This Day In History : October 28

2009 United States

NASA successfully launches the Ares I-X mission

NASA successfully launched the Ares I-X mission on October 28, 2009. This flight was a crucial test for the Ares I rocket, which was part of NASA's Constellation program aimed at returning astronauts to the Moon and beyond. Ares I-X was an uncrewed test flight designed to validate the design and performance of the Ares I rocket's first stage and its separation systems.

Also on This Day in History October 28

Discover what happened on October 28 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries,
famous births and notable deaths.

Births on This Day, October 28
  • 1955 Bill Gates

    American businessman and billionaire (founder and CEO of Microsoft, richest person in the world)

  • 1914 Jonas Salk

    American medical researcher and virologist who created the Polio vaccine

  • 1804 Pierre François Verhulst

    Belgian mathematician (logistic curve)

  • 1893 Christopher Kelk Ingold

    English chemist (Cahn–Ingold–Prelog priority rules)

  • 1955 Indra Nooyi

    Indian American businesswoman (CEO of PepsiCo)

Deaths on This Day, October 28
  • 2005 Richard E. Smalley

    American chemist and physicist, known as the father of nanotechnology

  • 1916 Cleveland Abbe

    American meteorologist (Father of Weather Bureau)

  • 1841 Johan August Arfwedson

    Swedish chemist, (a pupil of Jöns Berzelius) who discovered lithium in a compound obtained from petalite

  • 1899 Ottmar Mergenthaler

    German-American inventor who invented the linotype machine that revolutionized printing

  • 1944 Helen Magill White

    American educator and 1st woman to earn a Ph.D. in the U.S.

1886

The Statue of Liberty is dedicated by United States President Grover Cleveland

The Statue of Liberty was dedicated by United States President Grover Cleveland on October 28, 1886. It was a significant event symbolizing friendship between France and the United States and celebrating liberty and freedom.
1891

The largest inland earthquake in Japan, the Mino-Owari earthquake is an 8.0

The Mino-Owari earthquake, with a magnitude of 8.0, struck Japan on October 28, 1891. It caused widespread damage and is notable for being one of the largest inland earthquakes in Japanese history.
1918

The First Czechoslovak Republic established

The First Czechoslovak Republic was established on October 28, 1918, following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after World War I. This new republic emerged as an independent state comprising the Czech lands (Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia) and Slovakia. It represented a significant moment in the history of Central Europe, marking the beginning of Czechoslovakia as a sovereign nation.
1919

US Congress Passes the Volstead Act

The Volstead Act was passed by the U.S. Congress on October 28, 1919. It provided the legal framework to enforce Prohibition, which banned the production, distribution, and sale of alcoholic beverages in the United States.
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