Box-office #1
The Empire Strikes Back
1980 · dir. Irvin Kershner
Wide US release on May 23, 1980. Goes on to become the highest-grossing film of the year.
Sci-fiStar Wars $538M worldwide
On this day
July 28 Tuesday, July 28, 2026
A curious almanac of what happened on July 28 across the years — history, birthdays, the songs that ruled the charts, the films that packed cinemas, and the science that nudged the world forward.
12
Events
7
Birthdays
5
Holidays
1868
US history 158 years ago
The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution is certified, establishing African American citizenship and guaranteeing due process of law.
The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution is certified, granting citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the country and guaranteeing equal protection under the law.
History
What happened on July 28
12 verified entries Full timeline
- 1364War
Troops of the Republic of Pisa and the Republic of Florence clash in the Battle of Cascina.
Troops from Pisa and Florence engage in battle at Cascina, marking a significant event in the city-states' rivalry.
- 1402War
Ottoman-Timurid Wars: Battle of Ankara: Timur, ruler of Timurid Empire, defeats forces of the Ottoman Empire sultan Bayezid I.
Timur defeats Sultan Bayezid I's forces in the Battle of Ankara, marking a significant victory for the Timurid Empire.
- 1540Royalty
Henry VIII of England marries his fifth wife, Catherine Howard.
Henry VIII weds Catherine Howard, his fifth and much younger wife.
- 1571US history
La Laguna encomienda, known today as the Laguna province in the Philippines, is founded by the Spaniards as one of the oldest encomiendas (provinces) in the country.
The Spaniards establish La Laguna encomienda, one of the earliest provinces in the Philippines.
- 1635European history
Eighty Years' War: The Spanish capture the strategic Dutch fortress of Schenkenschans.
The Spanish capture the strategic Dutch fortress of Schenkenschans during the Eighty Years' War.
- 1656War
Second Northern War: Battle of Warsaw begins.
The three-day Battle of Warsaw begins as Swedish forces under Charles X Gustav clash with Polish-Lithuanian troops in one of the Second Northern War's largest engagements.
- 1778Politics
Constitution of the province of Cantabria ratified at the Assembly Hall in Bárcena la Puente, Reocín, Spain.
The Constitution of the Province of Cantabria was ratified at the Assembly Hall in Bárcena la Puente, Reocín.
- 1794World history
French Revolution: Maximilien Robespierre and Louis Antoine de Saint-Just are executed by guillotine in Paris, France.
Maximilien Robespierre and Louis Antoine de Saint-Just are executed by guillotine, marking the end of the Reign of Terror.
- 1854US history
USS Constellation (1854), the last all-sail warship built by the United States Navy and current museum ship in Baltimore Harbor, is commissioned.
The USS Constellation, the last all-sail warship built by the U.S. Navy, is commissioned; it now serves as a museum ship in Baltimore Harbor.
- 1868US history
The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution is certified, establishing African American citizenship and guaranteeing due process of law.
The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution is certified, granting citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the country and guaranteeing equal protection under the law.
- 1911World history
The Australasian Antarctic Expedition began as the SY Aurora departed London.
The SY Aurora departed London, beginning Douglas Mawson's Australasian Antarctic Expedition to explore uncharted regions of the Antarctic coast.
- 2005Politics
The Provisional Irish Republican Army calls an end to its thirty-year-long armed campaign against British rule in Northern Ireland.
The Provisional Irish Republican Army announces the end of its armed conflict against British rule in Northern Ireland.
Born today
Famous birthdays on July 28
7 this date All birthdays
Alberto Fujimori
Peruvian engineer, academic, and politician, President of Peru
Alberto Fujimori, the Peruvian engineer and academic who served as president from 1990 to 2000 and effectively ruled as a dictator, was born today in 1938.
Born
1938
Died
2024
Freddie Fitzsimmons
American baseball player, coach, and manager
1901 – 1979
Sir Karl Popper
Austrian-English philosopher and academic
1902 – 1994
Fahmida Riaz
Pakistani poet and activist
1946 – 2018
Santiago Calatrava
Spanish architect and engineer, designed the Athens Olympic Sports Complex
b. 1951 · 75
John David Washington
American actor and football player
b. 1984 · 42
Cher Lloyd
English singer
b. 1993 · 33
Music
The number one songs on July 28
Across the years Full chart history
🇬🇧 #1 on July 28, 1991
"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You"
by Bryan Adams
#1 for 16 weeks
Also #1 on this day
- 2025"Dior"— MK featuring Chrystal
- 2024"Espresso"— Sabrina Carpenter
- 2023"Sprinter"— Dave and Central Cee
- 2022"Afraid to Feel"— LF System
- 2021"Bad Habits"— Ed Sheeran
- 2020"Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)"— Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo
Film & TV
At the movies
Box office #1 and premieres All releases
🏆 Sport July 28, 2001
Australian Ian Thorpe becomes the first swimmer to win six gold medals at a single World Championship meeting.
Ian Thorpe wins six gold medals at a single World Championships event, setting a new record in swimming.
Read the story
🔬 Science July 28, 1851
The first total solar eclipse photographed successfully is observed in Königsberg, Prussia
Daguerreotypist Johann Julius Friedrich Berkowski captures the first successful photograph of the solar corona during totality. The 84-second exposure becomes a landmark achievement in astronomical photography and solar research.
Read the storyToday is also
Holidays & observances
5 celebrated today
Day of Commemoration of the Great Upheaval (Canada)
International
The Expulsion of the Acadians was the forced removal of inhabitants of the North American region historically known as Acadia between 1755 and 1764 by Great Britain
Fiestas Patrias, celebrates the independence of Peru from Spain by General José de San Martín in 1821.
International
The Fiestas Patrias peruanas, or Peruvian National Holidays, are celebrations of Peru's independence from the Spanish Empire
Liberation Day (San Marino)
International
San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino (RSM), is a landlocked country in Southern Europe, completely surrounded by Italy
Ólavsøka Eve (Faroe Islands)
International
Ólavsøka is the biggest summer festival in the Faroe Islands, and by most Faroese considered as the national holiday of the Faroes along with Flag Day on 25 April
World Hepatitis Day
International
World Hepatitis Day, observed on July 28 every year, aims to raise global awareness of hepatitis, a group of infectious diseases known as hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E, and encourage prevention, diagn
❝
I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees.
— Emiliano Zapata · born July 28, 1879