. Though his Test bowling average lay over 37.00, Crisp had a successful first-class cricket career, with 276 wickets at 19.88. He is the only bowler in first-class cricket to have taken four wickets in four balls more than once. Read more
28 May 1911: Thora Hird, English actress (died 2003) Dame Thora Hird was an English actress. In a career spanning over 70 years, she appeared in more than 100 films, as well as many television roles, becoming a household name and a British institution. Read more
28 May 1911: Fritz Hochwälder, Austrian playwright (died 1986) Fritz Hochwälder also known as Fritz Hochwaelder, was an Austrian playwright. Known for his spare prose and strong moralist themes, Hochwälder won several literary awards, including the Grand Austrian State Prize for Literature in 1966. Most of his plays were first performed at the Burgtheater in Vienna. Read more
28 May 1910: Georg Gaßmann, German politician, Mayor of Marburg (died 1987) Georg Gaßmann was a German politician. Read more
28 May 1910: Rachel Kempson, English actress (died 2003) Rachel Redgrave, known primarily by her birth name Rachel Kempson, was an English actress. She married Sir Michael Redgrave, and was the matriarch of the famous acting dynasty. Read more
28 May 1910: T-Bone Walker, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1975) Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker was an American blues musician, composer, songwriter and bandleader, who was a pioneer and innovator of the jump blues, West Coast blues, and electric blues sounds. In 2018 Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 67 on its list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Read more
28 May 1909: Red Horner, Canadian ice hockey player (died 2005) George Reginald "Red" Horner was a Canadian ice hockey defenceman for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League from 1928 to 1940. He was the Leafs captain from 1938 until his retirement. He helped the Leafs win their third Stanley Cup in 1932. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1965. Read more
28 May 1908: Léo Cadieux, Canadian journalist and politician, 17th Canadian Minister of National Defence (died 2005) Léo Alphonse Joseph Cadieux was a Canadian politician. Read more
28 May 1908: Ian Fleming, English journalist and author, created James Bond (died 1964) Ian Lancaster Fleming was a British writer, best known for his postwar James Bond series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., and his father was the Member of Parliament for Henley from 1910 until his death on the Western Front in 1917. Educated at Eton, Sandhurst, and, briefly, the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München and the University of Geneva, Fleming moved through several jobs before he started writing. Read more
28 May 1906: Henry Thambiah, Sri Lankan lawyer, judge, and diplomat, Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Canada (died 1997) Henry Wijeyakone Tambiah (1906–1997) was a Ceylonese academic, diplomat, lawyer and judge, born in Sri Lanka during British colonial rule. He was a Commissioner of Assize, High Commissioner and judge of the Supreme Courts of Ceylon and Sierra Leone. Read more
28 May 1903: S. L. Kirloskar, Indian businessman, founded Kirloskar Group (died 1994) Shantanurao Laxmanrao Kirloskar was an Indian businessman who was instrumental in the rapid growth of the Kirloskar Group. Read more
28 May 1900: Tommy Ladnier, American trumpet player (died 1939) Thomas James Ladnier was an American jazz trumpeter. Hugues Panassié – an influential French critic, jazz historian, and renowned exponent of New Orleans jazz – rated Ladnier, sometime on or before 1956, second only to Louis Armstrong. Read more
28 May 1892: Minna Gombell, American actress (died 1973) Minna Marie Gombell was an American stage and film actress. Read more
28 May 1889: Richard Réti, Slovak-Czech chess player and author (died 1929) Richard Réti was an Austro-Hungarian and later Czechoslovak chess player, chess author and composer of endgame studies. Read more
28 May 1888: Kaarel Eenpalu, Estonian journalist and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Estonia (died 1942) Kaarel Eenpalu was an Estonian journalist, politician and head of state, who served as 7th Prime Minister of Estonia. Read more
28 May 1888: Vivienne Haigh-Wood Eliot, English author and educator (died 1947) Vivienne Haigh-Wood Eliot was the first wife of American-British poet T. S. Eliot, whom she married in 1915, less than three months after their introduction by mutual friends, when Vivienne was a governess in Cambridge and Eliot was studying at Oxford. Read more
28 May 1888: Jim Thorpe, American decathlete, football player, and coach (died 1953) James Francis Thorpe was an American athlete who won Olympic gold medals and played professional football, baseball, and basketball. A citizen of the Sac and Fox Nation, he was the first Native American to win a gold medal for the United States in the Olympics. Considered one of the most versatile athletes of modern sports, Thorpe won two Olympic gold medals in the 1912 Summer Olympics. Read more
28 May 1886: Santo Trafficante, Sr., Italian-American mobster (died 1954) Santo Trafficante Sr. was a Sicilian-born mobster, and father of the powerful mobster Santo Trafficante Jr. Read more
