28 May History
- 585 BC - A solar eclipse interrupts a battle outside of Sardis in western Turkey between Medes and Lydians. The battle ends in a draw.
- 1805 - Napoleon is crowned in Milan, Italy.
- 1830 - Congress authorizes Indian removal from all states to the western Prairie.
- 1863 - The 54th Massachusetts, a regiment of African-American recruits, leaves Boston, headed for Hilton Head, South Carolina.
- 1859 - The French army launches a flanking attack on the Austrian army in Northern France.
- 1871 - The Paris commune is suppressed by troops from Versailles.
- 1900 - Britain annexes the Orange Free State in South Africa.
- 1940 - Belgium surrenders to Germany.
- 1953 - Melody, the first animated 3-D cartoon in Technicolor, premiers.
- 1961 - Amnesty International, a human rights organization, is founded.
28 May Birthdays
- 1759 - William Pitt the Younger, prime minister of England (1783-1801).
- 1738 - Dr. Joseph Ignace Guillotine, French inventor of the execution device which bears his name.
- 1779 - Thomas Moore, Irish poet.
- 1807 - Jean Agassiz, naturalist and educator.
- 1818 - P.G.T. Beauregard, Confederate general during the American Civil War.
- 1888 - Jim Thorpe, American athlete.
- 1908 - Ian Fleming, British novelist, created the character James Bond.
- 1910 - T-Bone Walker, blues guitarist and singer.
- 1912 - Patrick White, Australian writer (The Tree of Man, The Eye of the Storm).
- 1916 - Walker Percy, writer (The Moviegoer, Love in the Ruins).
- 1918 - Herb Shriner, radio humorist.
- 1919 - May Swenson, poet.
- 1932 - Stephen Birmingham, novelist and biographer.
- 1936 - Fred Chappell, poet and novelist.
- 1940 - Maeve Binchy, Irish writer (Circle of Friends, The Copper Beach).