June 28
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2007: A milestone moment for bald eagles
This day in 2007 represented a rare conservation victory: bald eagles were removed from the U.S. endangered species list, capping one of the most dramatic wildlife comebacks in history. Just decades earlier, only 417 nesting pairs remained in the lower 48 states, their populations decimated by the pesticide DDT. The harmful chemical, which made eggshells too thin to produce viable young, was banned in 1972, allowing bald eagles and countless other birds to recover.
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© Mike Criss; Photo Illustration EncyclopÊdia Britannica, Inc.
Featured Event
Evan Schneider/UN Photo
On the same day as a national referendum that, if passed, would have allowed him to run for reelection, Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was ousted by the countryâs military. [Test your knowledge of Latin American history.]
Featured Biography
Featured Biography
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens, the greatest exponent of Baroque paintingâs dynamism, vitality, and sensuous exuberance and perhaps best known for his religious and mythological compositions, was born this day in 1577.
Famous Birthdays
More on June 28
Jeff HaynesâAFP/Getty Images
1997
In a boxing match for the heavyweight title, Mike Tyson was disqualified after he twice bit Evander Holyfieldâs ears; as a result of the infraction, he temporarily lost his boxing license. [Test your knowledge of sports.]
All Canada Photos/Alamy
1981
Canadian activist Terry Foxâwho, after losing part of one of his legs to cancer, attempted to run across the country to raise money for cancer researchâdied at age 22. [Take our quiz about Canada.]
© Lei Xu/Dreamstime.com
1969
A series of violent confrontations between police and gay rights activists began outside the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City; the riots helped launch an international gay rights movement. [Read more about this and nine other riots in U.S. history.]
National Archives, Washington, D.C.
1919
The Treaty of Versailles was signed at the Palace of Versailles in France, signifying the end of World War I. [Sort fact from fiction in our World War I quiz.]
© Henry Guttmann CollectionâHulton Royals Collection/Getty Images
1914
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his consort, Sophie, were assassinated by Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo, Bosnia, precipitating the outbreak of World War I. [How much do you know about World War I?]
FBI
1902
Notorious American bank robber John Dillinger was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. [Take our quiz about famous outlaws.]
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (digital file no. cph 3a34038)
1894
The U.S. Congress declared the first Monday of September to be Labor Day, a holiday to honour the American worker. [Test your knowledge of American history.]
Nantucket Historical Association
1889
Maria Mitchell, the first professional female astronomer in the United States, died at age 70. [Take our astronomy and space quiz.]
National Archives of Australia (NAA: A1200, L81515)
1880
Ned Kelly, Australiaâs most infamous bushranger, was arrested following a shootout with police; later that year he was hanged. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about Australia.]
Courtesy of the Italian Institute, London
1867
Italian playwright, novelist, and short-story writer Luigi Pirandello, recipient of the 1934 Nobel Prize for Literature, was born. [Test your knowledge of Nobel laureates in literature.]
EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
1838
Victoria was crowned queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about English royalty.]
Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (reproduction no. LC-USZC2-3186)
1778
According to legend, a woman named Mary Hays earned the nickname âMolly Pitcherâ by carrying water to her husbandâs regiment during the Battle of Monmouth. [How much do you know about the American Revolution?]
Photos.com/Getty Images
1712
French philosopher, writer, and political theorist Jean-Jacques Rousseau, whose treatises and novels inspired the leaders of the French Revolution and the Romantic generation, was born in Geneva. [Take our Philosophy 101 quiz.]
© AISAâEverett/Shutterstock.com
1519
Charles Vâwho, as Charles I, was already king of Spainâwas elected Holy Roman emperor; his struggles to hold the empire together led to his abdication in 1556. [Test your knowledge of kings and emperors.]