28 May 1884: Edvard Beneš, Czech academic and politician, 2nd and 4th President of Czechoslovakia (died 1948) Edvard Beneš was a Czech politician and statesman who served as the president of Czechoslovakia from 1935 to 1938, and again from 1939 to 1948. During the first six years of his second stint, he led the Czechoslovak government-in-exile during World War II. Read more
28 May 1883: Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Indian poet and politician (died 1966) Vinayak Damodar Savarkar popularly called Veer Savarkar, was an Indian politician and ideologue. Savarkar developed the Hindu nationalist political ideology of Hindutva while confined at Ratnagiri in 1922. He was a leading figure in the Hindu Mahasabha. Read more
28 May 1883: Clough Williams-Ellis, English-Welsh architect, designed the Portmeirion Village (died 1978) Sir Bertram Clough Williams-Ellis, CBE, MC was a Welsh architect known chiefly as the creator of the Italianate village of Portmeirion in North Wales. He became a major figure in the development of Welsh architecture in the first half of the 20th century, as well as working on commissions across the UK and Ireland, in a variety of styles and building types. He also campaigned widely for the preservation of rural England and Wales, for which he was knighted. Read more
28 May 1879: Milutin Milanković, Serbian mathematician, astronomer, and geophysicist (died 1958) Milutin Milanković was a Serbian mathematician, astronomer, climatologist, geophysicist, civil engineer, university professor, popularizer of science and academic. Read more
28 May 1878: Paul Pelliot, French sinologist and explorer (died 1945) Paul Eugène Pelliot was a French sinologist and Orientalist best known for his explorations of Central Asia and the Silk Road regions, and for his acquisition of many important Tibetan Empire-era manuscripts and Chinese texts at the Sachu printing center storage caves (Dunhuang), known as the Dunhuang manuscripts. Read more
28 May 1872: Marian Smoluchowski, Polish physicist and mountaineer (died 1917) Marian Smoluchowski was a Polish physicist who worked in the territories of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He was a pioneer of statistical physics and made significant contributions to the theory of Brownian motion and stochastic processes. Read more
28 May 1858: Carl Richard Nyberg, Swedish inventor and businessman, developed the blow torch (died 1939) Carl Richard Nyberg was a Swedish inventor and industrialist. Nyberg was a pioneer in mechanical engineering. He received a patent for a blow lamp and was an aviation pioneer. Read more
28 May 1853: Carl Larsson, Swedish painter and author (died 1919) Carl Olof Larsson was a Swedish painter representative of the Arts and Crafts movement. His many paintings include oils, watercolors, and frescoes. He is principally known for his watercolors of idyllic family life. He considered his finest work to be Midvinterblot, a large painting now displayed inside the Swedish National Museum of Fine Arts. Read more
28 May 1841: Sakaigawa Namiemon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 14th Yokozuna (died 1887) Sakaigawa Namiemon was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Katsushika District, Shimōsa Province. He was the sport's 14th yokozuna. Nicknamed "Tanikaze of the Meiji era", he's the only officially recognized yokozuna of the "yokozuna abuse era" following the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate. Read more
28 May 1837: George Ashlin, Irish architect, co-designed St Colman's Cathedral (died 1921) George Coppinger Ashlin was an Irish architect, particularly noted for his work on churches and cathedrals, and who became President of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland. Read more
28 May 1837: Tony Pastor, American impresario, variety performer and theatre owner (died 1908) Antonio Pastor was an American impresario, variety performer and theatre owner who became one of the founding forces behind American vaudeville in the mid-to-late-nineteenth century. He was sometimes referred to as the "Dean of Vaudeville". The strongest elements of his entertainments were an almost-jingoistic brand of United States patriotism and a strong commitment to attracting a "mixed-gender" audience, the latter being something revolutionary in the male-oriented variety halls of the mid-century. Although he was a performer and producer, Pastor is best known for "cleaning up" bawdy variety acts and presenting a clean and family-friendly genre called vaudeville. Read more
28 May 1836: Friedrich Baumfelder, German pianist, composer, and conductor (died 1916) Friedrich August Wilhelm Baumfelder was a German composer of classical music, conductor, and pianist. He started in the Leipzig Conservatory, and went on to become a well-known composer of his time. His many works were mostly solo salon music, but also included symphonies, piano concertos, operas, and choral works. Though many publishers published his work, they have since fallen into obscurity. Read more
28 May 1836: Alexander Mitscherlich, German chemist and academic (died 1918) Alexander Mitscherlich was a German chemist and son of Eilhard Mitscherlich. Read more
