From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

December 28 is the 362nd day of the year (363rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are three days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

• 1065 – Westminster Abbey is consecrated.
• 1308 – The reign of Emperor Hanazono, emperor of Japan, begins.
• 1612 – Galileo Galilei becomes the first astronomer to observe the planet Neptune, although he mistakenly catalogued it as a fixed star.
• 1768 – King Taksin's coronation achieved through conquest as a king of Thailand and established Thonburi as a capital.
• 1795 – Construction of Yonge Street, formerly recognized as the longest street in the world, begins in York, Upper Canada (present-day Toronto, Ontario).
• 1832 – John C. Calhoun becomes the first Vice President of the United States to resign.
• 1835 – Osceola leads his Seminole warriors in Florida into the Second Seminole War against the United States Army.
• 1836 – South Australia and Adelaide are founded.
• 1836 – Spain recognizes the independence of Mexico.
• 1846 – Iowa is admitted as the 29th U.S. state.
• 1867 – United States claims Midway Atoll, the first territory annexed outside Continental limits.
• 1879 – The Tay Bridge Disaster: The central part of the Tay Rail Bridge in Dundee, Scotland collapses as a train passes over it, killing 75.
• 1895 – The Lumière brothers perform for their first paying audience at the Grand Cafe in Boulevard des Capucines, marking the debut of the cinema.
• 1908 – An earthquake rocks Messina, Sicily killing over 75,000.
• 1912 – The first municipally owned streetcars take to the streets in San Francisco, California.
• 1918 – Constance Markiewicz while detained in Holloway prison, became the first woman to be elected MP to the British House of Commons.
• 1935 – Pravda publishes a letter by Pavel Postyshev, who revives New Year tree tradition in the Soviet Union.
• 1943 – World War II – After eight days of brutal house-to-house fighting, the battle of Ortona concludes with the victory of the1st Canadian Infantry Division over the German 1st Parachute Division and the capture of the Italian town of Ortona.
• 1944 – Maurice Richard becomes the first player to score 8 points in one game of NHL ice hockey.
• 1945 – The United States Congress officially recognizes the Pledge of Allegiance.
• 1948 – The DC-3 airliner NC16002 disappears 50 miles south of Miami, Florida.
• 1950 – The Peak District becomes the United Kingdom's first National Park.
• 1958 – "Greatest Game Ever Played" – Baltimore Colts defeat the New York Giants in the first ever National Football League sudden death overtime game at New York's Yankee Stadium.
• 1973 – The Endangered Species Act is passed in the United States.
• 1974 – Senegalese marxist group Reenu-Rew founds the political movement And-Jëf at a clandestine congress.
• 1989 – A magnitude 5.6 earthquake hits Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, killing 13 people.
• 1995 – In Glasgow Gerard Gilmour marries Angela Ross at St. Andrews Cathedral in Clyde Street Glasgow, the temperature that day was -18F.
• 2000 – U.S. retail giant Montgomery Ward announces it is going out of business after 128 years.
• 2007 – Nepal declares a federal democratic Republic by interim parliament, abolishing the monarchy.
• 2009 – 43 people die in a suicide bombing in Karachi, Pakistan, where Shia Muslims were observing the Day of Ashura.

