March 28 in History

Significant events that happened on this day.

Historical Events

2005

A massive earthquake struck Indonesia, killing over 1,300 people

Just three months after the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami, another earthquake measuring 8.6 magnitude struck off the coast of Sumatra. The quake pa...

1994

The first genetically modified tomato, the Flavr Savr, went on sale in U.S. grocery stores

Calgene's Flavr Savr tomato became the first commercially grown genetically engineered food approved for human consumption. The tomato was modified to...

1990

President George H.W. Bush presented Jesse Owens with the Congressional Gold Medal posthumously

Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics in front of Adolf Hitler, was honored 14 years after his death. His granddaughter ac...

1982

The first cases of what would become known as AIDS were documented in Los Angeles

Major

The CDC reported unusual clusters of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in previously healthy gay men in Los Angeles. These early cases marked the beginni...

1979

The Three Mile Island nuclear reactor suffered a partial meltdown in Pennsylvania

Major

The worst nuclear accident in U.S. history occurred when cooling systems failed at the Three Mile Island plant near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Though n...

1979

The worst nuclear accident in U.S. history began at Three Mile Island

Major

A combination of equipment malfunctions and operator errors led to a partial meltdown of the reactor core. Despite the severity, the containment struc...

1939

Spanish Civil War ended with Francisco Franco's forces capturing Madrid

Major

After nearly three years of brutal civil war, Nationalist forces under General Francisco Franco took control of Madrid, effectively ending the conflic...

1930

Constantinople and Angora officially changed their names to Istanbul and Ankara

Turkey's postal service officially adopted the new Turkish names for these cities, completing the country's break from its Ottoman past. Constantinopl...

1910

Henri Fabre became the first person to fly a seaplane

French aviator Henri Fabre successfully piloted his invention, the Hydravion, taking off from water near Martigues, France. The flight lasted about 50...

1854

Britain and France declared war on Russia, beginning the Crimean War

Major

The Crimean War began when Britain and France formally allied with the Ottoman Empire against Russian expansion. This conflict would introduce modern...

1802

Heinrich Wilhelm Matthäus Olbers discovered the asteroid Pallas

German astronomer Olbers discovered Pallas, the second asteroid ever found and one of the largest in the asteroid belt. Interestingly, he made the dis...

1797

Nathaniel Briggs patented a washing machine in New Hampshire

One of the earliest washing machine patents was issued to Nathaniel Briggs of New Hampshire, though detailed records of his design were destroyed in a...