28 May 1828: Ratmalane Sri Dharmaloka Thera, Buddhist monk and scholar, founder of Vidyalankara Pirivena (died 1885) Ratmalane Sri Dharmaloka Thera was a scholar Buddhist monk who lived in the 19th century in Sri Lanka. An educationist and revivalist of Sri Lankan Buddhism, he was reputed for his knowledge of Pali, Sanskrit and Buddhist philosophy. Ratmalane Sri Dharmaloka Thera was the founder of Vidyalankara Pirivena, Peliyagoda, which was granted the University status later by the Sri Lankan government in 1959, and presently known as University of Kelaniya. Sri Dharmaloka College in Kelaniya, Sri Lanka is named after him. Read more
28 May 1818: P. G. T. Beauregard, American general (died 1893) Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard was an American military officer known for being the Confederate general who started the American Civil War at the Battle of Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. Today, he is commonly referred to as P. G. T. Beauregard, but he rarely used his first name as an adult. He signed correspondence as G. T. Beauregard. Read more
28 May 1807: Louis Agassiz, Swiss-American paleontologist and geologist (died 1873) Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz was a Swiss-born American biologist and geologist who is recognized as a scholar of Earth's natural history. Read more

🕊️ Important Deaths on 28 May in World History

28 May 2023: David Brewer, English politician, Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London (born 1940)
Sir David William Brewer was a British marine insurance broker who served as Lord Mayor of London (2005/06) and Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London to Elizabeth II (2008–15). Read more
28 May 2022: Patricia Brake, English actress (born 1942) Patricia Ann Kennedy, better known by her stage name Patricia Brake, was an English actress. Her credits include Lorna Doone (1963), The Ugliest Girl in Town (1968-1969), My Lover, My Son (1970), The Optimists of Nine Elms (1973), Emmerdale (1975), Nicholas Nickleby (1977), A Sharp Intake of Breath (1977), EastEnders (2004), and Coronation Street (2005-2006). She was most notable for her role as Ingrid Fletcher, eldest daughter of Norman Stanley Fletcher, in the BBC sitcom Porridge (1974-1977), and its sequel Going Straight (1978), and for starring as Gwen Lockhead in 128 episodes of Eldorado (1992-1993). Read more
28 May 2021: Mark Eaton, American basketball player (born 1957) Mark Edward Eaton was an American professional basketball player who spent his entire career (1982–1993) with the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Named an NBA All-Star in 1989, he was twice voted the NBA Defensive Player of the Year and was a five-time member of the NBA All-Defensive Team. The 7-foot-4-inch (2.24 m) Eaton became one of the best defensive centers in NBA history. He led the league in blocks four times and holds the NBA single-season records for blocks (456) and blocked shots per game average (5.6), as well as career blocked shots per game (3.5). His No. 53 was retired by the Jazz. Read more
28 May 2018: Neale Cooper, Scottish footballer (born 1963) Neale James Cooper was a Scottish football player and coach. He played as a midfielder during the 1980s and 1990s, most prominently for the Aberdeen team managed by Alex Ferguson, and later played for Aston Villa, Rangers, Reading, Dunfermline Athletic and Ross County. Cooper then became a coach, and worked as a manager in England with Hartlepool United (twice) and Gillingham, and in Scotland with Ross County and Peterhead. Read more
28 May 2018: Jens Christian Skou, Danish medical doctor and Nobel Prize laureate (born 1918) Jens Christian Skou was a Danish biochemist and Nobel laureate. Read more
28 May 2018: Cornelia Frances, English-Australian actress (born 1941) Cornelia Frances Zulver,, credited professionally as Cornelia Frances, was an English-Australian actress. After starting her career in small cameos in films in her native England, she became best known for her acting career in Australia after emigrating there in the 1960s, particularly her iconic television soap opera roles with portrayals of nasty characters. Read more
28 May 2016: Harambe, Cincinnati Zoo western lowland gorilla (born 1999) Harambe was a western lowland gorilla who lived at the Cincinnati Zoo. On May 28, 2016, a three-year-old boy visiting the zoo climbed under a fence into an outdoor gorilla enclosure where he was grabbed and violently dragged and thrown by Harambe. Fearing for the boy's life, a zoo worker shot and killed Harambe. The incident was recorded on video and received broad international coverage and commentary, including controversy over the choice to use lethal force. Several primatologists and conservationists wrote later that the zoo had no other choice under the circumstances, and that it highlighted the danger of zoo animals near humans and the need for better standards of care. Read more
28 May 2015: Steven Gerber, American pianist and composer (born 1948)
Steven Roy Gerber was an American composer of classical music. He attended Haverford College, graduating in 1969 at the age of twenty. He then attended Princeton University with a fellowship to study musical composition. Read more
28 May 2015: Johnny Keating, Scottish trombonist, composer, and producer (born 1927) John Keating was a Scottish musician, songwriter, arranger and trombonist. Read more
