July 28
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1948: The Battle of London Airport
On this day in 1948, an audacious robbery attempt was foiled at the newly opened London Airport (better known as Heathrow). With help from an inside man, robbers had planned to steal at least a thousand pounds’ worth of gold bullion arriving from South America. The inside man changed his mind, however, and called in the Scotland Yard Flying Squad. Read on to discover what happened next.
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© Reg Speller/Fox Photos—Hulton Archive/Getty Images; Photo Illustration Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Featured Event
Imperial War Museum
Beginning of World War I
Using the assassination of the Austrian archduke Franz Ferdinand as a pretext to present Serbia with an unacceptable ultimatum, Austria-Hungary declared war on the Slavic country on this day in 1914, sparking World War I. [How much do you know about World War I?]
Featured Biography
Featured Biography
Abbie Rowe—National Park Service/John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
Born this day in 1929 was Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who redefined the role of U.S. first lady with her elegance, charm, and especially her composure after the 1963 assassination of her husband, President John F. Kennedy.
Famous Birthdays
More on July 28
© Attila Jandi/Dreamstime.com
2005
The Irish Republican Army announced that it had ended its armed campaign and instead would pursue only peaceful means to achieve its objectives.
AP
1991
Spanish cyclist Miguel Indurain won his first of five consecutive Tour de France titles. [Sort fact from fiction in our Tour de France quiz.]
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1976
An earthquake in the industrial city of Tangshan, China, killed more than 240,000 people. [Find out more about the deadliest earthquakes since 1950.]
© 1969 Columbia Pictures Corporation, all rights reserved.
1954
The classic film On the Waterfront—directed by Elia Kazan and featuring one of Marlon Brando’s most iconic performances—was released in the United States. [How much do you know about movies?]
© Keystone-France—Gamma-Keystone/Getty Images
1945
A U.S. Army Air Forces B-25 bomber crashed into the Empire State Building after its pilot became disoriented in thick fog. The accident killed 14 people and injured 26.
Copyright © 1932 United Artists Corporation
1932
The first feature-length zombie film, White Zombie—inspired by the book and by a stage play called Zombie—was released in New York City; it starred Bela Lugosi. [Take our film buff quiz.]
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1896
The city of Miami is voted into existence by 344 voters. [How well do you know where U.S. cities are located?]
National Archives, Washington, D.C.
1868
The Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution—which granted citizenship and equal civil and legal rights to Black Americans and enslaved people who had been emancipated after the Civil War—entered into force. [Test your knowledge of amendments to the U.S. Constitution.]
Image: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1844
Gerard Manley Hopkins, who was one of the most individual of Victorian writers and who influenced many leading 20th-century poets, was born in Stratford, Essex, England. [Take our authors and poets quiz.]
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1821
© Heritage Images—Hulton Archive/Getty Images
1794
Maximilien Robespierre, a radical Jacobin leader and one of the principal figures in the French Revolution, was guillotined before a cheering mob on the Place de la Révolution in Paris. [How much do you know about French history?]
© Photos.com/Getty Images
1750
Johann Sebastian Bach, one of the greatest composers of all time, died at age 65. [Sort fact from fiction in our music composers quiz.]
Daderot
1540
King Henry VIII of England privately married his fifth wife, Catherine Howard. [Take our quiz about Henry VIII and his wives.]