Milestones for June 28

1778 Monmouth, New Jersey

General Clinton, evacuating his troops from Philadelphia toward New York, turns back George Washington's attack on the rear of his column at the Battle of Monmouth; the day long battle in ferocious heat is known for the exploits of Mary Ludwig Hayes - Molly Pitcher - a camp follower who brings the patriot gunners water during the battle, then takes over her husband John Hayes' place at a cannon when he is wounded.

1820 Salem, New Jersey

Robert Gibbon Johnson proves that the fruit of the tomato plant is non-poisonous by eating two tomatoes in front of a large crowd on the steps of the courthouse in Salem; the plant, native to the northern Andes and domesticated by the Incas, was brought to Europe by Spanish monks, where it was called the love apple, or pomme d'amour; French botanists had warned that it and the potato were part of the deadly nightshade family and were poisonous - wild nightshade berries are indeed poisonous, as are green potatoes, and the leaves of both plants contain a neurotoxin.

1914 Sarajevo, Bosnia

Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip, angry that the Austrian Empire had annexed Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1908, assassinates Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife Sofia as he arrives to direct army maneuvers in the near by mountains, and tour the city on the anniversary of the 1349 battle of Kosovo. This battle was a humiliating collective memory for all Serbs, in which Serbia was defeated by the Turks, ending Serbia's independence as a nation. Serbia had finally gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1878. The Serbian terrorist organization, the Black Hand, trained a small group of teenage operatives to infiltrate Bosnia and carry out the assassination of the Archduke; it was backed by Colonel Dragutin Dimitrijevic, the head of Serbian military intelligence. The death of the Archduke is widely held to have sparked World War I, since the Austro-Hungarian empire blames Serbia for it and declares war. Within days the Serbs' longtime ally, Russia, will come to their aid; then Germany, allied with Austria, declares war on Russia. In all, 28 nations on five continents become involved in the war, which leaves 10 million dead, and 20 million wounded.

1919 Versailles, France

Signing of the Treaty of Versailles between Germany and the allies in the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles; drafted during the Paris Peace Conference in the spring of 1919, which was dominated by the Big Four of David Lloyd George of Britain, Georges Clemanceau of France, Woodrow Wilson of the United States, and Vittorio Orlando of Italy; Germany surrenders Alsace-Lorraine to France, and large areas in the east to Poland, and makes smaller cessions to Czechoslovakia, Lithuania, Belgium, and Denmark. The Rhineland is demilitarized, German rearmament is restricted, and Germany is forced to pay heavy reparations for damage to houses and factories, later assessed at $33 billion; the treaty also establishes the League of Nations, and formed Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland from land lost by Russia, and Czechoslovakia and Hungary out of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
[picture: Lloyd George, Orlando, Clemenceau and Wilson]

1948 Bucharest, Romania

Yugoslav Communist Party expelled from COMINFORM at a meeting in Bucharest; formal breach in relations between Yugoslavia and the rest of the Communist bloc.The Cominform was established in 1947, at the proposal of the Soviets, as an organization of certain European communist and workers' parties, to be "a means of information sharing." It was a warmed up corpse of the Third International, that Stalin dissolved in 1943 to show his sincerity to the Western allies. At the opening conference, the Yugoslav representatives, Kardelj and Djilas, presented critical expositions on the work of the Italian and French communist parties not under Soviet control, and suggested that the headquarters of the Cominform should be located in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, but Stalin and Molotov did not approve, and further Cominform activities consisted mainly of a propaganda war with the Communist Party of Yugoslavia; the USSR dissolved the Cominform 1956, thus extending an olive branch to Yugoslavia.

1985 Chicago, Illinois

US highway Route 66 decertified; the 59-year-old road stretched from Chicago through eight states and three time zones, 3500 km to Santa Monica, California; famous for the classic song originally performed by Nat "King" Cole, then The Manhattan Transfer, Rosemary Clooney and The Rolling Stones, and the TV series starring Martin Milner and George Maharis. "Go to St. Louis, Joplin, Missouri, Oklahoma City looks oh so pretty. You'll see Amarillo, Gallup, New Mexico. Flagstaff, Arizona. Don't forget Winona... Kingman, Barstow, San Bernardino. When you make that California trip. Get your kicks on Route Sixty-Six..."