Births

• 1164 – Emperor Rokujō of Japan (d. 1176)
• 1522 – Margaret of Austria, regent of the Netherlands (d. 1583)
• 1619 – Antoine Furetière, French writer (d. 1688)
• 1635 – Princess Elizabeth of England (d. 1650)
• 1655 – Charles Cornwallis, 3rd Baron Cornwallis, First Lord of the British Admiralty (d. 1698)
• 1665 – George FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Northumberland, British general (d. 1716)
• 1763 – John Molson, English-born Canadian brewer (d. 1836)
• 1778 – Franciszek Ksawery Drucki-Lubecki, Polish politician (d. 1846)
• 1842 – Calixa Lavallée, French-Canadian composer (O Canada) (d. 1891)
• 1856 – Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States, Nobel laureate (d. 1924)
• 1866 – Szymon Askenazy, Polish historian and diplomat (d. 1935)
• 1879 – Billy Mitchell, American military aviation pioneer (d. 1936)
• 1882 – Arthur Stanley Eddington, British astronomer (d. 1944)
• 1888 – Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau, German film director (d. 1931)
• 1898 – Carl-Gustaf Rossby, Swedish meteorologist (d. 1957)
• 1898 – Shigematsu Sakaibara, Japanese admiral (d. 1947)
• 1899 – Eugeniusz Bodo, Polish actor (d. 1943)
• 1902 – Mortimer Adler, American philosopher (d. 2001)
• 1902 – Shen Congwen, Chinese writer (d. 1988)
• 1903 – Earl Hines, American musician (d. 1983)
• 1903 – John von Neumann, Hungarian-born mathematician (d. 1957)
• 1905 – Cliff Arquette, American actor (d. 1974)
• 1908 – Lew Ayres, American actor (d. 1996)
• 1910 – Billy Williams, American singer (d. 1972)
• 1913 – Lou Jacobi, Canadian actor (d. 2009)
• 1914 – Bernard Youens, English actor (d. 1984)
• 1915 – Pops Staples, American musician (The Staple Singers) (d. 2000)
• 1922 – Stan Lee, American comic book writer
• 1924 – Milton Obote, President of Uganda (d. 2005)
• 1925 – Hildegard Knef, German actress (d. 2002)
• 1928 – Moe Koffman, Canadian musician (d. 2001)
• 1929 – Brian Redhead, British journalist (d. 1994)
• 1929 – Terry Sawchuk, Canadian hockey player (d. 1970)
• 1931 – Guy Debord, French writer (d. 1994)
• 1932 – Dhirubhai Ambani, Indian businessman (d. 2002)
• 1932 – Dorsey Burnette, American singer (d. 1979)
• 1932 – Roy Hattersley, British politician
• 1932 – Harry Howell, Canadian hockey player
• 1932 – Nichelle Nichols, American actress and singer
• 1932 – Manuel Puig, Argentine writer (d. 1990)
• 1933 – John Y. Brown, Jr., American politician
• 1934 – Dame Maggie Smith, British actress
• 1934 – Yujiro Ishihara, Japanese actor (d. 1987)
• 1936 – Jacques Mesrine, French criminal (d. 1979)
• 1936 – Lawrence Schiller, American journalist
• 1937 – Ratan Tata, Indian industrialist
• 1938 – Dick Sudhalter, American jazz musician (d. 2008)
• 1938 – Lagumot Harris, Nauruan politician and former President (d. 1999)
• 1939 – Philip Anschutz, American businessman
• 1940 – Don Francisco, Chilean television host
• 1942 – Roger Swerts, Belgian cyclist
• 1943 – Keith Floyd, British chef (d. 2009)
• 1943 – David Peterson, Canadian politician
• 1943 – Richard Whiteley, British television presenter (d. 2005)
• 1944 – Johnny Isakson, American politician
• 1944 – Kary Mullis, American chemist, Nobel laureate
• 1946 – Edgar Winter, American musician
• 1946 – Mike Beebe, American politician, governor of Arkansas
• 1946 – Pierre Falardeau, Quebec film director
• 1946 – Tim Johnson, American politician, senior senator from South Dakota
• 1947 – Aurelio Rodríguez, Mexican baseball player (d. 2000)
• 1950 – Alex Chilton, American musician (The Box Tops, Big Star) (d. 2010)
• 1950 – Øivind Blunck, Norwegian comedian and actor
• 1951 – Ian Buruma, Anglo-Dutch scholar and writer on Japan and the Far East
• 1952 – Arun Jaitley, Indian Politician
• 1953 – Richard Clayderman, French pianist
• 1953 – Tatsumi Fujinami, Japanese professional wrestler
• 1954 – Gayle King, American magazine editor
• 1954 – Denzel Washington, American actor
• 1954 – Lanny Poffo, American professional wrestler
• 1956 – Nigel Kennedy, British violinist
• 1957 – Anne Sargeant, Australian netballer
• 1958 – Twila Paris, American singer
• 1959 – Ana Torroja, Spanish singer (Mecano)
• 1960 – Raymond Bourque, Canadian hockey player
• 1960 – Melvin Turpin, American basketball player
• 1961 – Kent Nielsen, Danish footballer and football coach
• 1962 – Rachel Z, American pianist
• 1962 – Michel Petrucciani, French pianist (d. 1999)
• 1962 – Melissa R. Kelly, former Maryland politician
• 1962 – Choi Soo Jong, South Korean actor
• 1962 – Niel van der Watt, South African composer
• 1964 – Maite Zúñiga, Spanish athlete
• 1967 – Chris Ware, American cartoonist
• 1969 – Linus Torvalds, Finnish computer programmer
• 1970 – Elaine Hendrix, American actress
• 1970 – Francesca Le, American porn star
• 1971 – Frank Sepe, American bodybuilder
• 1971 – Benny Agbayani, American baseball player
• 1971 – William Gates, American basketball player
• 1972 – Patrick Rafter, Australian tennis player
• 1972 – Roberto Palacios, Peruvian footballer
• 1972 – Adam Vinatieri, American football player
• 1973 – Alex Dimitriades, Australian actor
• 1973 – Herborg Kråkevik, Norwegian singer and actress
• 1973 – Seth Meyers, American actor
• 1974 – Jason Ridge, American porn actor
• 1974 – Rob Niedermayer, Canadian-born ice-hockey player
• 1975 – B.J. Ryan, American baseball player
• 1977 – Shane Elford, Australian rugby league player
• 1978 – Chris Coyne, Australian footballer
• 1978 – John Legend, American musician
• 1979 – James Blake, American tennis player
• 1979 – Bill Hall, American baseball player
• 1979 – Senna Guemmour, German Singer (Monrose)
• 1980 – Lomana LuaLua, Congo footballer
• 1980 – Vanessa Ferlito, American actress
• 1981 – Elizabeth Jordan Carr, first American test-tube baby
• 1981 – Sienna Miller, British actress
• 1981 – Khalid Boulahrouz, Dutch footballer
• 1981 – Mika Väyrynen, Finnish footballer
• 1982 – Cedric Benson, American football player
• 1982 – François Gourmet, Belgian decathlete
• 1982 – Kevin Pereira, American television host
• 1983 – Mike He, Taiwanese actor
• 1984 – Leroy Lita, English footballer
• 1984 – Alex Lloyd, British racing driver
• 1985 – Kamani Hill, American footballer
• 1985 – Taryn Terrell, American wrestler/model
• 1986 – Tom Huddlestone, English footballer
• 1987 – Thomas Dekker, American actor
• 1987 – Christopher Thomson, Australian musician
• 1989 – Mackenzie Rosman, American actress
• 1990 – David Archuleta, American Idol runner-up, American singer
• 2001 – Madison De La Garza, American child actress
• 2002 – Kelsey Smith-Briggs, American murder victim (d.2005)

