January 28
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Featured Event
JSC/NASA
Challenger space shuttle catastrophically explodes
On this day in 1986, the U.S. space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff from Florida, killing all seven aboard, including high school teacher Christa McAuliffe, who had been chosen as the first American civilian to travel in space. After the disaster, NASA overhauled its space exploration program and added extra safeguards to its shuttlesâ rocket boosters. [Read todayâs edition of Today in History > >]
Featured Biography
Featured Biography
Reg Wilson/Shutterstock.com
Mikhail Baryshnikov, whose elegance, great physical prowess, and unsurpassed leaping ability made him the preeminent male ballet dancer of the 1970s and â80s, was born in Riga, Latvia, this day in 1948.
Famous Birthdays
More on January 28
Lee/© Archive Photos
2021
Cicely Tyson, who was noted for her vivid portrayals of strong African American women, died at age 96. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz of A-list actors.]
© Anders JahrnerâREX/Shutterstock.com
2002
Childrenâs author Astrid Lindgrenâbest known for her works involving Pippi Longstocking, a freckle-faced red-haired nine-year-old who incarnates every childâs dream of freedom and powerâdied at age 94. [Take our classic childrenâs books quiz.]
© Ekaterina_Minaeva/Shutterstock.com
1958
Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, whose father founded the LEGO company in Denmark, filed for a Danish patent (later granted) for a toy building block that became hugely popular around the world. [Test your knowledge of pop culture.]
© Markwaters/Dreamstime.com
1955
Nicolas Sarkozy, who served as president of France (2007â12), was born in Paris. [How much do you know about France?]
© Hans Namuth
1912
Painter Jackson Pollock, a leading exponent of Abstract Expressionism was born in Cody, Wyoming. Pollock received widespread publicity and serious recognition for the radical poured, or âdrip,â technique he used to create major works such as Blue Poles (1952).. [Sort fact from fiction in our artists and painters quiz.]
From Letters of Fyodor Michailovitch Dostoevsky to his Family and Friends translated by Ethel Colburn Mayne, 1914
1881
Russian novelist and short-story writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky, known for groundbreaking novels such as Crime and Punishment (1866) and The Brothers Karamazov (1879-80), died in St. Petersburg. [How much do you know about famous authors?]
Charles Leirens/Black Star
1873
Coletteâwhose best novels, largely concerned with the pains and pleasures of love, are remarkable for their command of sensual descriptionâwas born in Saint-Sauveur-en-Puisaye. [Take our quiz about French writers.]
© Photos.com/Getty Images
1871
The French capital, Paris, fell following a four-month siege during the Franco-German War. [Take our quiz about warfare.]
Stock MontageâArchive Photos/Getty Images
1813
Jane Austenâs Pride and Prejudice was published anonymously and enjoyed immediate success, thanks in part to the popularity of the central character, Elizabeth Bennet, who was reportedly Austenâs own favorite among all her heroines. [Read more about Jane Austenâs enduring legacy.]
Photos.com/Jupiterimages
1457
King Henry VII of England, who succeeded in ending the Wars of the Roses, was born in Pembrokeshire, Wales. [How much do you know about the kings of England?]
© Archive PhotosâHulton Royals Collection/Getty Images
814
Charlemagne, ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, died at Aachen (Germany). [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about Charlemagne.]