111 things happened on 28 December, from AD 418 to 2025. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
1065 · 961 years ago
Westminster Abbey in London, built by King Edward the Confessor, was consecrated, which means it was officially blessed as a church. It was the first church in England built in the Romanesque style. Since 1066, 40 English and British monarchs have been crowne…
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK story
Westminster Abbey in London, built by King Edward the Confessor, was consecrated, which means it was officially blessed as a church. It was the first church in England built in the Romanesque style. Since 1066, 40 English and British monarchs have been crowned there, and 18 monarchs are buried there. At least 16 royal weddings have also taken place in the abbey.
UK story
Election results showed that Constance Markievicz had become the first woman ever elected to the House of Commons. She won the seat of Dublin St Patrick's for Sinn Féin, a party that wanted Irish independence. Following her party's policy, she did not take her seat at Westminster. The count had been delayed so that votes from soldiers serving overseas could be included.
UK story
The Indian National Congress is founded in Bombay Presidency, British India.
The Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei became the first person to observe the planet Neptune, although he mistook it for a star. Neptune is the eighth and farthest known planet from the Sun, and it takes 164.8 years to travel once around it. It is named after the Roman god of the sea. Galileo is often called the father of observational astronomy.
The colony of South Australia was founded, along with its capital city, Adelaide. South Australia is now one of the states of Australia. It is the fourth-largest of the country's states and territories, and it includes some of the driest parts of the continent. More than two-thirds of South Australians live in or around Adelaide.
The German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen published a paper describing a new kind of radiation that he had discovered. These rays later became known as X-rays. In 1901 Röntgen became the very first person to win the Nobel Prize in Physics, for discovering them. The chemical element roentgenium is named in his honour.
The French brothers Auguste and Louis Lumière showed their films to a paying audience for the first time. The show took place at the Grand Café in Paris. The brothers made photography equipment and created the Cinématographe, a system for making and showing moving pictures. The short films they produced make them some of the earliest film-makers in history.
The last confirmed sighting of a huia took place in the Tararua Range on New Zealand's North Island. The huia was a kind of wattlebird found only on the North Island. Someone reported another believable sighting in 1924, but the huia is now extinct, which means none are left alive anywhere.
The American businesswoman Muriel Siebert became the first woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange. A stock exchange is a market where people buy and sell shares in companies, and owning a seat means being a member. She joined 1,365 male members. The New York Stock Exchange is the largest stock exchange in the world.
President Richard Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act into law in the United States. It is the country's main law for protecting animals and plants in danger of dying out. Its aims are to prevent extinction and to help species recover until they no longer need protecting. The US Supreme Court called it the most complete law of its kind passed by any nation.
A papal election begins, resulting in the election of Pope Boniface I.
Majorian is acclaimed as Western Roman emperor.
Alaric II (depicted) succeeded his father Euric as King of the Visigoths.
The reign of Emperor Hanazono of Japan begins.
The Marathas defeat the Adilshahi forces in the Battle of Kolhapur.
Taksin the Great was crowned king of the newly established Thonburi Kingdom at the new capital of Thonburi in present-day Thailand.
King Taksin's coronation achieved through conquest as a king of Thailand and established Thonburi as a capital.
Construction of Yonge Street, formerly recognized as the longest street in the world, begins in York, Upper Canada (present-day Toronto).
John C. Calhoun becomes the first Vice President of the United States to resign. He resigned after being elected Senator from South Carolina.
Osceola leads his Seminole warriors in Florida into the Second Seminole War against the United States Army.
Spain recognizes the independence of Mexico with the signing of the Santa María–Calatrava Treaty.
Iowa is admitted as the 29th U.S. state.
The Syracuse Athletic Club defeat the New York Philadelphians, 5–0, in the first indoor professional football game, which was held at Madison Square Garden.
The first municipally owned streetcars take to the streets in San Francisco.
Up to 1,000 lumber workers initiated a labor strike against the Virginia and Rainy Lake Lumber Company in Minnesota, United States, which lasted over a month.
The Tokyo Grand Sumo Association became the All Japan Sumo Association at the instigation of Prince-Regent Hirohito, laying the foundations for the world's sole professional sumo association.
World War II: After eight days of brutal house-to-house fighting, the 1st Canadian Infantry Division captured the Italian town of Ortona (pictured).
Maurice Richard becomes the first player to score eight points in one game of NHL ice hockey.
The DC-3 airliner NC16002 disappears 80 kilometres (50 mi) south of Miami.
Chin Peng, David Marshall and Tunku Abdul Rahman meet in Baling, Malaya to try to resolve the Malayan Emergency situation.
Vietnam War: Viet Cong regiments penetrated the eastern perimeters of the village of Bình Giã, beginning the Battle of Binh Gia.
Somali Civil War: Troops of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government and their Ethiopian allies captured Mogadishu unopposed.
Tibetan dissident filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen was imprisoned for subversion by Chinese authorities after a secret trial.
Netflix released Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, its first interactive content for adults.
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
In which year did this happen: “Westminster Abbey is consecrated”?
A: 1065. 1065 — that’s 961 years ago. Find it on the page
In which year did this happen: “Constance Markievicz becomes the first woman elected as an MP”?
A: 1918. 1918 — that’s 108 years ago. Find it on the page
Which of these happened first?
C: Westminster Abbey is consecrated. 1612: Galileo becomes the first person to see Neptune · 1918: Constance Markievicz becomes the first woman elected as an MP · 1065: Westminster Abbey is consecrated Find it on the page
“Maggie Smith” happened in 1934. How many years ago was that?
A: 92 years. 2026 − 1934 = 92. Find it on the page
Famous people whose birthday is 28 December.
UK story
Maggie Smith was a British actress whose career on stage and screen lasted eight decades. She was known for her wit in both funny and serious roles, and she won two Academy Awards. Many children know her as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films. She also acted in the films Hook and The Secret Garden.
UK story
Arthur Eddington was an English astrophysicist and mathematician. Around 1920 he was the first to suggest, correctly, that stars shine by fusing hydrogen into helium. He also explained Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity to English-speaking readers. His expedition to watch a solar eclipse in 1919 provided one of the earliest confirmations that Einstein's theory was right.
Well-known people who died on 28 December.
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 28 December somewhere in the world.
Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.
Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “December 28” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.