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Emmett Till is murdered

Born on This Day

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

1749 - 1832

Writer considered one of the greatest German authors of the modern era. Works include Faust.

Shania Twain

1965 -

Canadian singer-songwriter whose country-pop 1997 album “Come on Over” sold more than 40 million copies.

Jack Black

1969 -

Actor and musician known for his energetic comedic roles in School of Rock and Kung Fu Panda and rock band Tenacious D.

Johann Wolfgang von GoetheRoger Viollet via Getty Images

Shania TwainWireImage

Jack BlackGetty Images

1957

AUG28

South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond begins what was then the longest filibuster speech in Senate history, orating for 24 hours and 18 minutes against the Civil Rights Act of 1957. In all, senators spent 57 days filibustering, unsuccessfully, against the law.

Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on August 28th

St. Elizabeth born in New York City

Elizabeth Ann Bayley is born in New York City on August 28, 1774. She went on to found the first Catholic school and the first female apostolic community in the United States. She was also the first American-born saint beatified by the Roman Catholic Church. Elizabeth Ann Bayley was born to an eminent physician, Richard […]

Three leave Powell’s Grand Canyon expedition

Convinced they will have a better chance surviving the desert than the raging rapids that lay ahead, three men leave John Wesley Powell’s expedition through the Grand Canyon and scale the cliffs to the plateau above. Though it turned out the men had made a serious mistake, they can hardly be faulted for believing that […]

Zulu king captured

King Cetshwayo, the last great ruler of Zululand, is captured by the British following his defeat in the British-Zulu War. He was subsequently sent into exile. Cetshwayo’s defiance of British rule in southern Africa led to Britain’s invasion of Zululand in 1879. In 1843, Britain succeeded the Boers as the rulers of Natal, which controlled […]

President Woodrow Wilson picketed by women suffragists

On August 28, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson is picketed by suffragists in front of the White House, who demand that he support an amendment to the Constitution that would guarantee women the right to vote. Wilson had a history of lukewarm support for women’s suffrage, although he paid lip service to suffragists’ demands during political […]

Mass slaughter in Ukraine

Between August 26 and August 28, 1941, more than 23,000 Hungarian Jews are murdered by the Gestapo in occupied Ukraine. The German invasion of the Soviet Union had advanced to the point of mass air raids on Moscow and the occupation of parts of Ukraine. On August 26, Hitler invited Benito Mussolini to Brest-Litovsk, to […]

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“Red Scare” dominates American political news

As the presidential election of 1952 begins to heat up, so do accusations and counteraccusations concerning communism in America. The “Red Scare”—the widespread belief that international communism was operating in the United States—came to dominate much of the debate between Democrats and Republicans in 1952. On August 28, 1952, the New York Times front page […]

Mahalia Jackson performs at March on Washington, prompts Martin Luther King Jr. to improvise speech

On August 28, 1963, legendary gospel vocalist Mahalia Jackson not only performs as the lead-in to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his “I Have a Dream” speech at the historic March on Washington, but she also plays a direct role in turning that speech into one of the most memorable and meaningful in American […]

Martin Luther King Jr. delivers “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington

On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., the African American civil rights movement reaches its high-water mark when Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his “I Have a Dream” speech to about 250,000 people attending the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The demonstrators—Black and white, poor and rich—came together in the nation’s capital to […]

HIV-positive Ray brothers’ home burned down

On August 28, 1987, the home of the Ray brothers—three HIV-positive Florida boys—burns down in what was almost certainly a case of arson. The three brothers, who are not in the house at the time, have already faced intense discrimination due to their HIV status, and today their story serves as a reminder of the […]

Air-show accident burns spectators

An air show involving military jets at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany turns tragic on August 28, 1988 when three jets collide in mid-air and fall into the crowd. Sixty-nine of the 100,000 spectators died and hundreds more were injured. Toward the end of the NATO-sponsored show on August 28, Italy’s Frecce Tricolori team, […]

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Murdered students are discovered at the University of Florida

The bodies of Tracy Paules and Manuel Taboada are discovered at the Gatorwood Apartments, near the campus of the University of Florida. Their murders came two days after the discovery that three young female students had been killed and mutilated in two separate locations near the campus. The serial killer was known for positioning his […]

Charles and Diana divorce

After four years of separation, Charles, Prince of Wales and heir to the British throne, and his wife, Princess Diana, formally divorce. On July 29, 1981, nearly one billion television viewers in 74 countries tuned in to witness the marriage of Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, to Lady Diana Spencer, a young English […]

Britney Spears and Madonna kiss at the VMAs

In what became an instantly iconic moment of early 2000s pop culture, Britney Spears and Madonna share a passionate kiss at the MTV Video Music Awards on August 28, 2003. MTV was hoping for a newsworthy performance when they invited Madonna to perform at that year’s VMAs. The pop star headlined the very first VMAs […]

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