Events, Births and Deaths Happening on this Date
Sunday, June 28, 2026
Today is the 179th day of 2026. There are 186 days left in this year.
Notable Events
1776
The Revolutionary War battle of Sullivan's Island ends with the American victory, leading to the commemoration of Carolina Day.
1776
Thomas Hickey, Continental Army private and bodyguard to General George Washington, is hanged for mutiny and sedition.
1778
The American Continentals engage the British in the Battle of Monmouth Courthouse resulting in standstill and British withdrawal under cover of darkness.
1807
Second British invasion of the Rio de la Plata; John Whitelocke lands at Ensenada on an attempt to recapture Buenos Aires and is defeated by the locals.
1838
Britain's Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom was crowned in Westminster Abbey.
1870
The US Congress establishes the first federal holidays (New Year Day, July 4th, Thanksgiving, and Christmas).
1882
The Anglo-French Convention of 1882 marks the territorial boundaries between Guinea and Sierra Leone.
1894
Labor Day was established as a holiday for federal employees on the first Monday of September.
1896
An explosion in the Newton Coal Company's Twin Shaft Mine in Pittston, Pennsylvania results in a massive cave-in that kills 58 miners.
1902
The U.S. Congress passes the Spooner Act, authorizing President Theodore Roosevelt to acquire rights from Colombia for the Panama Canal.
1904
The SS Norge runs aground on Hasselwood Rock in the North Atlantic 430 kilometers (270 mi) northwest of Ireland. More than 635 people die during the sinking.
1911
The Nakhla meteorite, the first one to suggest signs of aqueous processes on Mars, falls to Earth, landing in Egypt.
1919
Harry S. Truman married Elizabeth Virginia Wallace in Independence, Mo.
1919
The Treaty of Versailles is signed, ending the state of war between Germany and the Allies of World War I.
1922
The Irish Civil War begins with the shelling of the Four Courts in Dublin by Free State forces.
1926
Mercedes-Benz is formed by Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz merging their two companies.
1942
Nazi Germany starts its strategic summer offensive against the Soviet Union, codenamed Case Blue.
1945
Poland's Soviet-allied Provisional Government of National Unity is formed over a month after V-E Day.
1948
Boxer Dick Turpin beats Vince Hawkins at Villa Park in Birmingham to become the first black British boxing champion in the modern era.
1950
North Korean forces captured Seoul, South Korea.
1950
Suspected communist sympathizers (between 60,000 and 200,000) are executed during the Korean War in the Bodo League massacre.
1950
During the Korean War, with its own refugees fleeing Seoul and leaving their 5th Division stranded, South Korean forces blow up the Hangang Bridge in an attempt to slow North Korea's offensive. The city falls later that day.
1950
The North Korean People's Army kills almost a thousand doctors, nurses, inpatient civilians and wounded soldiers in the Seoul National University Hospital massacre.
1951
A TV version of the radio program ''Amos 'N' Andy'' premiered on CBS. Although criticized for racial stereotyping, it was the first network TV series to feature an all-black cast.
1952
The first Miss Universe pageant was held in Long Beach, California.
1964
Malcolm X forms the Organization of Afro-American Unity.
1967
Israel formally declared Jerusalem reunified under its sovereignty following its capture of the Arab sector.
1969
Stonewall riots begin in New York City, marking the start of the Gay Rights Movement.
1973
Elections are held for the Northern Ireland Assembly, which will lead to power-sharing between unionists and nationalists in Northern Ireland for the first time.
1976
The first ever female cadets were admitted to the U.S. Air Force academy, with 97 going on to graduate 4 years later.
1976
The Angolan court sentences 13 US and UK mercenaries to death sentences and prison terms in the Luanda Trial.
1978
The Supreme Court ordered the medical school at the University of California at Davis to admit Allan Bakke, a white man who argued he had been a victim of reverse racial discrimination.
1981
A powerful bomb explodes in Tehran, killing 73 officials of the Islamic Republican Party.
1982
Aeroflot Flight 8641 crashes in Mazyr, Belarus, killing 132 people.
1987
For the first time in military history, a civilian population is targeted for chemical attack when Iraqi warplanes bombed the Iranian town of Sardasht.
1995
Webster Hubbell, the former No. 3 official at the Justice Department, was sentenced to 21 months in prison for bilking clients of the law firm where he and Hillary Rodham Clinton were partners.
1996
The Citadel voted to admit women, ending a 153-year-old men-only policy at the South Carolina military school.
1997
Mike Tyson was disqualified for biting Evander Holyfield's ear after three rounds of their WBA heavyweight title fight in Las Vegas. The Nevada State Athletic Commission later revoked Tyson's boxing license.
1998
The Cincinnati Enquirer apologized to the Chiquita banana company and retracted stories questioning the company's business practices; the paper agreed to pay more than $10 million to settle legal claims.
2000
Seven months after he was cast adrift in the Florida Straits, Elian Gonzalez was returned to his native Cuba.
2000
The Supreme Court ruled the Boy Scouts can bar homosexuals from serving as troop leaders.
2004
Sovereign power is handed to the interim government of Iraq by the Coalition Provisional Authority, ending the U.S.-led rule of that nation.