28 May 2015: Reynaldo Rey, American actor and screenwriter (born 1940) Reynaldo Rey was an American actor, comedian and television personality. Read more
28 May 2014: Maya Angelou, American memoirist and poet (born 1928) Maya Angelou was an American memoirist, essayist, poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years. She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees. Angelou's series of seven autobiographies focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), tells of her life up to the age of 17 and brought her international recognition and acclaim. Read more
28 May 2014: Stan Crowther, English footballer (born 1935) Stanley Crowther was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Aston Villa, Manchester United, Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion during the 1950s and early 1960s. He won three caps for the England under-23 team, though he was never selected at senior level. Read more
28 May 2014: Oscar Dystel, American publisher (born 1912) Oscar Dystel was an American publisher and paperback books pioneer whose firm Bantam Books published bestselling paperback editions of Catcher in the Rye, Jaws and Ragtime among many others. His management made Bantam the main publisher of mass-market paperbacks. Read more
28 May 2014: Malcolm Glazer, American businessman (born 1928) Malcolm Glazer was an American businessman and sports team owner. He was the president and chief executive officer of First Allied Corporation, a holding company for his varied business interests, and owned both Manchester United of the Premier League and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. Read more
28 May 2014: Bob Houbregs, Canadian-American basketball player and manager (born 1932) Robert J. Houbregs was a Canadian professional basketball player. Houbregs was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987. Read more
28 May 2014: Isaac Kungwane, South African footballer (born 1971) Isaac Ramaitsane "Shakes" Kungwane was a South African football midfielder who played for Kaizer Chiefs, Jomo Cosmos, Pretoria City and Manning Rangers. As a part of the Kaizer Chiefs he wore the number 11 jersey after Nelson Dladla. Read more
28 May 2013: Viktor Kulikov, Russian commander (born 1921) Viktor Georgiyevich Kulikov was the Warsaw Pact commander-in-chief from 1977 to 1989. He was awarded the rank of the Marshal of the Soviet Union on 14 January 1977. Read more
28 May 2013: Eddie Romero, Filipino director, producer, screenwriter, and National Artist for Cinema and Broadcast Arts (born 1924) Edgar Sinco Romero,, commonly known as Eddie Romero, was a Filipino film director, film producer and screenwriter. Read more
28 May 2013: Gerd Schmückle, German general (born 1917) Gerd Schmückle was a German four-star general. Schmückle served in the 7th Panzer Division under Erwin Rommel during the Fall of France. With this division he later fought in the Soviet Union where he was wounded six times. In early 1944, he was promoted to the German General Staff, major and artillery battalion commander. After the surrender of the Wehrmacht in 1945 he operated a farm in Bavaria and worked as a journalist. In 1956, he joined the Bundeswehr where he was promoted to general in 1978. Read more
28 May 2012: Bob Edwards, English journalist (born 1925)

Robert John Edwards was a British journalist. Read more
28 May 2012: Yuri Susloparov, Ukrainian-Russian footballer and manager (born 1958) Yuri Vladimirovich Susloparov was a Soviet football player and manager. Read more
28 May 2011: Gino Valenzano, Italian racing driver (born 1920) Luigi "Gino" Valenzano was an Italian racing driver. He entered 39 races between 1947 and 1955 in Abarths, Maseratis and Lancias as a teammate of drivers like Robert Manzon and Froilán González. Read more
28 May 2010: Gary Coleman, American actor (born 1968) Gary Wayne Coleman was an American actor, known as a high-profile child star of the late 1970s and 1980s. Born in Zion, Illinois, Coleman grew up with his adoptive parents. Due to the corticosteroids and other medications used to treat a kidney disease, his growth was limited to 4 ft 8 in (142 cm). In the mid-1970s, he appeared in commercials and acted in an episode of Medical Center. He caught the attention of a producer after acting in a pilot for a revival of The Little Rascals (1977), who decided to cast him as Arnold Jackson in the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes (1978–1986), a role that launched Coleman into stardom. For playing the role of Arnold he received several accolades, which include two Young Artist Awards; in 1980 for Outstanding Contribution to Youth Through Entertainment and in 1982 for Best Young Actor in a Comedy Series; and three People's Choice Awards; consecutive three wins for Favorite Young TV Performer from 1980 to 1983; as well as nominations for two TV Land Awards. He was rated first on a list of VH1's "100 Greatest Kid Stars", and an influential child actor. Read more
28 May 2008: Beryl Cook, English painter and illustrator (born 1926) Beryl Cook, OBE was a British painter best known for her original and instantly recognisable paintings. Often comical, her works pictured people whom she encountered in everyday life, including people enjoying themselves in pubs, girls shopping or out on a hen night, drag queen shows or a family picnicking by the seaside or abroad. She had no formal training and did not take up painting until her thirties. She was a shy and private person, and in her work often depicted flamboyant and extrovert characters very different from herself. Read more
