What happened on May 28

33 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 5 observances. From 585 BCE to 2026.

Formula One

Standout on May 28

2017

Formula One

Historical event · 9 years ago

Former Formula One driver Takuma Sato wins his first Indianapolis 500, the first Japanese and Asian driver to do so. Double world champion Fernando Alonso retires from the race with an engine issue in his first entry of the event.

About May 28

May 28 is the 148th day of the year. These facts are computed from the calendar, not copied from anywhere.

Day of the year
Day 148 of 365 (149 in leap years)217 days left in the year (217 in leap years)
Falls on
Thursday in 2026, Friday in 2027, Sunday in 2028, Monday in 2029, Tuesday in 2030
Week
ISO week 22 of 2026 · Q2
Zodiac sign
♊ Gemini (May 21 – June 20)
Season
Spring in the north · Autumn in the south
May birthstone
Emeraldrebirth, love and wisdom
May birth flower
Lily of the valley / Hawthornsweetness, humility and hope
Next occurrence
In 213 days
Roman numerals
XXVIII.Vday.month — see the Roman numeral date tool

Anniversaries in 2026

All round-number anniversaries in 2026 →

May 28 through the years

10 years ago2016
Harambe · Harambe
25 years ago2001
Nothing recorded
50 years ago1976
Nothing recorded
100 years ago1926
Nothing recorded
200 years ago1826
Nothing recorded

Born on May 28 — ages this year

Historical events 33

A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.

Formula One

Historical event20179 years ago

Formula One

Former Formula One driver Takuma Sato wins his first Indianapolis 500, the first Japanese and Asian driver to do so. Double world champion Fernando Alonso retires from the race with an engine issue in his first entry of the event.

Historical event201610 years ago

Harambe

Harambe was shot and killed after grabbing a three-year-old boy in his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, drawing widespread criticism and inspiring internet memes.

Historical event201313 years ago

Gezi Park protests

Start of the Gezi Park protests in Turkey.

Historical event201214 years ago

Arkankergen massacre

The Arkankergen massacre in Kazakhstan's Alakol District kills 15 people.

Historical event201115 years ago

Malta

Malta votes on the introduction of divorce; the proposal was approved by 53% of voters, resulting in a law allowing divorce under certain conditions being enacted later in the year.

Historical event201016 years ago

West Bengal

In West Bengal, India, the Jnaneswari Express train derailment and subsequent collision kills 148 passengers.

Historical event201016 years ago

Jnaneswari Express train derailment

A train derailment and collision in the West Midnapore district of West Bengal, India, caused the deaths of at least 148 passengers.

Nepal

Historical event200818 years ago

Nepal

The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly of Nepal formally declares Nepal a republic, ending the 240-year reign of the Shah dynasty.

Historical event200422 years ago

Iraqi Governing Council

The Iraqi Governing Council chooses Ayad Allawi, a longtime anti-Saddam Hussein exile, as prime minister of Iraq's interim government.

Peter Hollingworth
Photo: Governor-General of Australia · CC BY 3.0

Historical event200323 years ago

Peter Hollingworth

Peter Hollingworth resigns as Governor-General of Australia following criticism of his handling of child sexual abuse allegations during his tenure as Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane.

The Football Association

Historical event200224 years ago

The Football Association

An independent commission appointed by the Football Association voted two-to-one to allow Wimbledon F.C. to relocate from London to Milton Keynes.

World Trade Center site

Historical event200224 years ago

World Trade Center site

The last steel girder is removed from the original World Trade Center site. Cleanup duties officially end with closing ceremonies at Ground Zero in Manhattan, New York City.

Milan

Historical event199927 years ago

Milan

In Milan, Italy, after 22 years of restoration work, Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece The Last Supper is put back on display.

Historical event199828 years ago

Nuclear weapons testing

Nuclear testing: Pakistan responds to a series of nuclear tests by India with five of its own codenamed Chagai-I, prompting the United States, Japan, and other nations to impose economic sanctions. Pakistan celebrates Youm-e-Takbir annually.

Historical event199630 years ago

Bill Clinton

U.S. President Bill Clinton's former business partners in the Whitewater land deal, Jim McDougal and Susan McDougal, and the Governor of Arkansas, Jim Guy Tucker, are convicted of fraud.

Historical event199531 years ago

1995 Neftegorsk earthquake

The 7.0 Mw Neftegorsk earthquake shakes the former Russian settlement of Neftegorsk with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). Total damage was $64.1–300 million, with 1,989 deaths and 750 injured. The settlement was not rebuilt.

Historical event199135 years ago

Addis Ababa

The capital city of Addis Ababa falls to the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, ending both the Derg regime in Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Civil War.

Historical event198739 years ago

Mathias Rust

Mathias Rust, a West German aviator, flew his Cessna 172 from Helsinki, Finland, through Soviet air defences, landing illegally near Red Square in Moscow.

Historical event198244 years ago

Falklands War

Falklands War: The British War Cabinet, which never considered using nuclear weapons in the conflict, ordered that the nuclear depth bombs on British ships return home.

