December 28 in History

Unrest in the form of mass protests erupt across Iran, the largest uprising in the country since the Iranian Revolution.

A truck bomb is detonated in Mogadishu, Somalia, killing at least 85 people and injuring over 140 more. The militant group Al-Shabaab claims responsibility.

Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 crashes into the Karimata Strait en route from Surabaya to Singapore, killing all 162 people aboard.

Nine people die and another 19 are reported missing, when the MS Norman Atlantic catches fire in the Strait of Otranto, in the Adriatic Sea, in Italian waters.

Forty-three people die in a suicide bombing in Karachi, Pakistan, where Shia Muslims are observing the Day of Ashura.

War in Somalia: The militaries of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government and Ethiopian troops capture Mogadishu unopposed.

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake hits Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, killing 13 people.

United Airlines Flight 173 crashes in a residential neighborhood near Portland International Airport, killing 10 people.

The United States Endangered Species Act is signed into law by President Richard Nixon.

The last scheduled day for induction into the military by the Selective Service System. Due to the fact that President Richard Nixon declared this day a national day of mourning due to former President Harry S Truman's death, approximately 300 men were not able to report due to most Federal offices being closed. Since the draft was not resumed in 1973, they were never drafted.

American businesswoman Muriel Siebert becomes the first woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange.

"Greatest Game Ever Played": The Baltimore Colts defeat the New York Giants in the first ever National Football League sudden death overtime game at New York's Yankee Stadium to win the NFL Championship.

Chin Peng, David Marshall and Tunku Abdul Rahman meet in Baling, Malaya to try to resolve the Malayan Emergency situation.

The DC-3 airliner NC16002 disappears 80 kilometres (50 mi) south of Miami.

Maurice Richard becomes the first player to score eight points in one game of NHL ice hockey.

Soviet authorities launch Operation Ulussy, beginning the deportation of the Kalmyk nation to Siberia and Central Asia.

World War II: After eight days of brutal house-to-house fighting, the Battle of Ortona concludes with the victory of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division over the German 1st Parachute Division and the capture of the Italian town of Ortona.

World War II: Operation Anthropoid, the plot to assassinate high-ranking Nazi officer Reinhard Heydrich, commences.

Constance Markievicz, while detained in Holloway prison, becomes the first woman to be elected Member of Parliament (MP) to the British House of Commons.

The first municipally owned streetcars take to the streets in San Francisco.

The 7.1 Mw Messina earthquake shakes Southern Italy with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing between about 80,000.

The Syracuse Athletic Club defeat the New York Philadelphians, 5–0, in the first indoor professional football game, which was held at Madison Square Garden.

The Lumière brothers perform for their first paying audience at the Grand Cafe in Boulevard des Capucines.

Wilhelm Röntgen publishes a paper detailing his discovery of a new type of radiation, which later will be known as x-rays.

The Indian National Congress is founded in Bombay Presidency, British India.

Tay Bridge disaster: The central part of the Tay Rail Bridge in Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom collapses as a train passes over it, killing 75.

Iowa is admitted as the 29th U.S. state.

South Australia and Adelaide are founded.

Spain recognizes the independence of Mexico with the signing of the Santa María–Calatrava Treaty.

Osceola leads his Seminole warriors in Florida into the Second Seminole War against the United States Army.

John C. Calhoun becomes the first Vice President of the United States to resign. He resigned after being elected Senator from South Carolina.

Construction of Yonge Street, formerly recognized as the longest street in the world, begins in York, Upper Canada (present-day Toronto).

King Taksin's coronation achieved through conquest as a king of Thailand and established Thonburi as a capital.

The Marathas defeat the Adilshahi forces in the Battle of Kolhapur.

The reign of Emperor Hanazono of Japan begins.

Edward the Confessor's Romanesque monastic church at Westminster Abbey is consecrated.

An earthquake destroys the city of Dvin, Armenia.

Alaric II succeeds his father Euric and becomes king of the Visigoths. He establishes his capital at Aire-sur-l'Adour (Southern Gaul).

Majorian is acclaimed as Western Roman emperor.

A papal election begins, resulting in the election of Pope Boniface I.