Deaths

• 300 – Theonas, Patriarch of Alexandria
• 1367 – Ashikaga Yoshiakira, Japanese shogun (b. 1330)
• 1446 – Antipope Clement VIII
• 1503 – Piero di Lorenzo de' Medici, ruler of Florence (b. 1471)
• 1558 – Hermann Finck, German composer (b. 1527)
• 1622 – Francis de Sales, Bishop of Geneva and saint (b. 1567)
• 1663 – Francesco Maria Grimaldi, Italian mathematician and physicist (b. 1618)
• 1671 – Johann Friedrich Gronovius, German classical scholar (b. 1611)
• 1694 – Queen Mary II of England (b. 1662), of the joint monarchy William and Mary
• 1703 – Mustafa II, Ottoman Sultan (b. 1664)
• 1706 – Pierre Bayle, French philosopher (b. 1647)
• 1708 – Joseph Pitton de Tournefort, French botanist (b. 1656)
• 1715 – William Carstares, Scottish minister (b. 1649)
• 1734 – Robert Roy MacGregor, Scottish folk hero (b. 1671)
• 1736 – Antonio Caldara, Italian composer (b. 1670)
• 1795 – Eugenio Espejo, Ecuadorian scientist (b. 1747)
• 1859 – Thomas Macaulay, British poet (b. 1800)
• 1872 – James Van Ness, Mayor of San Francisco (1855-1856) (b. 1808)
• 1877 – Nikolay Nekrasov, Russian poet (b. 1821)
• 1897 – Rev. William Corby, American Catholic priest (b. 1833)
• 1900 – Alexandre de Serpa Pinto, Portuguese explorer (b. 1846)
• 1916 – Eduard Strauss, Austrian composer (b. 1835)
• 1917 – Alfred Edwin McKay, Canadian World War One flying ace (b. 1892)
• 1918 – Olavo Bilac, Brazilian poet (b. 1865)
• 1919 – Johannes Rydberg, Swedish physicist (b. 1854)
• 1924 – Léon Bakst, Russian artist (b. 1866)
• 1932 – Jack Blackham, Australian cricketer (b. 1854)
• 1937 – Maurice Ravel, French composer (b. 1875)
• 1938 – Florence Lawrence, American actress (b. 1886)
• 1943 – Steve Evans, American baseball player (b. 1885)
• 1945 – Theodore Dreiser, American author (b. 1871)
• 1947 – King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy (b. 1869)
• 1949 – Jack Lovelock, New Zealand athlete (b. 1910)
• 1952 – Fletcher Henderson, American musician (b. 1897)
• 1959 – Ante Pavelić, leader of Nazi Germany puppet Independent State of Croatia (b. 1889)
• 1962 – Kathleen Clifford, American actress (b. 1887)
• 1963 – Paul Hindemith, German composer (b. 1895)
• 1967 – Katharine McCormick, American women's rights activist (b. 1875)
• 1971 – Max Steiner, Austrian-born American film music composer (b. 1888)
• 1976 – Katharine Byron, American politician (b. 1903)
• 1976 – Freddie King, American musician (b. 1934)
• 1981 – Allan Dwan, Canadian-born film director (b. 1885)
• 1983 – William Demarest, American actor (b. 1892)
• 1983 – Jimmy Demaret, American golfer (b. 1910)
• 1983 – Dennis Wilson, American musician (The Beach Boys) (b. 1944)
• 1984 – Sam Peckinpah, American film director (b. 1925)
• 1986 – Andrei Tarkovsky, Russian film director (b. 1932)
• 1989 – Hermann Oberth, German physicist (b. 1894)
• 1991 – Cassandra Harris, Australian actress (b. 1952)
• 1992 – Sal Maglie, American baseball player (b. 1917)
• 1993 – William L. Shirer, American journalist (b. 1904)
• 1994 – Jean-Louis Lévesque, French Canadian entrepreneur (b. 1911)
• 1999 – Clayton Moore, American actor (b. 1914)
• 2001 – Samuel A. Goldblith, American food scientist (b. 1919)
• 2001 – William X. Kienzle, American novelist (b. 1928)
• 2003 – Benjamin Hacker, American admiral (b. 1935)
• 2004 – Jerry Orbach, American actor (b. 1935)
• 2004 – Susan Sontag, American writer (b. 1933)
• 2006 – Jamal Karimi-Rad, Iranian Minister of Justice (b. 1956)
• 2007 – Aidin Nikkhah Bahrami, Iran national basketball team player (b. 1982)
• 2009 – James Owen "The Rev" Sullivan, American musician drummer of Avenged Sevenfold (b. 1981)