Historical event197947 years ago

Konstantinos Karamanlis

Konstantinos Karamanlis signs the full treaty of the accession of Greece with the European Economic Community.

Historical event197749 years ago

Beverly Hills Supper Club fire

The Beverly Hills Supper Club in Southgate, Kentucky, is engulfed by fire, killing 165 people inside.

Historical event197551 years ago

Brampton Centennial Secondary School

At Brampton Centennial Secondary School, student Michael Slobodian kills two people and injures 13 others before committing suicide.

Historical event197551 years ago

West Africa

Fifteen West African countries sign the Treaty of Lagos, creating the Economic Community of West African States.

World War II

Historical event194086 years ago

World War II

Second World War: Belgium surrendered to Nazi Germany, ending the Battle of Belgium.

Historical event193789 years ago

Rise of Neville Chamberlain

The rise of Neville Chamberlain culminated with his accession as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, being summoned to Buckingham Palace to "kiss hands".

Historical event1901125 years ago

Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar

Mozaffar ad-Din, Shah of Persia, granted exclusive rights to prospect for oil in the country to businessman William Knox D'Arcy (pictured).

Historical event1892134 years ago

John Muir

Scottish-American preservationist John Muir (pictured) founded the environmental organization Sierra Club in California.

Andrew Jackson

Historical event1830196 years ago

Andrew Jackson

U.S. president Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act into law, authorizing him to negotiate with Native Americans for their removal from their ancestral homelands.

French and Indian War
Photo: Codex Sinaiticus · CC BY-SA 3.0

Historical event1754272 years ago

French and Indian War

French and Indian War: Led by 22-year-old George Washington, a company of Virginia colonial militiamen ambushed a force of 35 Canadiens at the Battle of Jumonville Glen.

English Civil War
Public domain

Historical event1644382 years ago

English Civil War

English Civil War: Royalist troops stormed and captured the Parliamentarian stronghold of Bolton, leading to a massacre of defenders and local residents.

Claudio Monteverdi

Historical event1608418 years ago

Claudio Monteverdi

Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi debuted his second opera L'Arianna, now one of his lost works, at a royal wedding in Mantua.

Tang dynasty

Historical event6211405 years ago

Tang dynasty

Tang forces led by Li Shimin defeated and captured Dou Jiande at the Battle of Hulao in the civil war that followed the collapse of the Sui dynasty.

Historical event585 BCE

580s BC

According to the Greek historian Herodotus, a solar eclipse, accurately predicted by Thales of Miletus, abruptly ended the Battle of Halys between the Lydians and the Medes.

Births 20

A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.

Dahyun
Photo: On the street · CC BY 3.0

Birth199828 years ago

Dahyun

Kim Dahyun, South Korean rapper and singer

Full profile →

Deaths 20

A notable person who died on this day.

Death20260 years ago

Claude Lemieux

Claude Lemieux, heavy-hitting retired NHL forward and four-time Stanley Cup winner (born 1965)

Full profile →

Death201313 years ago

Eddie Romero

Eddie Romero, Filipino director, producer, screenwriter, and National Artist for Cinema and Broadcast Arts (born 1924)

Full profile →

Holidays & observances 5

A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.

Holiday / observanceEvery year

Germain of Paris

Christian feast day: Germain of Paris

Bernard of Menthon

Holiday / observanceEvery year

Bernard of Menthon

Christian feast day: Bernard of Menthon

Beatification
Photo: MarkusMark · CC BY-SA 3.0

Holiday / observanceEvery year

Beatification

Christian feast day: Blessed Lanfranc

Holiday / observanceEvery year

John Calvin

Christian feast day: John Calvin (Episcopal Church)

Spread across the centuries

  • 6th century BCE1
  • 7th century1
  • 17th century2
  • 18th century1
  • 19th century2
  • 20th century34
  • 21st century32

Earliest: 580s BC (585 BCE). Most recent: Claude Lemieux (2026).

What the categories mean, and how the standout is chosen
Historical events
A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Births
A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
Deaths
A notable person who died on this day.
Milestones
A first, a founding or a turning point our editors flagged as a landmark moment.
Holidays & observances
A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
Standout / notable
Editor-written entries come first, then entries covered by the most Wikipedia language editions. For the standout tile we prefer an entry that has a picture.

Dates before the year 1 are given on the proleptic Julian calendar. Day-level precision for ancient events is traditional rather than documented.

Nearby and related

Questions about May 28

What day of the year is May 28?

May 28 is the 148th day of the year, with 217 days left after it.

What star sign is May 28?

May 28 falls under Gemini (May 21 – June 20), a air sign ruled by Mercury. The birthstone for the month is Emerald.

How many things happened on May 28?

We record 78 entries for May 28: 33 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 5 observances. From 585 BCE to 2026.

Who was born on May 28?

Phil Foden (2000) is among the notable births on May 28. The births section lists the rest.

How often is the May 28 page updated?

The day is filled the first time anyone opens it and then re-checked for new entries about every 90 days. Computed facts such as the weekday and the anniversaries update every year.

Type a date, or choose the month and day. The year is optional.

Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.