Tom Cannon, British-Irish footballer

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Canadian actress

Iqbaal Ramadhan, Indonesian actor and singer

Tanguy Ndombele, French footballer

Dylan Cease, American baseball player

Mauricio Lemos, Uruguayan footballer

Nahitan Nández, Uruguayan footballer

Adam Peaty, English swimmer

Tomáš Jurčo, Slovak ice hockey player

Ayele Abshero, Ethiopian runner

Marcos Alonso, Spanish footballer

David Archuleta, American singer

John Henson, American basketball player

Bastiaan Lijesen, Dutch swimmer

Austin Barnes, American baseball player

Mackenzie Rosman, American actress

Thomas Dekker, American actor and musician

Tom Huddlestone, English footballer

Martin Kaymer, German golfer

Duane Solomon, American runner

Cedric Benson, American football player (died 2019)

Beau Garrett, American actress and model

François Gourmet, Belgian decathlete

Curtis Glencross, Canadian hockey player

Khalid Boulahrouz, Dutch footballer

Elizabeth Jordan Carr, American journalist

Sienna Miller, American-British actress and fashion designer

David Moss, American ice hockey player

Narsha, South Korean singer and dancer

Frank Turner, English singer-songwriter and guitarist

Mika Väyrynen, Finnish footballer

Lomana LuaLua, Congolese footballer

Ryta Turava, Belarusian race walker

James Blake, American tennis player

Senna Gammour, German singer-songwriter

Bill Hall, American baseball player

Zach Hill, American musician and artist

André Holland, American actor

Noomi Rapace, Swedish actress

Chris Coyne, Australian footballer and manager

John Legend, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actor

Derrick Brew, American sprinter

Shane Elford, Australian rugby league player

Vanessa Ferlito, American actress

Seun Ogunkoya, Nigerian sprinter

Brendan Hines, American actor and singer

Joe Manganiello, American actor

Trond Nymark, Norwegian race walker

Ben Tune, Australian rugby player

Igor Žiković, Croatian footballer

Deddy Corbuzier, Indonesian presenter and magician

B. J. Ryan, American baseball player

Jocelyn Enriquez, American singer

Rob Niedermayer, Canadian ice hockey player

Markus Weinzierl, German footballer and manager

Holger Blume, German sprinter

Marc Blume, German sprinter

Seth Meyers, American actor, producer, screenwriter, and talk show host

Ids Postma, Dutch speed skater

Roberto Palacios, Peruvian footballer

Patrick Rafter, Australian-Bermudian tennis player and model

Adam Vinatieri, American football player

Benny Agbayani, American baseball player

Sergi Barjuán, Spanish footballer and manager

Anita Doth, Dutch singer-songwriter

William Gates, American basketball player

Elaine Hendrix, American actress

James Jett, American sprinter and football player

Brenda Schultz-McCarthy, Dutch tennis player

Linus Torvalds, Finnish-American computer programmer, developed Linux kernel

Akihiko Hoshide, Japanese engineer and astronaut

Chris Ware, American illustrator

Allar Levandi, Estonian skier

Tex Perkins, Australian singer-songwriter

Maite Zúñiga, Spanish runner

Michel Petrucciani, French jazz pianist (died 1999)

Kent Nielsen, Danish footballer and manager

Ray Bourque, Canadian ice hockey player

John Fitzgerald, Australian tennis player, coach, and sportscaster

Chad McQueen, American actor and race car driver (died 2024)

Melvin Turpin, American basketball player (died 2010)

Hansjörg Kunze, German runner and sportscaster

Daniel Léo Simpson, American composer

Ana Torroja, Spanish singer-songwriter

Terry Butcher, English footballer and manager

Curt Byrum, American golfer

Zoran Gajić, Serbian volleyball trainer

Nigel Kennedy, English violinist

Stephen Frost, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter

Liu Xiaobo, Chinese author, academic, and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2017)

Tony Ables, American serial killer

Gayle King, American television journalist

Denzel Washington, American actor, director, and producer

Richard Clayderman, French pianist

Tatsumi Fujinami, Japanese wrestler and promoter, founded Dradition wrestling promotion

Charlie Pierce, American journalist and author

Martha Wash, American singer-songwriter

Arun Jaitley, Indian lawyer and politician, 9th Indian Minister of Law and Justice (died 2019)

Bridget Prentice, Scottish educator and politician

Alex Chilton, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2010)