Holidays and observances

• The fourth day of Christmas in Western Christianity.
• Proclamation Day in South Australia
• Roman Catholic / Eastern Orthodox saints – Feast of the Holy Innocents, also known as Childermas, commemorating the Massacre of the Innocents on order of King Herod Archelaus. In Spain and Latin American countries the festival is celebrated in a manner similar to April Fools' Day.
• Abel is commemorated on this day in the Coptic Church
• The third day of Kwanzaa is celebrated among African-Americans.

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada

From Wikiquote

Quotes of the day from previous years:

2004

Physics isn't the most important thing. Love is. ~ Richard Feynman

• selected by Kalki, — This statement has been discovered to very probably be a misattribution, and seems to have been created as part of a paraphrase of Feynman's note to the mother of Marcus Chown: "Tell your son to stop trying to fill your head with science — for to fill your heart with love is enough." ~ Kalki 01:29, 26 December 2008 (UTC)

2005

No nation is fit to sit in judgement upon any other nation. ~ Woodrow Wilson, (born 28 December 1856)

• proposed by UDScott

2006

The length of one's days matters less than the love of one's family and friends. ~ Gerald Ford (recent death)

• proposed by Kalki

2007

The forces of moderation and democracy must, and will, prevail against extremism and dictatorship. I will not be intimidated. ... Despite threats of death, I will not acquiesce to tyranny, but rather lead the fight against it. ~ Benazir Bhutto (recent death)

• proposed by Kalki

2008

Nothing is so galling to a people not broken in from the birth as a paternal, or, in other words, a meddling government, a government which tells them what to read, and say, and eat, and drink and wear. ~ Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay (Date of death)

• proposed by UDScott

2009 

Rank or add further suggestions…

Ranking system:

4 : Excellent - should definitely be used.

3 : Very Good - strong desire to see it used.

2 : Good - some desire to see it used.

1 : Acceptable - but with no particular desire to see it used.

0 : Not acceptable - not appropriate for use as a quote of the day.

Suggestions

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to The Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. ~ Pledge of Allegience, officially recognized by the U.S. Congress on this date in 1945

• 3 ~ UDScott 15:03, 14 December 2005 (UTC)
• 0 (not everyone is American) - --Mister Six 11:10, 16 December 2005 (UTC)
• 4 Significant historical event worth commemoration. Ezratrumpet 06:38, 23 December 2006 (UTC)
• 1 Kalki 15:39, 26 December 2006 (UTC)
• 1 InvisibleSun 07:13, 27 December 2006 (UTC)
• 0 because I completely agree with Mister Six. Zarbon 20:48, 26 April 2008 (UTC)

There is such thing as a man being too proud to fight. ~ Woodrow Wilson (born December 28, 1856)

• 3 InvisibleSun 07:13, 27 December 2006 (UTC)
• 3 Kalki 22:31, 27 December 2006 (UTC) with a lean toward 4.
• 3 Zarbon 20:48, 26 April 2008 (UTC)

Only a peace between equals can last. ~ Woodrow Wilson

• 4 InvisibleSun 07:13, 27 December 2006 (UTC)
• 2 Kalki 22:31, 27 December 2006 (UTC)
• 2 Zarbon 20:48, 26 April 2008 (UTC)

Our neighbors use searchlights, for they want more light. I tell you... we need more darkness. ~ Ivan Konev (born December 28)

• 4 because this has deep meaning...sometimes it is better to have a century of peace (darkness) and serenity rather than one that sparks (light) problems. Very beautiful dynamic here. Zarbon 06:43, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
  • SOURCE: The Last Battle - Page 354 by Cornelius Ryan - History - 1995
• 2 Kalki 01:21, 26 December 2008 (UTC)
• 2 InvisibleSun 22:47, 27 December 2008 (UTC)