28 May 2007: Jörg Immendorff, German painter, sculptor, and academic (born 1945) Jörg Immendorff was a German painter, sculptor, stage designer and art professor. He was a member of the art movement Neue Wilde. Read more
28 May 2007: Toshikatsu Matsuoka, Japanese politician, Japanese Minister of Agriculture (born 1945) Toshikatsu Matsuoka was a Japanese politician who served as the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries from 2006 until his suicide in 2007 amid a financial scandal. Read more
28 May 2006: Thorleif Schjelderup, Norwegian ski jumper and author (born 1920) Thorleif Schjelderup was a Norwegian ski jumper, author and environmentalist. Read more
28 May 2004: Michael Buonauro, American author and illustrator (born 1979) Michael A. Buonauro was an American webcomic artist, and author. Best known for his webcomic Marvelous Bob, Buonauro had co-created various other webcomics in collaboration with Jeff Lofvers. Read more
28 May 2004: John Tolos, Greek-Canadian wrestler (born 1930) John Tolos, nicknamed "The Golden Greek", was a Canadian professional wrestler, and professional wrestling manager. Read more
28 May 2003: Oleg Grigoryevich Makarov, Russian engineer and astronaut (born 1933) Oleg Grigoryevich Makarov was a Soviet cosmonaut. Read more
28 May 2003: Ilya Prigogine, Russian-Belgian chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1917) Viscount Ilya Romanovich Prigogine was a Belgian physical chemist, noted for his work on dissipative structures, complex systems, and irreversibility. Read more
28 May 2003: Martha Scott, American actress (born 1912) Martha Ellen Scott was an American actress. She was featured in major films such as Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments (1956), and William Wyler's Ben-Hur (1959). Martha played the mother of Charlton Heston's character in both films. She originated the role of Emily Webb in Thornton Wilder's Our Town on Broadway in 1938, and later recreated the role in the 1940 film version, for which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Read more
28 May 2002: Ebrahim Al-Arrayedh, Indian poet and author (born 1908) Ebrahim Al-Arrayedh Ibrahim Al-Arrayedh was a celebrated Bahraini poet and writer, widely regarded as one of the most influential literary figures in Bahrain’s modern history. His work helped shape the country’s cultural identity and led the literary movement throughout the 20th century Read more
28 May 2002: Mildred Benson, American journalist and author (born 1905) Mildred Augustine Wirt Benson was an American journalist and writer of children's books. She wrote some of the earliest Nancy Drew mysteries and created the detective's adventurous personality. Benson wrote under the Stratemeyer Syndicate pen name Carolyn Keene from 1929 to 1953 and contributed to 23 of the first 30 Nancy Drew mysteries, which were bestsellers. Read more
28 May 2001: Joe Moakley, American lawyer and politician (born 1927) John Joseph Moakley was an American politician who served as the United States representative for Massachusetts's 9th congressional district from 1973 until his death in 2001. Moakley won the seat from incumbent Louise Day Hicks in a 1972 rematch; the seat had been held two years earlier by the retiring Speaker of the House John William McCormack. Moakley was the last Democratic chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Rules before Republicans took control of the chamber in 1995. He is the namesake of both Joe Moakley Park and the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse in Boston. Read more
28 May 2001: Francisco Varela, Chilean biologist and philosopher (born 1946) Francisco Javier Varela García was a Chilean biologist, philosopher, cybernetician, and neuroscientist who, together with his mentor Humberto Maturana, is best known for introducing the concept of autopoiesis to biology, and for co-founding the Mind and Life Institute to promote dialog between science and Buddhism. Read more
28 May 2000: George Irving Bell, American physicist, biologist, and mountaineer (born 1926) George Irving Bell was an American physicist, biologist, and mountaineer, and a grandson of John Joseph Seerley. He died in 2000 from complications of leukemia after surgery. Read more
28 May 1999: Michael Barkai, Israeli commander (born 1935) Michael (Yomi) Barkai was the Commander of the Israeli Navy, a recipient of the Medal of Distinguished Service for his command of the missile ships during the Yom Kippur War. Read more
28 May 1999: B. Vittalacharya, Indian director and producer (born 1920) B. Vittalacharya was an Indian film director and producer known for his works in Telugu and Kannada cinema. He was known as Janapada Brahma in the Telugu film industry. Vittalacharya formed his film production company Vittal Productions, which produced the first film directed by him, Rajya Lakshmi. Read more
