On This Day: April 28

Updated April 27, 2012, 2:28 pm

On April 28, 1947, a six-man expedition sailed from Peru aboard a balsa wood raft named the Kon-Tiki on a 101-day journey across the Pacific Ocean to Polynesia.
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On April 28, 1878, Lionel Barrymore, who was one of the most important American character actors in the early 1900s, was born. Following his death on Nov. 15, 1954, his obituary appeared in The Times.

Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »

On This Date

By The Associated Press

1788 Maryland became the seventh state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

1789 The crew of the British ship Bounty mutineed, setting Captain William Bligh and 18 sailors adrift in a launch in the South Pacific.

1937 Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was born near the desert town of Tikrit.

1945 Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and his mistress, Clara Petacci, were executed.

1947 A six-man expedition sailed from Peru aboard a balsa wood raft named the Kon-Tiki on a 101-day journey across the Pacific Ocean to Polynesia.

1967 Heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali refused to be inducted into the Army.

1980 Secretary of State Cyrus Vance resigned over his opposition to the failed rescue mission aimed at freeing American hostages in Iran.

1990 The musical “A Chorus Line” closed after 6,137 performances on Broadway.

1994 Former CIA official Aldrich Ames, who had betrayed U.S. secrets to the Soviet Union and then Russia, pleaded guilty to espionage and tax evasion and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

1996 President Bill Clinton gave 4 1/2 hours of videotaped testimony as a defense witness in the criminal trial of his former Whitewater business partners.

2001 A Russian rocket lifted off from Central Asia bearing the first space tourist, California businessman Dennis Tito.

2003 Apple Computer Inc. launched the iTunes store.

2004 The first photos of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal were shown on CBS’ “60 Minutes II.”

2009 Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania switched from the Republican to the Democratic Party.

2011 President Barack Obama reshuffled his national security team, with CIA Director Leon Panetta succeeding Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Gen. David Petraeus replacing Panetta at the CIA.

2011 Phillip Garrido and his wife, Nancy, pleaded guilty to kidnapping and raping Jaycee Dugard, who was abducted in California in 1991 at age 11 and rescued 18 years later. (The Garridos were sentenced to up to life in prison.)

Current Birthdays

By The Associated Press

Actress Penelope Cruz turns 38 years old today.

AP Photo/Chris Pizzello

Talk show host Jay Leno (“The Tonight Show”) turns 62 years old today.

AP Photo/Evan Agostini

1926 Harper Lee, Author (“To Kill a Mockingbird”), turns 86

1930 James A. Baker III, Former secretary of state, turns 82

1941 Ann-Margret, Singer, actress, turns 71

1948 Marcia Strassman, Actress (“Welcome Back, Kotter”), turns 64

1949 Paul Guilfoyle, Actor (“CSI”), turns 63

1953 Kim Gordon, Rock musician (Sonic Youth), turns 59

1953 Mary McDonnell, Actress, turns 59

1960 Elena Kagan, Supreme Court justice, turns 52

1964 Barry Larkin, Baseball player, turns 48

1966 John Daly, Golfer, turns 46

1973 Jorge Garcia, Actor (“Lost”), turns 39

1973 Elisabeth Rohm, Actress (“Law and Order”), turns 39

1978 Nate Richert, Actor (“Sabrina the Teenage Witch”), turns 34

1981 Jessica Alba, Actress (“Dark Angel”), turns 31

1982 Harry Shum Jr., Actor (“Glee”), turns 30

1986 Jenna Ushkowitz, Actress (“Glee”), turns 26

Historic Birthdays

Lionel Barrymore 4/28/1878 – 11/15/1954 American stage and screen character actor.Go to obituary »

