Major Events
- 1521 Holy Roman Emperor Charles V opens the Diet of Worms in Worms, Germany which lasts until May 25. Produced the "Edict of Worms" which denounced Martin Luther.
- 1807 London's Pall Mall becomes the first street lit by gaslight
- 1813 Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" is published by Thomas Egerton in the United Kingdom
- 1819 British colonial officer Stamford Raffles lands in Singapore
- 1933 The name "Pakistan" is coined by Choudhry Rahmat Ali and gradually accepted by Muslims in the Indian sub-continent who use it to push for a separate Muslim homeland in South Asia
- 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger explodes 73 seconds after liftoff from Cape Canaveral, killing all 7 crew members, including Christa McAuliffe who was to be the first teacher in space
- More January 28 Events
Jan 28 in Film & TV
- 1951 "La Vie Commence Demain" the 1st X-rated movie, depicting artificial insemination, opens in London
Jan 28 in Music
- 1985 Charity single "We Are the World" recorded by supergroup USA for Africa (Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Quincy Jones, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, and other pop stars)
Jan 28 in Sport
- 2017 Australian Open Women's Tennis: Serena Williams defeats older sister Venus Williams 6–4, 6–4 for her 7th Australian title and record 23rd Grand Slam event singles victory
Did You Know?
Thomas Aquinas
Robert McClure
Alexander Mackenzie
Henry Morton Stanley
Jackson Pollock
Charles Taylor
Colette
Alan Alda
Elijah Wood
Nick Price
Fun Fact About January 28
In a snowstorm at Fort Keogh, Montana, the world's largest snowflakes are reported, being 15 inches (38 cm) wide and 8 inches (20 cm) thick
Famous Weddings
- 1867 Labor union leader Samuel Gompers (17) weds co-worker Sophia Julian (16) in Brooklyn, New York
- 1904 German chancellor Konrad Adenauer (28) weds Emma Weyer at St. Stephan Catholic Church in Lindenthal, Germany
- 1925 Actress Gloria Swanson (25) weds aristocrat Henri de la Falaise (26) in Paris, France
Famous Divorces
- 2011 "Desperate Housewives" actress Eva Longoria (36) divorces NBA player Tony Parker (29) due to irreconcilable differences 3 years after a storybook wedding
More January 28 Weddings
Charlemagne
Henry VIII
Francis Drake
Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim
Klaus Fuchs
Red GrangeArticles, Photos and Quiz
Riot Leader Accuses a Queen
How did Lord George Gordon, an aristocrat who led the Gordon Riots in London, lose a libel case on this day to French Queen Marie Antoinette?
January 28, 1788
USS Challenger Explodes
The Space Shuttle Challenger moments after it exploded above Cape Canveral on January 28, 1986
January 28, 1986
