Updated August 27, 2012, 2:28 pm
On Aug. 28, 1963, 200,000 people participated in a peaceful civil rights rally in Washington, D.C., where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
Go to article »
On Aug. 28, 1828, Leo Tolstoy, the Russian author considered one of history’s greatest novelists was born. Following his death on Nov. 7, 1910, his obituary appeared in The Times.
Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »
On This Date
By The Associated Press
| 1609 |
English sea explorer Henry Hudson reached present-day Delaware Bay. |
| 1828 |
Novelist Leo Tolstoy was born near Tula, Russia. |
| 1922 |
The first radio commercial aired on WEAF in New York City. |
| 1955 |
Emmett Till, an African-American teenager from Chicago, was abducted from his uncle’s home in Money, Miss., by two white men after he was accused of whistling at a white woman. He was found murdered three days later. |
| 1968 |
Police and anti-war demonstrators clashed in the streets of Chicago as the Democratic National Convention nominated Hubert H. Humphrey for president. |
| 1981 |
John W. Hinckley Jr. pleaded innocent to charges of attempting to kill President Ronald Reagan. |
| 1996 |
Democrats nominated President Bill Clinton for a second term at their national convention in Chicago. |
| 1996 |
Britain’s Prince Charles and Princess Diana were divorced after 15 years of marriage. |
| 2005 |
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin ordered everyone in the city to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Katrina. |
| 2008 |
Barack Obama accepted the Democratic presidential nomination with a speech at Invesco Field in Denver. |
Current Birthdays
By The Associated Press
Country singer LeAnn Rimes turns 30 years old today.
AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
Rock singer Florence Welch (Florence and the Machine) turns 26 years old today.
AP Photo/Joel Ryan
| 1940 |
William Cohen, Former defense secretary, turns 72 |
| 1940 |
Ken Jenkins, Actor (“Scrubs”), turns 72 |
| 1943 |
Lou Piniella, Baseball manager, turns 69 |
| 1943 |
David Soul, Actor (“Starsky and Hutch”), turns 69 |
| 1946 |
Barbara Bach, Actress, turns 66 |
| 1951 |
Wayne Osmond, Singer (The Osmonds), turns 61 |
| 1957 |
Daniel Stern, Actor, turns 55 |
| 1958 |
Scott Hamilton, Figure skater, turns 54 |
| 1961 |
Jennifer Coolidge, Actress, turns 51 |
| 1965 |
Shania Twain, Country singer, turns 47 |
| 1969 |
Jack Black, Actor, turns 43 |
| 1969 |
Jason Priestley, Actor (“Beverly Hills 90210), turns 43 |
| 1973 |
J. August Richards, Actor (“Angel”), turns 39 |
Historic Birthdays
| 61 |
Richard Tucker 8/28/1913 – 1/8/1975
American cantor and operatic tenor |
| 82 |
Robertson Davies 8/28/1913 – 12/2/1995
Canadian novelist and playwright |
| 87 |
Roger Tory Peterson 8/28/1908 – 7/28/1996
American ornithologist and conservationist |
| 86 |
Bruno Bettelheim 8/28/1903 – 3/13/1990
Austrain-born American psychologist |
| 76 |
James Wong Howe 8/28/1899 – 7/12/1976
American Chinese-born cinematographer |
| 78 |
Charles Boyer 8/28/1899 – 8/26/1978
French-born stage and motion-picture actor |
| 66 |
Peter Fraser 8/28/1884 – 12/12/1950
New Zealand labor leader and prime minister (1940-9) |
| 32 |
Charles Stewart Rolls 8/28/1877 – 7/12/1910
English motorist and aviator; a founder of Rolls-Royce Ltd. |
| 46 |
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton 8/28/1774 – 1/4/1821
American founder of the Sisters of Charity |
| 82 |
Johann Wolfgang Goethe 8/28/1749 – 3/22/1832
German poet, novelist, playwright and philosopher |
| 35 |
George Villiers 8/28/1592 – 8/23/1628
English courtier; Duke of Buckingham; favorite of James I and Charles I |
Leo Tolstoy 8/28/1828 (O.S.) – 11/7/1910 (O.S.) Russian author.