1991 Liverpool, England

Former Beatle Paul McCartney makes his debut as a classical composer when his Liverpool Oratorio is performed at Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral; his autobiographical, eight-movement ode to the northern British port is performed by hundreds of singers and musicians, including soprano Dame Kiri TeKanawa.

Other Events

0767 06 28 St Paul I ends his reign as Catholic Pope
1119 06 28 Battle of Sarmada - Emir Ilghazi defeat French Crusaders
1245 06 28 First Council of Lyons (13th ecumenical council) opens
1461 06 28 Edward IV crowned king of England
1485 06 28 Gent/Brugge/Ieper recognize Maximilian of Austria as regent of Neth
1519 06 28 King Carlos I elected Roman Catholic German emperor Charles V
1524 06 28 Duke van Bourbon occupies Province
1575 06 28 Spanish troops conquer Buren
1583 06 28 Duke French van Valois returns to France
1593 06 28 Earl Mauritius conquerors Geertruidenberg
1629 06 28 Peace of AlŠs: Rights of French huguenots limited
1635 06 28 French colony of Guadeloupe established in Caribbean
1675 06 28 Battle at Fehrbellin: Brandenburgs army beats Sweden
1748 06 28 Riot after public execution in Amsterdam, 200+ killed
1762 06 28 First reported counterfeiting attempt (Boston)
1762 06 28 Russian tsarina Catharina II grabs power
1770 06 28 Quakers open a school for blacks in Philadelphia
1776 06 28 Charleston, SC repulses British sea attack
1778 06 28 Battle of Monmouth, NJ (Gen Washington beats Clinton)
1778 06 28 Mary Ludwig Hayes Molly Pitcher aids American patriots
1807 06 28 British troops lands at Ensenada, Argentina
1820 06 28 Tomato is proven non-poisonous
1832 06 28 Gerrit Moll measures noise of guns
1838 06 28 Britain's Queen Victoria crowned in Westminster Abbey
1859 06 28 First dog show held (Newcastle-on-Tyne, England)
1861 06 28 Leipzig Observatory discovers short-period (6.2 yrs) Comet d'Arrest
1862 06 28 Day 4 of 7 Days-Battle of Savage's Station/Garnett's Farm, VA
1869 06 28 Amsterdam typographer strike
1874 06 28 Freedmen's Bank closes
1887 06 28 Phillies most lopsided shut-out beating Indianapolis 24-0
1892 06 28 Phillies tie club record of 16 straight victories
1894 06 28 Labor Day established as a federal employees holiday
1895 06 28 El Salvador, Honduras & Nicaragua form Central American Union
1897 06 28 Marquis C de Bonchamps' expedition reaches Gore Ethiopia
1902 06 28 Congress authorizes Louisiana Purchase Expo $1 gold coin
1902 06 28 US buys concession to build Panama canal from French for $40 million
1904 06 28 International Anti-Military Cooperation (IAMV) forms in Amsterdam
1907 06 28 Nationals steal a record 13 bases off catcher Branch Rickey
1909 06 28 First French air show, Concours d'Avation opens
1911 06 28 Joseph Caillaux forms govt in France
1914 06 28 Austria invades Siberia (WW I)
1917 06 28 Potato entrepreneurs begins in Amsterdam
1917 06 28 Raggedy Ann doll invented
1918 06 28 First flight between Hawaiian Islands
1919 06 28 Carl Mazes pitches a complete doubleheader against NY Yankees
1919 06 28 Harry S Truman marries Elizabeth Virginia Wallace in Independence
1919 06 28 Treaty of Versailles ending WW I signed in France
1923 06 28 Dodgers lost 7-0 lead, as Phillies score 8 in bottom of 9th
1923 06 28 Queen Wilhelmina & Prince Henry for state visit to London
1924 06 28 Test cricket ump debut for Frank Chester, v South Africa at Lord's
1924 06 28 Tornado strikes Sandusky Ohio & Lorain Ohio, killing 93