...the best teacher is one who learns in the process of teaching. ~ Mortimer Adler

• 3 Zarbon 06:11, 10 December 2008 (UTC)
• 2 Kalki 01:21, 26 December 2008 (UTC) with a lean toward 3.
• 2 InvisibleSun 22:47, 27 December 2008 (UTC)

The great books of ancient and medieval as well as modern times are a repository of knowledge and wisdom, a tradition of culture which must initiate each generation. ~ Mortimer Adler

• 2 Zarbon 06:11, 10 December 2008 (UTC)
• 3 Kalki 01:21, 26 December 2008 (UTC)

Any kid who has two parents who are interested in him and has a houseful of books isn't poor. ~ Sam Levenson

• 2 Zarbon 06:11, 10 December 2008 (UTC)
• 3 Kalki 01:21, 26 December 2008 (UTC)

Don't watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going. ~ Sam Levenson

• 2 Zarbon 06:11, 10 December 2008 (UTC)
• 3 Kalki 01:21, 26 December 2008 (UTC)

When I was a boy I used to do what my father wanted. Now I have to do what my boy wants. My problem is: When am I going to do what I want? ~ Sam Levenson

• 2 for comic value. Zarbon 06:11, 10 December 2008 (UTC)
• 2 Kalki 01:21, 26 December 2008 (UTC)

A film is just like a muffin. You make it. You put it on the table. One person might say, "Oh, I don't like it". One might say it's the best muffin ever made. One might say it's an awful muffin. It's hard for me to say. It's for me to make the muffin. ~ Denzel Washington

• 2 Zarbon 06:11, 10 December 2008 (UTC)
• 2 Kalki 01:21, 26 December 2008 (UTC)

Face front, true believer! ~ Stan Lee

• 2 Zarbon 06:11, 10 December 2008 (UTC)
• 1 Kalki 01:21, 26 December 2008 (UTC)
• 2 InvisibleSun 22:47, 27 December 2008 (UTC)

Young man, in mathematics you don't understand things. You just get used to them. ~ John von Neumann

• 2 Zarbon 06:11, 10 December 2008 (UTC)
• 3 Kalki 01:21, 26 December 2008 (UTC) with a strong lean toward 4.
• 3 InvisibleSun 22:47, 27 December 2008 (UTC)

You wake me up early in the morning to tell me that I'm right? Please wait until I'm wrong. ~ John von Neumann

• 2 Zarbon 06:11, 10 December 2008 (UTC)
• 3 Kalki 01:21, 26 December 2008 (UTC)
• 2 InvisibleSun 22:47, 27 December 2008 (UTC)

In the transmuted world new significances arise which are scarcely to be traced in the world of symbols; so that it becomes a world of beauty and purpose — and, alas, suffering and evil. ~ Arthur Stanley Eddington

• 3 Zarbon 06:11, 10 December 2008 (UTC)
• 3 Kalki 01:21, 26 December 2008 (UTC) — but would extend this to end with "The frank realisation that physical science is concerned with a world of shadows is one of the most significant of recent advances." with a very strong lean toward 4, but now would extend this even further than previously to read:

The external world of physics has … become a world of shadows. In removing our illusions we have removed the substance, for indeed we have seen that substance is one of the greatest of our illusions. ... The sparsely spread nuclei of electric force become a tangible solid; their restless agitation becomes the warmth of summer; the octave of aethereal vibrations becomes a gorgeous rainbow. Nor does the alchemy stop here. In the transmuted world new significances arise which are scarcely to be traced in the world of symbols; so that it becomes a world of beauty and purpose — and, alas, suffering and evil.
The frank realisation that physical science is concerned with a world of shadows is one of the most significant of recent advances.

• 3 for extended quote. - InvisibleSun 22:47, 27 December 2008 (UTC)

It is not too much to hope that in the not too distant future we shall be competent to understand so simple a thing as a star.

OR

At terrestrial temperatures matter has complex properties which are likely to prove most difficult to unravel; but it is reasonable to hope that in the not too distant future we shall be competent to understand so simple a thing as a star. ~ Arthur Stanley Eddington

• 3 for both short and long versions. Zarbon 06:11, 10 December 2008 (UTC)
• 4 Kalki (talk · contributions) 19:55, 22 December 2009 (UTC) * 3 Kalki 01:21, 26 December 2008 (UTC) — slightly prefer the short version. but have shifted to having a slight preference for longer version.
• 3 for shorter version. - InvisibleSun 22:47, 27 December 2008 (UTC)

We used to think that if we knew one, we knew two, because one and one are two. We are finding that we must learn a great deal more about 'and'. ~ Arthur Stanley Eddington

• 3 Kalki 01:21, 26 December 2008 (UTC) with a very strong lean toward 4.
• 2 Zarbon 05:22, 26 December 2008 (UTC)
• 3 InvisibleSun 22:47, 27 December 2008 (UTC)

