Historical Events on July 28
- 1854: The USS Constellation is commissioned on this date. It’s the last warship built by the U.S Navy to feature sails as its only form of propulsion.
- 1864: Confederate forces try for a third time to drive Union forces out of the city of Atlanta in the state of Georgia at the Battle of Ezra Church during the American Civil War. They were unsuccessful.
- 1866: At the age of 18, Lavinia Ellen “Vinnie” Ream Hoxie becomes the youngest female artist to receive a commission from the U.S Government for creating a statue. She created the statue of Abraham Lincoln in the United States’ Capital Rotunda.
- 1868: The 14th Amendment to the U.S Constitution is certified. It establishes the citizenship of African-American citizens and guarantees them due process of law.
- 1896: The city of Miami in Florida is incorporated as a municipality.
- 1932: The Bonus Army consisting of World War I veterans are forcibly evicted by the U.S Army under order from United States President Herbert Hoover.
- 1935: The Boeing B-17 makes its initial flight.
- 1942: Joseph Stalin issues Order 227. This order prevents Soviet troops from leaving their positions or retreating without permission to do so. If they fail to follow the order, then they can be imprisoned or executed.
- 1943: The city of Hamburg in Germany is bombed by the Royal Air Force. The resulting firestorm kills 42,000 German civilians.
- 1945: A United States’ Army B-25 crashes into the 79th floor of the Empire State Building. Over 25 people are injured and another 14 are killed.
Famous Birthdays on July 28
- English author and illustrator, Beatrix Potter is born in 1866.
- American actress and screenwriter, Barbara La Marr is born in 1896.
- American actor Lawrence Gray is born in 1898.
- American physician and Nobel Prize laureate, Baruch Samuel Blumberg is born in 1925.
- American journalist, socialite and 37th First Lady of the U.S., Jacqueline Kennedy is born in 1929.
- American novelist and short story writer, Shirley Ann Grau is born in 1929.