73 James Monroe 4/28/1758 – 7/4/1831
5th president of the United States (1817-25)

47 Marie-Joseph Chenier 4/28/1764 – 1/10/1811
French poet, dramatist, politician and revolutionary

75 Tobias Asser 4/28/1838 – 7/29/1913
Dutch jurist; won Nobel Prize for Peace (1911) for his role in The Hague treaties

58 Erich Salomon 4/28/1886 – 7/7/1944
German photographer; a founder of photojournalism

77 Johan Borgen 4/28/1902 – 10/16/1979
Norwegian novelist, dramatist, essayist and short-story writer

77 Bart Jan Bok 4/28/1906 – 8/7/1983
Dutch-born American astronomer; expert on the Milky Way

72 Kurt Godel 4/28/1906 – 1/14/1978
Austrian-born American mathematician and logician

77 Ferruccio Lamborghini 4/28/1916 – 2/20/1993
Italian car manufacturer

53 Carolyn Jones 4/28/1930 – 8/3/1983
American motion-picture, television and stage actress

1788	Maryland became the seventh state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
1789	The crew of the British ship Bounty mutineed, setting Captain William Bligh and 18 sailors adrift in a launch in the South Pacific.
1937	Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was born near the desert town of Tikrit.
1945	Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and his mistress, Clara Petacci, were executed.
1947	A six-man expedition sailed from Peru aboard a balsa wood raft named the Kon-Tiki on a 101-day journey across the Pacific Ocean to Polynesia.
1967	Heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali refused to be inducted into the Army.
1980	Secretary of State Cyrus Vance resigned over his opposition to the failed rescue mission aimed at freeing American hostages in Iran.
1990	The musical “A Chorus Line” closed after 6,137 performances on Broadway.
1994	Former CIA official Aldrich Ames, who had betrayed U.S. secrets to the Soviet Union and then Russia, pleaded guilty to espionage and tax evasion and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
1996	President Bill Clinton gave 4 1/2 hours of videotaped testimony as a defense witness in the criminal trial of his former Whitewater business partners.
2001	A Russian rocket lifted off from Central Asia bearing the first space tourist, California businessman Dennis Tito.
2003	Apple Computer Inc. launched the iTunes store.
2004	The first photos of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal were shown on CBS’ “60 Minutes II.”
2009	Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania switched from the Republican to the Democratic Party.
2011	President Barack Obama reshuffled his national security team, with CIA Director Leon Panetta succeeding Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Gen. David Petraeus replacing Panetta at the CIA.
2011	Phillip Garrido and his wife, Nancy, pleaded guilty to kidnapping and raping Jaycee Dugard, who was abducted in California in 1991 at age 11 and rescued 18 years later. (The Garridos were sentenced to up to life in prison.)

1926	Harper Lee, Author (“To Kill a Mockingbird”), turns 86
1930	James A. Baker III, Former secretary of state, turns 82
1941	Ann-Margret, Singer, actress, turns 71
1948	Marcia Strassman, Actress (“Welcome Back, Kotter”), turns 64
1949	Paul Guilfoyle, Actor (“CSI”), turns 63
1953	Kim Gordon, Rock musician (Sonic Youth), turns 59
1953	Mary McDonnell, Actress, turns 59
1960	Elena Kagan, Supreme Court justice, turns 52
1964	Barry Larkin, Baseball player, turns 48
1966	John Daly, Golfer, turns 46
1973	Jorge Garcia, Actor (“Lost”), turns 39
1973	Elisabeth Rohm, Actress (“Law and Order”), turns 39
1978	Nate Richert, Actor (“Sabrina the Teenage Witch”), turns 34
1981	Jessica Alba, Actress (“Dark Angel”), turns 31
1982	Harry Shum Jr., Actor (“Glee”), turns 30
1986	Jenna Ushkowitz, Actress (“Glee”), turns 26

73	James Monroe 4/28/1758 – 7/4/1831 5th president of the United States (1817-25)
47	Marie-Joseph Chenier 4/28/1764 – 1/10/1811 French poet, dramatist, politician and revolutionary
75	Tobias Asser 4/28/1838 – 7/29/1913 Dutch jurist; won Nobel Prize for Peace (1911) for his role in The Hague treaties
58	Erich Salomon 4/28/1886 – 7/7/1944 German photographer; a founder of photojournalism
77	Johan Borgen 4/28/1902 – 10/16/1979 Norwegian novelist, dramatist, essayist and short-story writer
77	Bart Jan Bok 4/28/1906 – 8/7/1983 Dutch-born American astronomer; expert on the Milky Way
72	Kurt Godel 4/28/1906 – 1/14/1978 Austrian-born American mathematician and logician
77	Ferruccio Lamborghini 4/28/1916 – 2/20/1993 Italian car manufacturer
53	Carolyn Jones 4/28/1930 – 8/3/1983 American motion-picture, television and stage actress