28 May 1998: Phil Hartman, Canadian-American actor and comedian (born 1948) Philip Edward Hartman was a Canadian and American comedian, actor, screenwriter and graphic designer. Hartman was born in Brantford, Ontario, and his family moved to the United States when he was ten years old. After graduating from California State University, Northridge, with a degree in graphic arts, he designed album covers for bands including Poco and America. In 1975, Hartman joined the comedy group the Groundlings, where he helped Paul Reubens develop his character Pee-wee Herman. Hartman co-wrote the film Pee-wee's Big Adventure and made recurring appearances as Captain Carl on Reubens' show Pee-wee's Playhouse. Read more
28 May 1994: Julius Boros, American golfer (born 1920) Julius Nicholas Boros was an American professional golfer noted for his effortless-looking swing and strong record on difficult golf courses, particularly at the U.S. Open. Read more
28 May 1994: Ely Jacques Kahn, Jr., American author and academic (born 1916) Ely Jacques Kahn Jr. was an American writer with The New Yorker for five decades. Read more
28 May 1990: Julius Eastman, American composer (born 1940) Julius Eastman was an American composer. He was among the first composers to combine the processes of some minimalist music with other methods of extending and modifying his music as in some experimental music. He thus created what he called "organic music". In compositions like Stay On It (1973), his melodic motifs were not unlike the catchy refrains of then pop music. Read more
28 May 1988: Sy Oliver, American trumpet player, composer, and bandleader (born 1910) Melvin James "Sy" Oliver was an American jazz arranger, trumpeter, composer, singer and bandleader. Read more
28 May 1986: Edip Cansever, Turkish poet and author (born 1928) Edip Cansever was a Second New Movement Turkish poet. Talât Sait Halman referred to Cansever as in the light of surrealist Asaf Halet Celebi and Orhan Sarıkaya characterized him as a nonconformist. Read more
28 May 1984: Eric Morecambe, English actor and comedian (born 1926) John Eric Bartholomew, known by his stage name Eric Morecambe, was an English comedian who together with Ernie Wise formed the double act Morecambe and Wise. The partnership lasted from 1941 until Morecambe's death in 1984. Morecambe took his stage name from his home town, the seaside resort of Morecambe in Lancashire. Read more
28 May 1984: D'Urville Martin, American actor and director (born 1939) D'Urville Martin was an American actor in both film and television. He appeared in numerous 1970s movies in the blaxploitation genre. He also appeared in two unaired pilots of what would become All in the Family as Lionel Jefferson. Born in New York City, Martin began his career in the mid-1960s and soon appeared in prominent films such as Black Like Me, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, and Rosemary's Baby. Martin also directed films in his career, including Dolemite, starring Rudy Ray Moore. Read more
28 May 1983: Erastus Corning 2nd, American soldier and politician, 72nd Mayor of Albany (born 1909) Erastus Corning 2nd was an American businessman and Democratic Party politician who served as the 72nd mayor of Albany, New York from 1942 to 1983, when Albany County was controlled by one of the last classic urban political machines in the United States. Read more
28 May 1982: H. Jones, English colonel, Victoria Cross recipient (born 1940) Lieutenant Colonel Herbert Jones,, known as H. Jones, was a British Army officer and posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC). He was awarded the VC after being killed in action during the Battle of Goose Green for his actions as commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment, during the Falklands War. Read more
28 May 1981: Mary Lou Williams, American pianist and composer (born 1910) Mary Lou Williams was an American jazz pianist, arranger, and composer. She wrote hundreds of compositions and arrangements and recorded more than one hundred records. Williams wrote and arranged for Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman, and she was friend, mentor, and teacher to Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Tadd Dameron, Bud Powell, and Dizzy Gillespie. Read more
28 May 1981: Stefan Wyszyński, Polish cardinal (born 1901) Stefan Wyszyński was a Polish Roman Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Warsaw and Archbishop of Gniezno from 1948 to 1981. He previously served as Bishop of Lublin from 1946 to 1948. He was created a cardinal on 12 January 1953 by Pope Pius XII. As Archbishop of Gniezno, Wyszyński possessed the title, "Primate of Poland". Read more
28 May 1980: Rolf Nevanlinna, Finnish mathematician and academic (born 1895) Rolf Herman Nevanlinna was a Finnish mathematician who made significant contributions to complex analysis. He is the namesake of Nevanlinna theory for meromorphic functions. Read more
28 May 1976: Zainul Abedin, Bangladeshi painter and sculptor (born 1914) Zainul Abedin, also known as Shilpacharya was a Bangladeshi painter. He became well known in 1944 through his series of paintings depicting some of the great famines in Bengal during its British colonial period. After the Partition of Indian subcontinent he moved to East Pakistan. In 1948, he helped to establish the Institute of Arts and Crafts at the University of Dhaka. The Indian Express has described him as a legendary Bangladeshi painter and activist. Like many of his contemporaries, his paintings on the Bengal famine of 1943 are viewed as his most characteristic works. His homeland honored him with the title "Shilpacharya" "Great teacher of the arts" for his artistic and visionary attributes. He was the pioneer of the modern art movement that took place in Bangladesh and was rightly considered by Syed Manzoorul Islam as the founding father of Bangladeshi modern arts, soon after Bangladesh became an independent republic. Read more
