September 28 in History

Significant events that happened on this day.

Historical Events

2008

SpaceX became the first privately funded company to successfully launch a liquid-fueled rocket into orbit

Major

The Falcon 1 rocket reached orbit on its fourth attempt, marking a turning point in commercial spaceflight. After three expensive failures, Elon Musk...

2000

The al-Aqsa Intifada began after Ariel Sharon's controversial visit to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem

Israeli opposition leader Sharon's visit to the contested holy site, accompanied by over 1,000 police officers, sparked Palestinian protests that esca...

1995

Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO chairman Yasser Arafat signed the Interim Agreement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip

Major

This Oslo II Accord represented a major step in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, establishing the Palestinian Authority and dividing the West Ba...

1969

A Norwegian man named Kjell Inge Rokke stole a car for a joyride and was caught by the police

This seemingly mundane teenage crime is remarkable because Rokke would go on to become one of Norway's richest people, with a net worth in the billion...

1924

Three U.S. Army planes completed the first round-the-world flight after 175 days and 42 stops

The Douglas World Cruisers landed back in Seattle after departing in April, covering 27,553 miles. Of the four planes that started, two crashed along...

1892

The first professional American football game was played in Pittsburgh, with players earning $500 each

The Allegheny Athletic Association faced the Pittsburgh Athletic Club in what's considered the birth of professional football. AAA paid former Yale st...

1867

Toronto became the official capital of Ontario when the new Canadian province was formally established

Following Canadian Confederation earlier that year, the former city of York officially began its role as Ontario's capital. The city was already servi...

1850

The U.S. Navy abolished flogging as punishment for sailors

Congress finally banned the brutal practice of whipping sailors, which had been routine punishment for infractions aboard American ships. The practice...

1687

The Parthenon in Athens was partially destroyed when a Venetian mortar ignited Ottoman gunpowder stored inside

During the Morean War, Venetian forces besieging Athens scored a direct hit on the ancient temple, which the Ottomans were using as a munitions depot....

1542

Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo became the first European to reach what is now California

Cabrillo sailed into San Diego Bay, claiming the land for Spain and beginning European contact with the California coast. Ironically, he died just a f...