2007
The national bird of the United States, the bald eagle, was officially removed from the endangered species list after it was determined that its population had increased significantly.
2009
Honduran president Manuel Zelaya is ousted by a local military coup following a failed request to hold a referendum to rewrite the Honduran Constitution. This was the start of the 2009 Honduran constitutional crisis.
2016
A terrorist attack in Turkey's Istanbul Ataturk Airport kills 42 people and injures more than 230 others.
Notable Births
1914
Aribert Ferdinand Heim, known as Dr. Death and Butcher of Mauthausen, was an Austrian Schutzstaffel (SS) doctor. During World War II, he served at the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp in Mauthausen. (d. 1992)
1926
Mel Brooks, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter.
1932
Pat Morita was an American actor and comedian. He began his career as a stand-up comedian, before becoming known to television audiences for his recurring role as diner owner Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi on the sitcom series Happy Days (1975-83). (d. 2005)
1941
Joseph Goguen, American computer scientist and academic, developed the OBJ language (d. 2006)
1942
Frank Zane is a retired American professional bodybuilder and author. He is a three-time Mr. Olympia, and his physique is considered one of the greatest in the history of bodybuilding due to his meticulous focus on symmetry and proportion.
1946
Gilda Radner was an American actress and comedian. She was one of the 7 original cast members of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from its inception in 1975 until her departure in 1980. (d. 1989)
1947
Mark Helprin is an American-Israeli novelist, journalist, conservative commentator, Senior Fellow of the Claremont Institute for the Study of Statesmanship and Political Philosophy, and Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
1948
Kathy Bates is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards, as well as nominations for a Tony Award and two BAFTA Awards.
1949
Don Baylor, American baseball player and coach (d. 2017)
1960
John Elway is an American former professional football quarterback who spent his entire 16-year career with the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL).
1963
Charlie Clouser is an American keyboardist, composer, record producer, and remixer. He worked with Trent Reznor for Nine Inch Nails from 1994 to 2000, and is a composer for film and television.
1965
Jessica Hecht is an American actress and singer known for her roles as Gretchen Schwartz on Breaking Bad, Susan Bunch on Friends, Carol on The Boys, and Karen on Special. She is also known for her expansive work on Broadway.
1966
Bobby Bare Jr., American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
1966
John Cusack, American actor and screenwriter.
1968
Chayanne, is a Puerto Rican Latin pop singer and actor. As a solo artist, Chayanne has released 21 albums and sold over 15 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling Latin music artists.
1970
Mike White is an American writer, actor and producer for television and film. He has won numerous awards, including the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award.
1971
Elon Musk is a businessman and investor known for his key roles in SpaceX and automotive company Tesla. Other involvements include ownership of X Corp., formerly Twitter, and his role in the founding of The Boring Company, xAI, Neuralink and OpenAI.
1974
Rob Dyrdek, American skateboarder, entrepreneur, and reality television star.
1977
Mark Stoermer is an American musician. He is best known as the bassist for the rock band the Killers, with whom he has recorded six studio albums.
1986
Kellie Pickler is an American country music singer, actress and television personality. She was a contestant on the 5th season of American Idol and finished in 6th place. In 2006, she signed to 19 Recordings and BNA Records as a recording artist.
Notable Deaths
1836
James Madison, American academic and politician, 4th President of the United States died at Montpelier, Virginia. (b. 1751)
1914
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated by Bosnian Serb nationalists, leading to events that would turn into the First World War as Austria-Hungary was supported by Germany and Serbia was supported by Britain, France and Russia. (b. 1863)
1914
Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg was the wife of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. Their assassination in Sarajevo sparked a series of events that led, four weeks later, to World War I. (b. 1868)
1960
Jake Swirbul, American businessman, co-founded the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation (b. 1898)
1975
Rod Serling was an American screenwriter and television producer best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his anthology television series The Twilight Zone. (b. 1924)
1981
Terry Fox was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist. In 1980, with one leg having been amputated due to cancer, he embarked on an east-to-west cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for cancer research. (b. 1958)
1995
Petri Walli, Finnish was the founder, vocalist, guitar-player, songwriter and producer of the Finnish psychedelic rock-band Kingston Wall. (b. 1969)
2005
Michael P. Murphy was a United States Navy SEAL officer who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the War in Afghanistan. He was the first member of the United States Navy to receive the award since the Vietnam War. (b. 1976)
2006
Jim Baen was a U.S. science fiction publisher and editor. In 1983, he founded his own publishing house, Baen Books, specializing in the adventure, fantasy, military science fiction, and space opera genres. (b. 1943)
2009
Billy Mays was an American television direct-response advertisement salesperson. Throughout his career, he promoted a wide variety of products, including OxiClean, Orange Glo, Kaboom, Zorbeez, and Mighty Mendit.
2010
Robert Byrd was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from West Virginia for over 51 years, from 1959 until his death in 2010. (b. 1917)
2016
Scotty Moore was an American guitarist who formed The Blue Moon Boys in 1954, Elvis Presley's backing band. He was studio and touring guitarist for Presley between 1954 and 1968. (b. 1931)