28th January: A Day in History

 by Isobel Firth

28th January. To the uninitiated, this might seem nothing more than a normal date in history. However, it is of great significance for British and World history:

 

Henry VII

1457 – Pembroke, Wales:  Henry VII, King of England and Wales, first Tudor king, was born.

 

1547- Whitehall Palace, London: Henry VIII, King of England and Wales, son of Henry VII, dies on what would have been his father’s birthday.

 

1671  - Panama: Welsh pirate, Henry Morgan, captures Panama City from its Spanish defenders.

 

1724 - St Petersburg, Russia: Tsar Peter the Great opens The Russian Academy of Sciences, which was actually called St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences until 1917, as part of his programme of modernisation.

1813 -  England: Jane Austen's novel, Pride and Prejudice, was published anonymously and enjoyed immediate success. It is one of the great classic novels, still enjoyed by millions around the world.

Capture of Paris, 1871

1871- Paris, France: The French capital of Paris is taken by the Prussian army, after a four-month long siege during the Franco- Prussian War.

1915- Washington D.C, USA:  The US Congress establishes the US Coastguard, a combination of US Revenue Cutter Service and the US Lifesaving Service.

1955- Paris, France: Nicolas Sarkozy, French President from 2007 till 2012, was born in Paris.

 

Challenger explosion

1986- Florida, USA: The U.S. space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after lift-off from Florida, killing all seven astronauts aboard.