28 July 1421

A Saturday in history

Weekday

Saturday

Season

Summer (N. Hemisphere)

Century

15th century

Records

347

  1. 2010

    In the deadliest air accident in Pakistan's history, Airblue Flight 202 crashed into the Margalla Hills north of Islamabad, killing all 152 aboard.

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  2. 2005

    Britain's costliest tornado struck Birmingham, injuring 39 people and causing £40 million of damage across the city.

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  3. 2005

    The Provisional Irish Republican Army announced the formal end of its armed campaign to overthrow British rule in Northern Ireland and create a united Ireland.

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  4. 2001

    At the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, Australian Ian Thorpe became the first swimmer to win six gold medals at a single FINA world championship.

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  5. 1995

    Two followers of the Indian mystic Rajneesh were convicted of a 1985 plot to assassinate Charles Turner, the U.S. attorney for the District of Oregon.

    Source
  6. 1976

    An earthquake registering 7.6 Mw, one of the deadliest in history, devastated Tangshan, China, and killed at least 240,000 people.

    Source
  7. 1945

    A B-25 bomber crashed into the Empire State Building in New York City, killing 14 people and causing an estimated $1 million in damage.

    Source
  8. 1940

    At the Salzburg Conference, Adolf Hitler demanded the replacement of much of Slovakia's cabinet.

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  9. 1939

    During the excavation of a 7th-century ship burial at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk, England, archaeologists discovered the Sutton Hoo helmet (pictured), widely associated with King Rædwald of East Anglia.

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  10. 1917

    In New York City, the NAACP and church and community leaders organized a silent march of at least 8,000 people to protest violence directed towards African Americans.

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  11. 1915

    U.S. Marines landed at Port-au-Prince to begin a nineteen-year occupation of Haiti.

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  12. 1911

    The Australasian Antarctic Expedition began with the departure of SY Aurora from London.

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  13. 1899

    A Category 1 hurricane (map pictured) made landfall in Azua Province in the Dominican Republic, destroying three large schooners at Santo Domingo; only one crew member on the three vessels survived.

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  14. 1866

    Aged 18, Vinnie Ream became the youngest artist and first woman to receive a United States government commission for a statue—that of Abraham Lincoln currently in the Capitol rotunda.

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  15. 1821

    Peruvian War of Independence: Argentine general José de San Martín declared the independence of Peru from the Spanish Empire.

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  16. 1540

    King Henry VIII of England had his chief minister Thomas Cromwell executed for treason and heresy.

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  17. 1148

    Crusades: The siege of Damascus ended in a decisive victory for the Muslims, leading to the disintegration of the Second Crusade.

    Source

Photo archive

24 historic images from this day — tap to open the gallery.

What was life like?

Prices, jobs, food, music and everyday routine — the world as it felt to live in.

Sources & fact check

Every claim is traced to primary sources, archives, universities and the press — with an explicit confidence rating. Dossiers are generated once and cached permanently.