What are the important events that happened on January 28? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

January 28: Facts & Myths About This Day

January 28 is the 28^th day of the year 2024 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 338 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Sunday.

Under the Julian calendar, this day is January 15, 2024 – a Sunday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?

When this day started, 474,000 hours has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.

Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘icosioctagon’ day.

Aquarius is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Garnet is the modern birthstone for this month. Emerald is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 13 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.

The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,055 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

January 28 Historical Events

• 1724 –
  The Russian Academy of Sciences is founded in St. Petersburg by Peter the Great, and implemented by Senate decree. It is called the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences until 1917.
• 1821 –
  Alexander Island is first discovered by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen.
• 1846 –
  The Battle of Aliwal, India, is won by British troops commanded by Sir Harry Smith.
• 1855 –
  The first locomotive runs from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean on the Panama Railway.
• 1871 –
  Franco-Prussian War: the Siege of Paris ends in French defeat and an armistice.
• 1917 –
  Municipally owned streetcars take to the streets of San Francisco, California.
• 1922 –
  Knickerbocker Storm, Washington D.C.'s biggest snowfall, causes the city’s greatest loss of life when the roof of the Knickerbocker Theatre collapses.
• 1935 –
  Iceland becomes the first Western country to legalize therapeutic abortion.
• 1960 –
  New Year’s Day in Chinese calendar. Start of the year of the Metal Rat in Chinese astrology.
• 1985 –
  Supergroup USA for Africa (United Support of Artists for Africa) records the hit single We Are the World, to help raise funds for Ethiopian famine relief.

Who were born on January 28?

• 1608 –
  Giovanni Alfonso Borelli, Italian physiologist and physicist (d. 1679)
• 1719 –
  Johann Elias Schlegel, German critic and poet (d. 1749)
• 1880 –
  Herbert Strudwick, English cricketer (d. 1970)
• 1947 –
  Jeanne Shaheen, American politician, senior senator of New Hampshire
• 1963 –
  Dan Spitz, American musician, guitarist (Anthrax)
• 1969 –
  Mo Rocca, American writer and comedian
• 1975 –
  Terri Colombino, American actress
• 1981 –
  Elijah Wood, American actor
• 1987 –
  Chelsea Brummet, American actress
• 1989 –
  Josh Coulson, English footballer

Who died on January 28?

• 1681 –
  Richard Allestree, English royalist churchman (b. 1619)
• 1697 –
  John Fenwick, English conspirator
• 1832 –
  Augustin Daniel Belliard, French general (b. 1769)
• 1935 –
  Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov, Russian composer (b. 1859)
• 1939 –
  William Butler Yeats, Irish writer, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1865)
• 1948 –
  Arthur Liebehenschel, Commandant at Auschwitz concentration camp (b. 1901)
• 1953 –
  Derek Bentley, British criminal (b. 1933)
• 1965 –
  Tich Freeman, English cricketer (b. 1888)
• 2007 –
  Hsu Wei Lun, Taiwanese actress (b. 1978)
• 2007 –
  Yelena Romanova, Russian athlete (b. 1963)