28 May 1975: Ezzard Charles, American boxer (born 1921) Ezzard Mack Charles, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1940 to 1959. Known as "the Cincinnati Cobra", Charles was respected for his slick defense and precision, and is often regarded as the greatest light heavyweight of all time, and one of the greatest fighters pound for pound, having defeated numerous Hall of Fame fighters in three different weight classes. Charles was the world heavyweight champion from 1949 to 1951, and made eight successful title defenses in under two years. Read more
28 May 1972: Edward VIII of the United Kingdom (born 1894) Edward VIII, later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 20 January 1936 until his abdication in December of the same year. Read more
28 May 1971: Audie Murphy, American soldier and actor, Medal of Honor recipient (born 1925) Audie Leon Murphy was an American soldier, actor, and songwriter. He was widely celebrated as the most decorated American combat soldier of World War II, and has been described as the most highly decorated enlisted soldier in U.S. history. He received every military combat award for valor available from the United States Army, as well as French and Belgian awards for heroism. Murphy received the Medal of Honor for valor that he demonstrated at age 19 for single-handedly holding off a company of German soldiers for an hour at the Colmar Pocket in France in January 1945, before leading a successful counterattack while wounded. Read more
28 May 1968: Fyodor Okhlopkov, Russian sergeant and sniper (born 1908) Fyodor Matveyevich Okhlopkov was a Soviet sniper during World War II credited with 429 kills. Nominated for the title Hero of the Soviet Union in 1944 after tallying his first 420 sniper kills but rejected for unclear reasons, he was belatedly awarded the title in May 1965 over twenty years later to coincide with the anniversary of Victory Day. He is considered as one of the deadliest snipers in history. Read more
28 May 1964: Terry Dillon, American football player (born 1941) Terrance Gilbert Dillon was a defensive back in the National Football League (NFL). Dillon played with the Minnesota Vikings during the 1963 NFL season. He had also been drafted in the 19th round of the 1963 American Football League draft by the Oakland Raiders. Read more
28 May 1953: Tatsuo Hori, Japanese author and poet (born 1904) Tatsuo Hori was a Japanese translator and writer of poetry, short stories and novels. Read more
28 May 1952: Philippe Desranleau, Canadian archbishop (born 1882) Philippe-Servulo Desranleau was a Canadian Roman Catholic priest and the Archbishop of Sherbrooke from 1951 to 1952. Read more
28 May 1947: August Eigruber, Austrian-German politician (born 1907) August Eigruber was an Austrian-born Nazi Gauleiter and Reichsstatthalter of Reichsgau Oberdonau and Landeshauptmann of Upper Austria. He was convicted of war crimes at Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp and hanged. Read more
28 May 1946: Carter Glass, American publisher and politician, 47th United States Secretary of the Treasury (born 1858) Carter Glass was an American newspaper publisher and Democratic politician from Lynchburg, Virginia. He represented Virginia in both houses of Congress and served as the United States secretary of the treasury under President Woodrow Wilson. He played a major role in the establishment of the U.S. financial regulatory system, helping to establish the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Read more
28 May 1937: Alfred Adler, Austrian-Scottish ophthalmologist and psychologist (born 1870) Alfred Adler was an Austrian medical doctor, psychotherapist, and founder of the school of individual psychology. His emphasis on the importance of feelings of belonging, relationships within the family, and birth order set him apart from Freud and others in their common circle. He proposed that contributing to others was how the individual feels a sense of worth and belonging in the family and society. His earlier work focused on inferiority, coining the term "inferiority complex", an isolating element which he argued plays a key role in personality development. Adler considered a human being as an individual whole, and therefore he called his school of psychology Individual Psychology. Read more
28 May 1930: Frank Cowper, English yachtsman, author and illustrator (born 1849) Frank Cowper was an English single-handed yachtsman, explorer, author, illustrator, artist, and journalist who was influential in popularizing single-handed cruising. He has been credited as "the forefather of modern cruising", following the publication of his five books, Sailing Tours, describing his circumnavigation of the British Isles, the East coast of Ireland, and the French coast of Brittany in a converted 29-ton, 48-foot Dover Fishing boat named Lady Harvey. In a review of the last of his sailing books published in the year of his passing, recognition of his achievements during and after his eventful life are summarized with the following accolades. His books "laid the foundation" of the pilot guides used by yachtsmen today. Read more