It is difficult for the matter-of-fact physicist to accept the view that the substratum of everything is of mental character. But no one can deny that mind is the first and most direct thing in our experience, and all else is remote inference — inference either intuitive or deliberate. ~ Arthur Stanley Eddington

• 3 Kalki 01:21, 26 December 2008 (UTC) with a very strong lean toward 4.
• 2 Zarbon 05:22, 26 December 2008 (UTC)
• 3 InvisibleSun 22:47, 27 December 2008 (UTC)

The universe is of the nature of a thought or sensation in a universal Mind... To put the conclusion crudely — the stuff of the world is mind-stuff. ~ Arthur Stanley Eddington

• 3 Kalki (talk · contributions) 19:52, 22 December 2009 (UTC) * 4 Kalki 01:21, 26 December 2008 (UTC) with a very strong lean toward 4.
• 1 Zarbon 05:22, 26 December 2008 (UTC)
• 3 InvisibleSun 22:47, 27 December 2008 (UTC)

• The emperor needs all the headmasters he can get. If a quarter of his people were headmasters he would be perfectly happy. But more than two poets would tear his kingdom apart. ~ Alasdair Gray
• 3 Kalki 23:44, 18 March 2009 (UTC)

Work as if you live in the early days of a better nation. ~ Alasdair Gray

• 3 Kalki 23:44, 18 March 2009 (UTC) with a very strong lean toward 4.

From StrategyWiki, the free strategy guide and walkthrough wiki

Games released on December 28.

From Familypedia

December 28 is the 362nd day of the year (363rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 3 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

• 1065 - Westminster Abbey is consecrated.
• 1308 - The reign of Emperor Hanazono, emperor of Japan, begins.
• 1612 - Galileo Galilei becomes the first astronomer to observe the planet Neptune, although he mistakenly catalogued it as a fixed star.
• 1832 - John C. Calhoun becomes the first Vice President of the United States to resign.
• 1835 - Osceola led his Seminole warriors in Florida into the Second Seminole War against the U.S. Army.
• 1836 - South Australia and Adelaide are founded.
• 1836 - Spain recognizes independence of Mexico.
• 1846 - Iowa is admitted as the 29th U.S. state.
• 1867 - United States claims Midway Island, first territory annexed outside Continental limits.
• 1869 - William E. Semple of Mount Vernon patents chewing gum.
• 1879 - The Tay Bridge Disaster: The central part of the Tay Rail Bridge in Dundee, Scotland collapses as a train passed over it, killing 75.
• 1895 - The Lumière brothers have their first paying audience at the Grand Cafe in Boulevard des Capucines marking the debut of the cinema.
• 1902 - The first indoor professional American football game is played in New York City at Madison Square Garden.
• 1908 - An earthquake rocks Messina, Sicily killing over 75,000.
• 1912 - The first municipally owned streetcars take to the streets in San Francisco.
• 1935 - Pravda publishes a letter by Pavel Postyshev, who revives New Year tree tradition in the Soviet Union.
• 1939 - First flight of the Consolidated XB-24 Liberator" bomber prototype.
• 1945 - The U.S. Congress officially recognizes the Pledge of Allegiance.
• 1948 - The DC-3 airliner NC16002 disappears 50 miles south of Miami, Florida.
• 1950 - The Peak District becomes the United Kingdom's first National Park.
• 1959 - Jazz pianist Bill Evans records the album Portrait in Jazz with his newly formed Bill Evans Trio.
• 1973 - The Endangered Species Act is passed in the United States.
• 1974 - Senegalese marxist group Reenu-Rew founds the political movement And-Jëf at a clandestine congress.
• 1981 - The first American test-tube baby, Elizabeth Jordan Carr, is born in Norfolk.
• 1989 - A magnitude 5.6 earthquake hits Newcastle, Australia, killing 13 people.
• 1999 - Saparmurat Niyazov is proclaimed President for Life in Turkmenistan.
• 2000 - U.S. retail giant Montgomery Ward announces it is going out of business after 128 years.
• 2005 - A U.S. immigration judge orders John Demjanjuk deported to Ukraine for crimes against humanity committed during World War II

