Discover what happened on June 28 in history, featuring milestones in American labor, automotive innovation, Michigan history, aviation, entertainment, and major moments that shaped the modern world.
What Happened on June 28 in History?
Important events on this day include Labor Day becoming a national holiday, the first Chevrolet Corvette being assembled in Flint, Michigan, the official dedication of the Mackinac Bridge, and the beginning of the world’s first commercial satellite communications service.
JUNE 28 – TODAY IN HISTORY:
1778 – Mary “Molly Pitcher” Hays McCauley, wife of an American artilleryman, carried water to the soldiers during the Battle of Monmouth and, supposedly, took her husband’s place at his gun after he was overcome with heat.
1820 – Colonel Robert Gibbon ate a tomato on the steps of a New Jersey courthouse to prove that tomatoes were not poisonous.
1869 – R. W. Wood was appointed as the first Surgeon General of the U.S. Navy.
1894 – Congress made Labor Day a U.S. National holiday.
1902 – The U.S. Congress passed the Spooner Act, it authorized a canal to be built across the Isthmus of Panama.
1919 – The Treaty of Versailles was signed ending World War I exactly five years after it began. The treaty also established the League of Nations.
1926 – Mercedes-Benz was formed by Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz merging their two companies.
1939 – Pan American Airways began the first transatlantic passenger service.
1938 – Congress created the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to insure construction loans.
1958 – The Mackinac Bridge, connecting Michigan’s Lower and Upper Peninsulas, was officially dedicated by then Governor G. Mennen “Soapy” Williams, Bridge Authority Chair Prentis Brown and their wives.
1964 – Malcolm X founded the Organization for Afro American Unity to seek independence for blacks in the Western Hemisphere.
1965 – Governor George Romney signed a bill that made the Petoskey Stone Michigan’s Official State Stone.
1965 – The first commercial satellite began communications service. It was Early Bird (Intelsat I).
1971 – The Supreme Court overturned the draft evasion conviction of Muhammad Ali.
1972 – President Richard Nixon announced that no new draftees would be sent to Vietnam.
1975 – At the Western Open in Illinois, golfer Lee Trevino was struck by lightning. He survived.
1976 – A women entered the U.S. Air Force Academy for the first time.
1980 – Biscayne National Park off the coast of Florida was established.
1985 – The movie “St. Elmo’s Fire” premiered in theaters.
1996 – The Citadel voted to admit women, ending a 153-year-old men-only policy at the South Carolina military school.
1996 – “Peanuts” cartoonist Charles M. Schulz received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1996 – The film remake of “The Nutty Professor”, starring Eddie Murphy in many of the roles, debuted in theaters.
1997 – Mike Tyson was disqualified for biting Evander Holyfield’s ear after three rounds of their WBA heavyweight title fight in Las Vegas, NV.
1998 – The Cincinnati Enquirer apologized to Chiquita banana company and retracted their stories that questioned company’s business practices. They also agreed to pay more than $10 million to settle legal claims.
2000 – Six-year-old Elián González, the Cuban boy who became the subject of a huge political and legal battle in Florida, was sent back to Cuba.
2001 – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit set aside an order that would break up Microsoft for antitrust violations. However, the judges did agree that the company was in violation of antitrust laws.
2005 – The final design for the “Freedom Tower” (One World Trade Center) was formally unveiled.
2006 – Star Jones got the boot from TV’s “The View” after nine years.
2007 – The American bald eagle was removed from the endangered species list.
2010 – The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that Americans have the right to own a gun for self-defense anywhere they live.
2015 – A SpaceX cargo rocket exploded shortly after launch. The unmanned rocket had over two tons of food, provisions, supplies and equipment for the International Space Station onboard.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS ON JUNE 28:
Mel Brooks – 100 years old (1926) – Actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
Patrick Hemingway – 98 years old (1928) – Writer
William C. Campbell – 96 years old (1930) – Irish-American biologist and parasitologist, Nobel Prize laureate
Chuck Howley – 90 years old (1936) – Football player
John Byner – 88 years old (1938) – Actor and comedian
Leon Panetta – 88 years old (1938) – Lawyer and politician, 23rd United States Secretary of Defense
Al Downing – 85 years old (1941) – Baseball player and sportscaster
Frank Zane – 84 years old (1942) – Professional bodybuilder and author
Donald Johanson – 83 years old (1943) – Paleontologist and academic
Jane Harman – 81 years old (1945) – Politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California)
Bruce Davison – 80 years old (1946) – Actor and director
Robert Xavier Rodríguez – 80 years old (1946) – Classical composer
Mark Helprin – 79 years old (1947) – Novelist and journalist
Laura Tyson – 79 years old (1947) – Economist and academic
Kathy Bates – 78 years old (1948) – Actress
Sergei Bodrov – 78 years old (1948) – Russian-American director, producer, and screenwriter
Chris Speier – 76 years old (1950) – Baseball player and coach
Mike Skinner – 69 years old (1957) – Race car driver
Jim Spanarkel – 69 years old (1957) – Basketball player and sportscaster
Donna Edwards – 68 years old (1958) – Lawyer and politician
John Elway – 66 years old (1960) – Football player and manager
Kurt Eichenwald – 65 years old (1961) – Journalist
Jeff Malone – 65 years old (1961) – Basketball player and coach
Charlie Clouser – 63 years old (1963) – Keyboard player, songwriter, and producer
Mark Grace – 62 years old (1964) – Baseball player and sportscaster
Jessica Hecht – 61 years old (1965) – Actress
Bobby Bare Jr. – 60 years old (1966) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist
John Cusack – 60 years old (1966) – Actor and screenwriter
Mary Stuart Masterson – 60 years old (1966) – Actress
Chayanne – 58 years old (1968) – Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter and actor
Tichina Arnold – 57 years old (1969) – Actress and singer
Tom Merritt – 56 years old (1970) – Journalist
Mike White – 56 years old (1970) – Actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
Bobby Hurley – 55 years old (1971) – Basketball player and coach
Ron Mahay – 55 years old (1971) – Baseball player and scout
Elon Musk – 55 years old (1971) – South African-born American entrepreneur
Aileen Quinn – 55 years old (1971) – Actress and singer
Alessandro Nivola – 54 years old (1972) – Actor
Rob Dyrdek – 52 years old (1974) – Skateboarder, entrepreneur, and reality television star
Seth Wescott – 50 years old (1976) – Snowboarder
Chris Spurling – 49 years old (1977) – Baseball player
Mark Stoermer – 49 years old (1977) – Bass player, songwriter, and producer
Felicia Day – 47 years old (1979) – Actress and writer
Randy McMichael – 47 years old (1979) – Football player
Brandon Phillips – 45 years old (1981) – Baseball player
Colt Hynes – 41 years old (1985) – Baseball player
Kellie Pickler – 40 years old (1986) – Singer-songwriter
Terrence Williams – 39 years old (1987) – Basketball player
Markiplier – 37 years old (1989) – Internet personality
Bradley Beal – 33 years old (1993) – Basketball player
Shakur Stevenson – 29 years old (1997) – Boxer
DAYS OF THE YEAR FOR JUNE 28:
No events found for this date.
For additional information check out websites like: www.on-this-day.com, www.born-today.com, www.famousbirthdays.com, www.daysoftheyear.com, and www.nationaldaycalendar.com.