Clifford Cocks, English mathematician and cryptographer

Rainer Maria Latzke, German-American painter and academic

Ziggy Modeliste, American drummer

Dick Diamonde, Dutch-Australian rock bass player (died 2024)

Aurelio Rodríguez, Mexican baseball player, coach, and manager (died 2000)

Mike Beebe, American lawyer and politician, 45th Governor of Arkansas

Pierre Falardeau, Canadian director, screenwriter, and activist (died 2009)

Hubert Green, American golfer (died 2018)

Tim Johnson, American lawyer and politician (died 2024)

Barbara, Lady Judge, American-English lawyer and businesswoman (died 2020)

Bill Lee, American baseball player and author

Laffit Pincay Jr., Panamanian jockey

Edgar Winter, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer

Birendra, King of Nepal (died 2001)

Max Hastings, English journalist, historian, and author

Sandra Faber, American astronomer and academic

Johnny Isakson, American sergeant and politician (died 2021)

Kary Mullis, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2019)

Gordon Taylor, English footballer

Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne, Peruvian cardinal

David Peterson, Canadian lawyer and politician, 20th Premier of Ontario

Joan Ruddock, Welsh politician

Roger Swerts, Belgian cyclist

Intikhab Alam, Indian-Pakistani cricketer and coach

A. K. Antony, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of Defence

Don Francisco, Chilean-American journalist and talk show host

Philip Anschutz, American businessman, founded Anschutz Entertainment Group

Frank McLintock, Scottish footballer and manager

Michelle Urry, American journalist and illustrator (died 2006)

Dick Sudhalter, American trumpet player, scholar, and critic (died 2008)

Ratan Tata, Indian businessman and philanthropist (died 2024)

Alan Coleman, English-Australian director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2013)

Lawrence Schiller, American journalist, director, and producer

Rudi Faßnacht, German footballer and manager (died 2000)

Maggie Smith, English actress (died 2024)

John Y. Brown Jr., American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 55th Governor of Kentucky (died 2022)

Dhirubhai Ambani, Indian businessman, founded Reliance Industries (died 2002)

Dorsey Burnette, American singer-songwriter (died 1979)

Roy Hattersley, English journalist and politician, Shadow Home Secretary (died 2026)

Harry Howell, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (died 2019)

Nichelle Nichols, American actress (died 2022)

Manuel Puig, Argentine author and playwright (died 1990)

Guy Debord, French theorist and author (died 1994)

Martin Milner, American actor (died 2015)

Mariam A. Aleem, Egyptian illustrator and academic (died 2010)

Brian Redhead, English journalist and author (died 1994)

Terry Sawchuk, Canadian-American ice hockey player (died 1970)

Maarten Schmidt, Dutch astronomer (died 2022)

Moe Koffman, Canadian flute player, saxophonist, and composer (died 2001)

John William Thomson, Canadian politician (died 2025)

Donald Carr, German-English cricketer and referee (died 2016)

Hildegard Knef, German actress and singer (died 2002)

Milton Obote, Ugandan engineer and politician, 2nd President of Uganda (died 2005)

Girma Wolde-Giorgis, Ethiopian politician; President of Ethiopia (died 2018)

Lionel Bowen, Australian politician, 6th Deputy Prime Minister of Australia (died 2012)

Stan Lee, American publisher, producer, and actor (died 2018)

Johnny Otis, American singer-songwriter and producer (died 2012)

Tufty Mann, South African cricketer (died 1952)

Bruce McCarty, American architect, designed the Knoxville City-County Building (died 2013)

Steve Van Buren, Honduran-American football player (died 2012)

Al Wistert, American football player and coach (died 2016)

Emily Cheney Neville, American author (died 1997)

Ellis Clarke, Trinidadian politician, 1st President of Trinidad and Tobago (died 2010)

Bidia Dandaron, Russian author and educator (died 1974)

Pops Staples, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2000)

Lou Jacobi, Canadian-American actor (died 2009)

Wil van Beveren, Dutch sprinter and journalist (died 2003)

Billy Williams, American singer (died 1972)

Lew Ayres, American actor (died 1996)

Ze'ev Ben-Haim, Ukrainian-Israeli linguist and academic (died 2013)

Earl Hines, American pianist and bandleader (died 1983)

John von Neumann, Hungarian-American mathematician and physicist (died 1957)

Mortimer J. Adler, American philosopher and author (died 2001)