28 May 1927: Boris Kustodiev, Russian painter and stage designer (born 1878) Boris Mikhaylovich Kustodiev was a Russian painter, draughtsman, and stage designer during the Modernist period. Read more
28 May 1916: Ivan Franko, Ukrainian economist, journalist, and poet (born 1856) Ivan Yakovych Franko PhD was a Ukrainian poet, writer, social and literary critic, journalist, translator, economist, political activist, ethnographer, and the author of the first detective novels and modern poetry in Ukrainian. Read more
28 May 1904: Kicking Bear, Native American tribal leader (born 1846) Kicking Bear was an Oglala Lakota who became a band chief of the Miniconjou Lakota Sioux. He fought in several battles with his brother, Flying Hawk, and first cousin, Crazy Horse, during the War for the Black Hills, including the Battle of the Greasy Grass. Read more
28 May 1878: John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (born 1792) John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, known as Lord John Russell before 1861, was a British Whig and Liberal statesman who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1852 and again from 1865 to 1866. Read more
28 May 1864: Simion Bărnuțiu, Romanian historian and politician (born 1808) Simion Bărnuțiu was a Romanian historian, academic, philosopher, jurist, and liberal politician. A leader of the 1848 revolutionary movement of Transylvanian Romanians, he represented its Eastern Rite Catholic wing. Bărnuțiu lived for a large part of his life in Moldavia, and was for long a professor of philosophy at Academia Mihăileană and at the University of Iași. Read more
28 May 1849: Anne Brontë, English novelist and poet (born 1820) Anne Brontë was an English novelist and poet. A member of the Brontë literary family, she was the younger sister of Charlotte, Emily, and Branwell. Anne is known for her 1847 novel Agnes Grey and for her 1848 novel The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, which is considered to be one of the first feminist novels. Read more
28 May 1843: Noah Webster, American lexicographer (born 1758) Noah Webster was an American lexicographer, textbook pioneer, English-language spelling reformer, political writer, editor, and author. He has been called the "Father of American Scholarship and Education". He authored a large number of "Blue-Back Speller" books which were used to teach American children how to spell and read. He is also the author for the modern Merriam-Webster dictionary that was first published in 1828 as An American Dictionary of the English Language. Read more
28 May 1831: William Carnegie, 7th Earl of Northesk, Scottish-English admiral (born 1756) Admiral William Carnegie, 7th Earl of Northesk, was a Royal Navy officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. While in command of HMS Monmouth he was caught in the Nore Mutiny of 1797 and was the officer selected to relay the demands of the mutineers to George III. He most notably served as third-in-command of the Mediterranean Fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar in HMS Britannia. He later became Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom and Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth. Read more
28 May 1811: Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, Scottish lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for War (born 1742) Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, PC, FRSE, styled as Lord Melville from 1802, was a British politician who served as Home Secretary from 1791 to 1794 and First Lord of the Admiralty from 1804 to 1805. He was instrumental in the encouragement of the Scottish Enlightenment, in the prosecution of the war against France, and in the expansion of British influence in India. Read more
28 May 1808: Richard Hurd, English bishop (born 1720) Richard Hurd was an English divine and writer, and bishop of Worcester. Read more
28 May 1805: Luigi Boccherini, Italian cellist and composer (born 1743) Ridolfo Luigi Boccherini was an Italian composer and cellist of the Classical era whose music retained a courtly and galante style even while he matured somewhat apart from the major classical musical centers. He is best known for the minuet from his String Quintet in E, Op. 11, No. 5, and the Cello Concerto in B flat major. The latter work was long known in the heavily altered version by German cellist and prolific arranger Friedrich Grützmacher, but has recently been restored to its original version. He is also particularly well known for his Musica notturna delle strade di Madrid. Read more

Why is 28 May Important in World History?

Several significant political, cultural, educational, and sporting events took place on 28 May, making it an important topic for general knowledge and competitive examinations.

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What happened on 28 May in World history?

On 28 May, several important historical events, notable births, and major milestones occurred in World history.

Is History of Today important for competitive exams?

Yes, History of Today is frequently asked in UPSC, SSC, Banking, Railway, and State PSC exams as part of static GK and current awareness sections.