April 28

April 28 is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 247 days remain until the end of the year.

Events

• 224 – The Battle of Hormozdgan is fought, resulting in the death of Artabanus V and the end of the Parthian Empire, paving the way for the Sasanian Empire.
• 1253 – Nichiren, a Japanese Buddhist monk, propounds Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō for the first time and declares it to be the essence of Buddhism.
• 1788 – Maryland becomes the seventh state to ratify the United States Constitution.
• 1789 – Mutiny on the Bounty: Lieutenant William Bligh and 18 loyalists are set adrift in the Pacific Ocean by mutineers led by Fletcher Christian.
• 1910 – Frenchman Louis Paulhan wins the 1910 London to Manchester air race, the first long-distance aeroplane race in the United Kingdom.
• 1920 – Azerbaijan is added to the Soviet Union.
• 1945 – Benito Mussolini and his mistress Clara Petacci are captured and executed by Italian partisans while attempting to flee the country.
• 1947 – In Peru, Thor Heyerdahl and five crew members set out on the Kon-Tiki raft to demonstrate that Peruvian natives could have settled Polynesia.
• 1967 – Vietnam War: Boxer Muhammad Ali refuses his induction into the United States Army and is subsequently stripped of his championship and boxing license.
• 1969 – Charles de Gaulle resigns as President of France following the defeat of a constitutional referendum.
• 1996 – Port Arthur massacre: A lone gunman opens fire at the Broad Arrow Cafe in Port Arthur, Tasmania, Australia, killing 35 people and wounding 23 others.
• 2001 – American millionaire Dennis Tito becomes the world's first space tourist, launching aboard the Russian spacecraft Soyuz TM-32.

Births

• 32 – Otho, Roman emperor (d. 69)
• 1442 – Edward IV of England (d. 1483)
• 1758 – James Monroe, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 5th President of the United States (d. 1831)
• 1900 – Jan Oort, Dutch astronomer and academic (d. 1992)
• 1924 – Kenneth Kaunda, Zambian educator and politician, 1st President of Zambia (d. 2021)
• 1928 – Yves Klein, French painter (d. 1962)
• 1937 – Saddam Hussein, Iraqi general and politician, 5th President of Iraq (d. 2006)
• 1941 – Ann-Margret, Swedish-American actress, singer, and dancer
• 1948 – Terry Pratchett, English journalist, author, and screenwriter (d. 2015)
• 1950 – Jay Leno, American comedian, talk show host, and producer
• 1974 – Penélope Cruz, Spanish actress and producer

Deaths

• 1197 – Rhys ap Gruffydd, prince of Deheubarth (b. 1132)
• 1400 – Baldus de Ubaldis, Italian jurist (b. 1327)
• 1945 – Benito Mussolini, Italian journalist and politician, 27th Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1883)
• 1945 – Clara Petacci, Italian mistress of Benito Mussolini (b. 1912)
• 1954 – Léon Jouhaux, French trade union leader, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1879)
• 1992 – Francis Bacon, Irish-English painter (b. 1909)
• 2002 – Lou Thesz, American wrestler and trainer (b. 1916)
• 2012 – Matilde Camus, Spanish poet and author (b. 1919)
• 2021 – Michael Collins, American general, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1930)

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:

* Aphrodisius and companions
* Gianna Beretta Molla
* Louis de Montfort
* Peter Chanel
* Vitalis and Valeria of Milan
* April 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

• National Heroes Day (Barbados)
• Restoration of Sovereignty Day (Japan)
• Workers' Memorial Day (International)
• World Day for Safety and Health at Work (International)