Births

• 1164 - Emperor Rokujō of Japan (d. 1176)
• 1522 - Margaret of Austria, regent of the Netherlands (d. 1583)
• 1619 - Antoine Furetière, French writer (d. 1688)
• 1635 - Princess Elizabeth of England (d. 1650)
• 1655 - Charles Cornwallis, First Lord of the British Admiralty (d. 1698)
• 1665 - George FitzRoy, British general (d. 1716)
• 1763 - John Molson, English-born Canadian brewer (d. 1836)
• 1778 - Franciszek Ksawery Drucki-Lubecki, Polish politician (d. 1846)
• 1842 - Calixa Lavallée, French-Canadian composer (O Canada) (d. 1891)
• 1856 - Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States, Nobel laureate (d. 1924)
• 1866 - Szymon Askenazy, Polish diplomat (d. 1935)
• 1879 - Billy Mitchell, American military aviation pioneer (d. 1936)
• 1882 - Arthur Stanley Eddington, British astronomer (d. 1944)
• 1888 - Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau, German film director (d. 1931)
• 1898 - Carl-Gustaf Rossby, Swedish meteorologist (d. 1957)
• 1898 - Shigematsu Sakaibara, Japanese admiral (d. 1947)
• 1899 - Eugeniusz Bodo, Polish actor (d. 1943)
• 1902 - Mortimer Adler, American philosopher (d. 2001)
• 1902 - Shen Congwen, Chinese writer (d. 1988)
• 1903 - Earl Hines, American musician (d. 1983)
• 1903 - John von Neumann, Hungarian-born mathematician (d. 1957)
• 1905 - Cliff Arquette, American actor (d. 1974)
• 1908 - Lew Ayres, American actor (d. 1996)
• 1913 - Lou Jacobi, Canadian actor
• 1915 - Pops Staples, American musician (The Staple Singers) (d. 2000)
• 1922 - Stan Lee, American comic book writer
• 1924 - Milton Obote, President of Uganda (d. 2005)
• 1925 - Hildegard Knef, German actress (d. 2002)
• 1928 - Moe Koffman, Canadian musician (d. 2001)
• 1929 - Brian Redhead, British journalist (d. 1994)
• 1929 - Terry Sawchuk, Canadian hockey player (d. 1970)
• 1931 - Guy Debord, French writer (d. 1994)
• 1932 - Dhirubhai Ambani, Indian businessman (d. 2002)
• 1932 - Manuel Puig, Argentine writer (d. 1990)
• 1932 - Roy Hattersley, British politician
• 1932 - Dorsey Burnette, American singer (d. 1979)
• 1932 - Harry Howell, Canadian hockey player
• 1933 - Nichelle Nichols, American actress
• 1933 - John Y. Brown, American politician
• 1934 - Dame Maggie Smith, British actress
• 1934 - Yujiro Ishihara, Japanese actor (d. 1987)
• 1936 - Jacques Mesrine, French criminal (d. 1979)
• 1937 - Ratan Tata, Indian industrialist
• 1939 - Philip Anschutz, American businessman
• 1940 - Don Francisco, Chilean television host
• 1943 - Richard Whiteley, British television presenter (d. 2005)
• 1943 - David Peterson, Canadian politician
• 1944 - Johnny Isakson, American politician
• 1944 - Kary Mullis, American chemist, Nobel laureate
• 1946 - Edgar Winter, American musician
• 1946 - Pierre Falardeau, Quebec film director
• 1947 - Aurelio Rodríguez, Mexican baseball player (d. 2000)
• 1950 - Alex Chilton, American musician (Box Tops)
• 1950 - Øivind Blunck, Norwegian comedian and actor
• 1951 - Ian Buruma, Anglo-Dutch scholar and writer on Japan and the Far East.
• 1953 - Richard Clayderman, French pianist
• 1954 - Denzel Washington, American actor
• 1956 - Nigel Kennedy, British violinist
• 1957 - Anne Sargeant, Australian netballer
• 1959 - Ana Torroja, Spanish singer (Mecano)
• 1959 - Phil Abrams, American actor
• 1960 - Raymond Bourque, Canadian hockey player
• 1962 - Rachel Z, American pianist
• 1962 - Michel Petrucciani, French pianist (d. 1999)
• 1962 - Melissa R. Kelly, former Maryland politician
• 1967 - Chris Ware, American cartoonist
• 1969 - Linus Torvalds, Finnish computer programmer
• 1970 - Francesca Le, American porn star
• 1971 - Frank Sepe, American bodybuilder
• 1971 - Benny Agbayani, American baseball player
• 1972 - Patrick Rafter, Australian tennis player
• 1972 - Adam Vinatieri, American football player
• 1973 - Herborg Kråkevik, Norwegian singer and actress
• 1973 - Seth Meyers, American actor
• 1974 - Jason Ridge, American porn actor
• 1975 - B.J. Ryan, American baseball player
• 1977 - Shane Elford, Australian sportsman
• 1978 - John Legend, American musician
• 1979 - James Blake, American tennis player
• 1979 - Bill Hall, American baseball player
• 1980 - Lomana LuaLua, Congo footballer
• 1980 - Vanessa Ferlito, American actress
• 1981 - Sienna Miller, British actress
• 1981 - Mika Väyrynen, Finnish footballer
• 1982 - Cedric Benson, American football player
• 1982 - Kevin Pereira, American television host
• 1982 - Quinton Porter, American football player
• 1983 - Mike He, Taiwanese actor
• 1984 - Leroy Lita, English footballer
• 1984 - Alex Lloyd, British racing driver
• 1986 - Tom Huddlestone, English footballer
• 1987 - Thomas Dekker, American actor

