On This Day
What Happened on January 28 in History
8 events that happened on January 28, oldest first. Every entry is written in our own words and links to its source.
The Young Republic and the Civil War Era
1813
Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice is first published in London.
Austen's story of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy became her most widely read novel. It has since inspired musicals, operas, costume dramas, movies and many retellings.
Source: npr.org
1871
Starving Paris surrenders to Prussian-led German forces, ending a four-month siege.
German armies had surrounded the French capital in September 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War. The armistice allowed France to elect a national assembly to approve peace terms.
Source: library.brown.edu; uh.edu
The Early 1900s and the World Wars
1901
Baseball's American League is founded as a rival major league.
Ban Johnson turned his former minor league into a major league with eight clubs, challenging the National League's long monopoly. The two leagues later made peace and met in the first World Series in 1903.
Source: history.com
1915
President Wilson signs the law that creates the U.S. Coast Guard.
The act merged the Revenue Cutter Service and the Life-Saving Service into a single armed maritime service under the Treasury Department.
Source: archives.gov; history.uscg.mil
1916
President Wilson nominates Louis Brandeis, who becomes the first Jewish justice of the Supreme Court.
The nomination of the Boston lawyer and reformer set off a long and bitter confirmation fight. The Senate confirmed him on June 1, 1916.
The Cold War
1964
The Soviet Union shoots down an American jet that strayed into East German airspace.
Pilots on a training flight over West Germany became disoriented in a storm and veered far off course, and all three U.S. officers aboard were killed. Washington protested angrily, while Moscow called the flight a deliberate provocation.
Source: history.com
1985
Dozens of pop stars gather in Los Angeles to record the charity single We Are the World.
Quincy Jones led the all-night session at A&M Studios right after the American Music Awards. The song, written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, raised millions for famine relief in Africa.
Source: history.com; voices.pitt.edu
1986
The space shuttle Challenger breaks apart shortly after liftoff, killing all seven crew members.
The disaster happened 73 seconds into the flight from Cape Canaveral as millions watched, including schoolchildren following teacher Christa McAuliffe. Investigators traced it to a failed seal in a solid rocket booster, and shuttle flights stopped for more than two years.
Source: history.com; archive.nytimes.com