1928 06 28 Alfred E Smith (NY-Gov) nominated for president at Dem Convention
1928 06 28 Friedrich Schmiedl attempted rocket mail in Austria (unsuccessful)
1930 06 28 First night game in Detroit at newly built Hamtramck Stadium as Negro League Detroit Stars take on KC Monarchs
1934 06 28 Hitler flies to Essen (Night of Long Knifes)
1935 06 28 Earl Averill's consecutive-game streak ends at 673
1935 06 28 FDR ordersa federal gold vault to be built at Fort Knox Kentucky
1938 06 28 Bradman scores 102* in drawn 2nd Test cricket at Lord's
1938 06 28 Queen Victoria ascends to British throne
1939 06 28 Joe Louis TKOs Tony Galent in 4 for heavyweight boxing title
1939 06 28 Pan Am opens southern route transatlantic air service (Dixie Clipper)
1939 06 28 Yanks hit 13 HRs, sweep A's 23-2 & 10-0
1940 06 28 Quiz Kids? premieres on radio
1940 06 28 Romania cedes Bessarabia to Soviet Union
1941 06 28 German & Romanian soldiers kill 11,000 Jews in Kishinev
1941 06 28 German troops occupy Galicia Poland
1942 06 28 Col-gen Von Hoth' 6th Pantser enters Voronezj
1942 06 28 Dumont TV network begins (WABD NY)
1945 06 28 Polish Provisional Govt of National Unity set up by Soviets
1946 06 28 Enrico de Nicola becomes first pres of Italy
1946 06 28 Permanent radio play-by-play of Cleve Indians games begins
1947 06 28 Temptation (Tim-Tayshun) by Red Ingle with Jo Stafford hits #1
1948 06 28 US/British airlift to West-Berlin begins
1950 06 28 Michael Todd's Peep Show opens at Winter Garden NYC for 278 perfs
1950 06 28 North Korean forces capture Seoul, South Korea [or 1/4/1951?]
1951 06 28 Amos 'n' Andy premieres on CBS TV
1953 06 28 8th US Women's Open Golf Championship won by Betsy Rawls
1954 06 28 111øF (44øC) at Camden, South Carolina (state record)
1956 06 28 First atomic reactor built for private research operates Chicago Ill
1956 06 28 Riots break out in Poznan Poland, 38 die
1957 06 28 Reds' fans stuff ballot box, electing 8 Reds as All Star starters
1957 06 28 Frick overrules & names Stan Musial, Willie Mays, & Hank Aaron to team
1958 06 28 Brazil becomes world soccer champ in Sweden
1958 06 28 Nancy Ramey swims world record 100m (1:09.6)
1959 06 28 Phils Wally Post is only outfielder to throw out 2 runners in an inning twice (Losing to Giants 6-0)
1960 06 28 10.40 (26.42 cm) of rainfall, Dunmor, Kentucky (state 24-hour record)
1961 06 28 Phils & SF set then record longest night game (5h11m) 7-7 15 inn tie
1962 06 28 Thalidomide drug banned in Netherlands
1963 06 28 Belaunde Terry inaugurated as pres of Peru
1963 06 28 Khrushchev visits East-Berlin
1964 06 28 Mickey Wright wins LPGA Waldemar Golf Open
1964 06 28 Organization for Afo-American Unity forms in NY by Malcolm X
1965 06 28 First US ground combat forces in Vietnam authorized by Pres Johnson
1965 06 28 Princess Beatrice & Claus von Amsberg announce engagement
1966 06 28 Ernie Terrel beats Doug Jones in 15 wba for heavyweight boxing title
1967 06 28 George Harrison is fined œ6 for speeding
1967 06 28 Israel annexes East Jerusalem
1968 06 28 Daniel Ellsberg indicted for leaking Pentagon Papers
1969 06 28 John Hampshire scores 107 on Test cricket debut v WI at Lord's
1970 06 28 Mary Mills wins LPGA Len Immke Buick Golf Open
1971 06 28 Fillmore East closes
1971 06 28 Phillies' Rick Wise hits 2 HRs & no-hits Reds
1971 06 28 Supreme Court (8-0) overturns draft evasion conviction of Muhammad Ali
