September 28th
- Today in1850, flogging wasabolished as a form of punishmentin the US Navy.
- Today in 1904, a womanwas arrested for smoking a cigarette in an open car on 5thAvenue, in New York City. As the story goes, a policeman on horseback reportedly stopped her and gasped, “Ma’am, you can’t do that on Fifth Avenue!” At that time, in much of the country, it was also illegal for an unescorted woman to be served in hotels and restaurants. And no woman, anywhere, had the right to vote. That changed in 1920, of course, and soon after, cigarette manufacturers beganfeaturingwomen prominently in their advertisements, and some even began urging women to smoke instead of eat.
- Today in 1924, two U.S. Army planes landed in Seattle, Washington, having completedthe first round-the-world flight in 175 days.
- Today in 1930,Lou Gehrig'serrorless streak ended at 885 consecutive games.
- Today in1955, "The following program is brought to you in living color on NBC" was heard for the first time as the World Serieswas telecast in color. The New York Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in the first game, 6-5.
- Today in 1961, "Dr. Kildare"debuted on NBC-TV.
- Today in 1974, First Lady Betty Fordunderwent a mastectomyat Bethesda Naval Medical Center in Maryland, following discovery of a cancerous lump in her breast. Her willingness to go public about her condition encouraged many women to become more aware of breast cancer – as discussing such things was considered taboo at the time.
- Today in 1978, Albino Luciani, who was elected to succeed Pope Paul VI and who chose the name John Paul I, died after a Papacy of just one month. Therehave always been rumors that he was poisonedfor his liberal views.
- Today in1982, thefirst deaths from cyanide-laced Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules were reported. In all, seven people died and the case resulted in tamper-proof packaging for consumer products. Thecase remains unsolved.
- Today in 1989, two men, Jeffrey Petkovich and Peter Debernardi,went over Niagara Falls in a barrel. They were the first pair ever to go over the 176-foot-high Horseshoe Falls and live.
- Today in 1991, "The Commish”debuted on ABC-TV.
- Today in 1991, Jazz trumpet great Miles Davisdied of pneumonia, respiratory failure and a stroke in Santa Monica, Californiaat the age of 65. He was considered the most famous trumpeter of his generation and the innovator of more styles than any other jazz musician.
- Today in 1994,"Cats" joined the ranks of “Chorus Line” and “Oh! Calcutta!”by racking up its 5,000th Broadway performance.
- Today in 1997, legendary TV newsman David Brinkleyofficially retired from broadcasting. His extraordinary career spanned 54 years.
- Today in 1997, during the 103rdconvention of the Audio Engineering Society (AES) in New York City,the official debut of the DVD format was featured.
- Today in 1999, the Supreme Court agreed to decide whether a state can give visitation rights to grandparents when, after a divorce or some other family split, the children's parents say no. In June 2000,the court ultimately decided in favor of parentsdeciding grandparents’ visitation.
- Today in 2000, the U.S. Federal Drug Administrationapproved the use of RU-486, a pill used to induce an abortion.
- Today in 2008,SpaceX launchedthe first-ever private spacecraft, the Falcon 1, into orbit.
- Today in 2015,the research teamfrom Exeter and Cambridge universities revealed so-called DNA controllersfor the age women go into menopause in the journal, "Nature Genetics.”
- Today in 2015,NASA scientistsannounced the discovery of flowing water on Mars.
- Today in 2017,actress Julia Louis-Dreyfusrevealed her breast cancer diagnosis.