Shen Congwen, Chinese author and educator (died 1988)

Ted Lyons, American baseball player (died 1986)

Carl-Gustaf Rossby, Swedish-American meteorologist and academic (died 1957)

Shigematsu Sakaibara, Japanese admiral (died 1947)

Carol Ryrie Brink, American author and playwright (died 1981)

Burnita Shelton Matthews, American judge (died 1988)

Quincy Wright, American political scientist, historian, and academic (died 1970)

F. W. Murnau, German-American director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1931)

Werner Kolhörster, German physicist and academic (died 1946)

Arthur Eddington, English astronomer, physicist, and mathematician (died 1944)

Lili Elbe, Danish model and painter (died 1931)

Charles Bennett, English runner (died 1949)

Kathleen O'Melia, Canadian religious sister (died 1939)

Félix Vallotton, Swiss/French painter (died 1925)

Woodrow Wilson, American historian and politician, 28th President of the United States, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1924)

Calixa Lavallée, Canadian-American lieutenant and composer (died 1891)

Carl Remigius Fresenius, German chemist and academic (died 1897)

Thomas Henderson, Scottish astronomer and mathematician (died 1844)

Catharine Maria Sedgwick, American novelist of "domestic fiction" (died 1867)

Jean-Gabriel Eynard, Swiss banker and photographer (died 1863)

John Molson, English-Canadian brewer, founded the Molson Brewery (died 1836)

Christoph Franz von Buseck, Prince-Bishop of Bamberg (died 1805)

Eliza Lucas, Caribbean-American agriculturalist (died 1793)

George FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Northumberland, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire (died 1716)

Charles Cornwallis, 3rd Baron Cornwallis, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk (died 1698)

Johann Krieger, German organist and composer (died 1735)

Elizabeth Stuart, second daughter of King Charles I of England (died 1650)

Antoine Furetière, French author and scholar (died 1688)

Martin Eisengrein, German theologian (died 1578)

Nicholas Bacon, English politician (died 1579)

Louise of Savoy, French nun (died 1503)

Brigitte Bardot, French actress, singer and activist (born 1934)

Charles Dolan, American businessman, founded Cablevision and HBO (born 1926)

Vijayakanth, Indian actor and politician (born 1952)

Philomena Franz, German Romani author (born 1922)

Grichka Bogdanoff, French television presenter and scientific essayist (born 1949)

John Madden, American football Hall of Fame coach and commentator (born 1936)

Harry Reid, American lawyer, politician, and former Senate majority leader (born 1939)

Rose Marie, American actress and comedienne (born 1923)

Debbie Reynolds, American actress, singer and dancer (born 1932)

Jean-Christophe Victor, French political scientist (born 1947)

John Bradbury, English drummer and songwriter (born 1953)

Eloy Inos, Mariana Islander businessman and politician, 8th Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands (born 1949)

Lemmy, English musician, singer, and songwriter (born 1945)

Leelah Alcorn, American transgender teenager (born 1997)

Vahan Hovhannisyan, Armenian politician (born 1956)

Frankie Randall, American singer-songwriter (born 1938)

Halton Arp, American-German astronomer and critic (born 1927)

Esther Borja, Cuban soprano and actress (born 1913)

Andrew Jacobs, Jr., American soldier, lawyer, and politician (born 1932)

Alfred Marshall, American businessman, founded Marshalls (born 1919)

Joseph Ruskin, American actor and producer (born 1924)

Ilya Tsymbalar, Ukrainian-Russian footballer and manager (born 1969)

Nicholas Ambraseys, Greek-English seismologist and engineer (born 1929)

Mark Crispin, American computer scientist and academic, designed the IMAP (born 1956)

Václav Drobný, Czech footballer (born 1980)

Frankie Walsh, Irish hurler and manager (born 1936)

Billy Taylor, American pianist and composer (born 1921)

Terry Peder Rasmussen, American serial killer (born 1943)

Jimmy Sullivan, American musician, composer and songwriter. Known by his stage name The Rev (born 1981)

Irene Lieblich, Polish-American painter and illustrator (born 1923)

Jamal Karimi-Rad, Iranian politician, Iranian Minister of Justice (born 1956)

Jerry Orbach, American actor and singer (born 1935)

Susan Sontag, American novelist, essayist, critic, and playwright (born 1933)