Deaths

• 300 - Theonas, Patriarch of Alexandria
• 1367 - Ashikaga Yoshiakira, Japanese shogun (b. 1330)
• 1446 - Antipope Clement VIII
• 1503 - Piero di Lorenzo de' Medici, ruler of Florence (b. 1471)
• 1558 - Hermann Finck, German composer (b. 1527)
• 1622 - Francis de Sales, Bishop of Geneva and saint (b. 1567)
• 1663 - Francesco Maria Grimaldi, Italian mathematician and physicist (b. 1618)
• 1671 - Johann Friedrich Gronovius, German classical scholar (b. 1611)
• 1694 - Queen Mary II of England (b. 1662), of the famed joint monarchy William and Mary.
• 1703 - Mustafa II, Ottoman Sultan (b. 1664)
• 1706 - Pierre Bayle, French philosopher (b. 1647)
• 1708 - Joseph Pitton de Tournefort, French botanist (b. 1656)
• 1715 - William Carstares, Scottish minister (b. 1649)
• 1734 - Robert Roy MacGregor, Scottish folk hero (b. 1671)
• 1736 - Antonio Caldara, Italian composer (b. 1670)
• 1795 - Eugenio Espejo, Ecuadorian scientist (b. 1747)
• 1859 - Thomas Macaulay, British poet (b. 1800)
• 1872 - James Van Ness, Mayor of San Francisco (1855-1856) (b. 1808)
• 1877 - Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov, Russian poet (b. 1821)
• 1900 - Alexandre Alberto da Rocha de Serpa Pinto, Portuguese explorer (b. 1846)
• 1916 - Eduard Strauss, Austrian composer (b. 1835)
• 1917 - Alfred Edwin McKay, Canadian World War One flying ace (b. 1892)
• 1918 - Olavo Bilac, Brazilian poet (b. 1865)
• 1919 - Johannes Rydberg, Swedish physicist (b. 1854)
• 1924 - Léon Bakst, Russian artist (b. 1866)
• 1925 - Sergei Yesenin, Russian poet (b. 1895)
• 1932 - Jack Blackham, Australian cricketer (b. 1854)
• 1937 - Maurice Ravel, French composer (b. 1875)
• 1938 - Florence Lawrence, American actress (b. 1886)
• 1943 - Steve Evans, American baseball player (b. 1885)
• 1945 - Theodore Dreiser, American author (b. 1871)
• 1947 - King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy (b. 1869)
• 1949 - Jack Lovelock, New Zealand athlete (b. 1910)
• 1952 - Fletcher Henderson, American musician (b. 1897)
• 1962 - Kathleen Clifford, American actress (b. 1887)
• 1963 - Paul Hindemith, German composer (b. 1895)
• 1967 - Katharine McCormick, American women's rights activist (b. 1875)
• 1971 - Max Steiner, Austrian-born American film music composer (b. 1888)
• 1976 - Katharine Byron, American politician (b. 1903)
• 1976 - Freddie King, American musician (b. 1934)
• 1981 - Allan Dwan, Canadian-born film director (b. 1885)
• 1983 - William Demarest, American actor (b. 1892)
• 1983 - Jimmy Demaret, American golfer (b. 1910)
• 1983 - Dennis Wilson, American musician (The Beach Boys) (b. 1944)
• 1984 - Sam Peckinpah, American film director (b. 1925)
• 1986 - Andrei Tarkovsky, Russian film director (b. 1932)
• 1989 - Hermann Oberth, German physicist (b. 1894)
• 1991 - Cassandra Harris, Australian actress (b. 1952)
• 1992 - Sal Maglie, American baseball player (b. 1917)
• 1994 - Jean-Louis Lévesque, French Canadian entrepreneur (b. 1911)
• 1999 - Clayton Moore, American actor (b. 1914)
• 2001 - Samuel A. Goldblith, American food scientist (b. 1919)
• 2001 - William X. Kienzle, American novelist (b. 1928)
• 2003 - Benjamin Hacker, American admiral (b. 1935)
• 2004 - Jerry Orbach, American actor (b. 1935)
• 2004 - Susan Sontag, American writer (b. 1933)
• 2006 - Jamal Karimi-Rad, Iranian Minister of Justice (b. 1956)

Holidays and observances

• The third day of Christmas in Western Christianity.
• Proclamation Day in South Australia
• R.C. Saints - Feast of the Holy Innocents, also known as Childermas, commemorating the Massacre of the Innocents on order of King Herod the Great. In Spain and Latin American countries the festival is celebrated in a manner similar to April Fool's Day.
• Abel is commemorated on this day in the Coptic Church

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day

• On This Day in Canada