1973 06 28 Lawsuit in Detroit challenges Little League's no girls rule
1973 06 28 Black Sports Hall of Fame forms: Paul Robeson, Elgin Baylor, Jesse Owens, Jim Brown, Wilma Rudolph, Joe Louis & Althea Gibson elected
1974 06 28 Fall of earth & rocks kill 200 (Quebrada Blanca Canyon, Colombia)
1974 06 28 Wings release Band on the Run & Zoo Gang in UK
1975 06 28 David Bowie releases Fame
1975 06 28 Golfer Lee Trevino is struck by lightning at Western Open (Ill)
1976 06 28 First woman was admitted to Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs Colo
1976 06 28 Hijacked French Airbus lands in Entebbe, Uganda
1977 06 28 Billy Hunter becomes Rangers' 4th manager in 6 days
1977 06 28 Supreme Court allows Federal control of Nixon tapes papers
1978 06 28 UNICEF chooses rock group Kansas as ambassadors of goodwill
1978 06 28 Supreme Court orders Cal medical school to admit Allan Bakke a white man claiming reverse discrimination when application was rejected
1979 06 28 OPEC raises oil prices 24%
1980 06 28 NYC transit fare rises from 50¢ to 60¢
1981 06 28 Piaf closes at Plymouth Theater NYC after 165 performances
1981 06 28 74 government officials die in attack in Iran
1981 06 28 Nancy Lopez wins LPGA Sarah Coventry Golf Tournament
1982 06 28 Prince Chuck & Lady Di name their baby William
1983 06 28 Bridge section along I-95 in Greenwich, Ct collapsed kills 3
1983 06 28 NASA launches Galaxy-A
1985 06 28 Discovery ferried back to Kennedy Space Center via Bergstrom AFB, Tx
1986 06 28 Irish population condemns divorce
1986 06 28 Kenneth & Nellie Pike challenge Ala Dem runoff win by AG C Graddick
1987 06 28 Dreamgirls opens at Ambassador Theater NYC for 177 performances
1987 06 28 Deb Richard wins LPGA Rochester Golf International
1987 06 28 Don Baylor sets career hit-by-pitch mark at 244 (Pitcher Rick Rhoden)
1988 06 28 Mike Tyson sues to break contract with manager Bill Cayton
1990 06 28 17th annual Daytime Emmy Awards
1990 06 28 Emmy 17th Daytime Award presentation - Susan Lucci loses for 11th time
1992 06 28 Chinese Coffee opens at Circle in Sq Theater NYC for 18 performances
1992 06 28 2 earthquakes, including 3rd strongest in US (7.4) rock Calif
1992 06 28 Burharnuddin Rabbani becomes president of Afghanistan
1992 06 28 Italian govt of Amato forms
1992 06 28 LA Police commisioner Daryl Gates steps down
1992 06 28 Patty Sheehan wins LPGA Rochester Golf International
1992 06 28 Pres Bush's daughter Dorothy marries Bobby Koch
1992 06 28 US Dream Team beats Cuba in first exhibition basketball game, 133-57
1993 06 28 Doctors recommend ligament transplant to Jose Canseco's arm
1993 06 28 Jacques Lemaire is named NJ Devils 8th Head Coach
1993 06 28 NCRV shows last Cheers in Neth
1993 06 28 Carlton Fisk, 45, released by White Sox, as all time leader of most games caught & most HRs by a catcher
1994 06 28 NY Met Pitcher Dwight Gooden suspended for 60 days due to drug charges
1995 06 28 NJ Devils Stanley Cup Victory Party, admidst rumours they were moving to Nashville, goalie Chris Terreri holds up Nashville? NO WAY! sign
1996 06 28 Nutty Professor, starring Eddie Murphy opens in theaters in the USA
1997 06 28 Master Class, closes at Golden Theater NYC after 601 performances
1997 06 28 Steel Peer, closes at Richard Rodgers Theater NYC after 76 perfs
1997 06 28 TV evangelist Robert Schuller attacks a flight attendant
1998 06 28 wins ShopRite LPGA Classic

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