Benjamin Thurman Hacker, American admiral (born 1935)

Samuel Abraham Goldblith, American lieutenant, biologist, and engineer (born 1919)

William X. Kienzle, American priest and author (born 1928)

Clayton Moore, American actor (born 1914)

Jean-Louis Lévesque, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (born 1911)

William L. Shirer, American journalist and historian (born 1904)

Sal Maglie, American baseball player and coach (born 1917)

Warren Skaaren, American screenwriter and producer (born 1946)

Hermann Oberth, Romanian-German physicist and engineer (born 1894)

John D. MacDonald, American colonel and author (born 1916)

Jan Nieuwenhuys, Dutch painter (born 1922)

Sam Peckinpah, American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1925)

Mary Stewart, Baroness Stewart of Alvechurch, British politician and educator (born 1903)

Peter Kihss, American journalist

Dennis Wilson, American drummer, songwriter, and producer (born 1944)

Allan Dwan, Canadian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1885)

Katharine Byron, American politician (born 1903)

Max Steiner, Austrian-American pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1888)

David Ogilvy, 12th Earl of Airlie, Scottish peer, soldier and courtier (born 1893)

Katharine McCormick, American biologist and philanthropist (born 1875)

Paul Hindemith, German violist, composer, and conductor (born 1895)

Philippe Panneton, Canadian physician, academic, and diplomat (born 1895)

Ante Pavelić, Croatian fascist dictator during World War II (born 1889)

Jack Lovelock, New Zealand runner and soldier (born 1910)

Victor Emmanuel III of Italy (born 1869)

Elie Nadelman, Polish-American sculptor (born 1882)

Theodore Dreiser, American novelist and journalist (born 1871)

Steve Evans, American baseball player (born 1885)

Alfred Flatow, German gymnast (born 1869)

Florence Lawrence, Canadian actress (born 1886)

Maurice Ravel, French pianist and composer (born 1875)

Clarence Day, American author and illustrator (born 1874)

Jack Blackham, Australian cricketer (born 1854)

Léon Bakst, Russian painter and costume designer (born 1866)

Johannes Rydberg, Swedish physicist and academic (born 1854)

Olavo Bilac, Brazilian poet and journalist (born 1865)

Alfred Edwin McKay, Canadian captain and pilot (born 1892)

Eduard Strauss, Austrian violinist and composer (born 1835)

Ahmet Mithat Efendi, Turkish journalist and translator (born 1844)

Louise Granberg, Swedish playwright (born 1812)

Alexandre de Serpa Pinto, Portuguese soldier and explorer (born 1846)

William Corby, American priest and academic (born 1833)

Dennis Miller Bunker, American painter (born 1861)

James Van Ness, American lawyer and politician, 7th Mayor of San Francisco (born 1808)

Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay, English historian and politician, Secretary at War (born 1800)

Eugenio Espejo, Ecuadorian physician and lawyer (born 1747)

Peter Ernst Wilde, Polish-Estonian physician and journalist (born 1732)

Antonio Caldara, Italian composer (born 1670)

Rob Roy MacGregor, Scottish outlaw (born 1671)

William Carstares, Scottish minister and academic (born 1649)

Joseph Pitton de Tournefort, French botanist and mycologist (born 1656)

Pierre Bayle, French philosopher and author (born 1647)

Mary II of England (born 1662)

Johann Friedrich Gronovius, German scholar and critic (born 1611)

Francesco Maria Grimaldi, Italian mathematician and physicist (born 1618)

Francis de Sales, French bishop and saint (born 1567)

Hermann Finck, German organist and composer (born 1527)

Konrad Peutinger, German humanist and antiquarian (born 1465)

Andrea Gritti, Doge of Venice (born 1455)

Piero the Unfortunate, Italian ruler (born 1471)

Bertoldo di Giovanni, Italian sculptor (born c. 1435)

Antipope Clement VIII (born 1369)

Maria Angelina Doukaina Palaiologina, queen of Epirus (born 1350)

Ashikaga Yoshiakira, Japanese shōgun (born 1330)

Sir David II Strathbogie, Earl of Atholl, Constable of Scotland, and Chief Warden of Northumberland

Hugh Aycelin, French cardinal (born 1230)

Robert II, Count of Dreux (born 1154)

Wang Zongbi, general of the Chinese state of Former Shu