December 28 in Pop Culture History

December 28th History, Trivia, and Fun Facts

December 28th History Highlights

  • 1895 – Louis and Auguste Lumiere screened a series of short movie scenes from everyday French life (and charged admission for the viewing) at the Grand Cafe in Paris.
  • 1958 – Baltimore Colts defeated the New York Giants in the first (ever) National Football League sudden-death overtime game at New York’s Yankee Stadium. #thegreatestgameverplayed
  • 1973 – The United States Endangered Species Act was signed into law by US President Richard Milhous Nixon.
  • If you were born on December 28th,
    You were likely conceived the week of… April 5th (same year)

In 1895, Louis and Auguste Lumiere filed a patent for their new invention: Cinematography. The brothers played a major role in the development of motion pictures. Louis and Auguste were responsible for many firsts, including the first commercial public movie screening on December 28, 1895, for around 40 paying visitors and invited relations. This event has traditionally been regarded as the birth of cinema.

December 28th is…

Call a Friend Day
Holy Innocent’s Day
National Card Playing Day
National Chocolate Day
Pledge of Allegiance Day

December 28th Birthday Quotes

“No nation is fit to sit in judgment upon any other nation.”
– Woodrow Wilson

“I get a wave of pride in America when I look back at what we’ve accomplished in the field of music.”
– Johnny Otis

“We can’t escape the shadow, so the best thing we can do is notice the light and be open to it.”
– Maggie Smith

“Science is not a boy’s game, it’s not a girl’s game. It’s everyone’s game. It’s about where we are and where we’re going. Space travel benefits us here on Earth. And we ain’t stopped yet. There’s more exploration to come.”
– Nichelle Nichols

“Why do we close our eyes when we pray, cry, kiss, or dream? Because the most beautiful things in life are not seen but felt by the heart.”
– Denzel Washington

“I was never a celebrity – just a working actor.”
– Martin Milner

“If I am a cup maker, I’m interested in making the best cup I possibly can. My effort goes into that cup, not what people think about it.”
-Denzel Washington

December 28th Birthdays

1856 – Woodrow Wilson, American politician, 28th President of the United States (died in 1924)
1921 – Johnny Otis, American singer-songwriter (died in 2012)
1931 – Martin Milner, American actor (died in 2015)
1932 – Nichelle Nichols, American actress
1934 – Maggie Smith, English actress
1946 – Edgar Winter, American singer-songwriter
1953 – Martha Wash, American singer, America’s Most Famous Unknown Singer
1954 – Gayle King, American television journalist
1954 – Denzel Washington, American actor
1970 – Elaine Hendrix, American actress
1973 – Seth Meyers, American actor
1978 – John Legend, American singer-songwriter
1981 – Sienna Miller, American-born British actress
1990 – David Archuleta, American singer-songwriter

December 28th History

169 BC – The menorah was lit to rededicate the Holy Temple of Jerusalem after two centuries of foreign rule and religious oppression and a seven-year revolt. The menorah burned for eight days without the sufficient fuel needed to do so, birthing the holiday Hanukkah.

1065 – Westminster Abbey was consecrated.

1846 – Iowa was admitted as the 29th US state.

1869 – The Knights of Labor, a labor union of tailors in Philadelphia, PA, held the first Labor Day.

1895 – Wilhelm Röntgen publishes a paper detailing his discovery of a new type of radiation, which later will be known as x-rays.

1908 (Earthquake & Tsunami) Messina, Italy.

1916Portrait of The Artist as A Young Man, by James Joyce, was published.

1957 – #1 Hit December 28, 1957 – January 10, 1958: Pat Boone – April Love

1959 – #1 Hit December 28, 1959 – January 3, 1960: Frankie Avalon – Why

1973 – The Endangered Species Act was passed in the United States.

1974 – #1 Hit December 28, 1974 – January 3, 1975: Helen Reddy – Angie Baby

1974 – Tom Baker made his first full appearance as the Fourth Doctor on Doctor Who.

1991 – Nine people were killed in a mini-riot at a hip-hop event promoted by Dwight “Heavy D” Myers and Sean “P Diddy” Combs. Over 3000 tickets were sold for the event, which had space for less than 2800 people.

1996E! True Hollywood Story has its debut episode.

2000 – Founded in 1872, retailer Montgomery Ward announced it was going out of business.

2001Black Hawk Down debuted in theaters.

Today’s Random Trivia and Shower Thoughts

“Never assume …” – Felix Unger (The Odd Couple)

The original drummer of The Velvet Underground, Angus MacLise, once showed up for a show a half-hour after it started and played for a half-hour after the rest of the band ended.

He later quit the band after they took a paying gig because he considered that as selling out.

A group of Stories is an Anthology.

Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius (86 AD – 161 AD) had the most peaceful reign of any ruler in antiquity. There is no record of any major events or conflicts during his 23-year reign.

He was a skilled administrator and was praised by his contemporaries for his effective style of governance.

The Vatican broadcast its public approval of Pokémon in April 2001 after Christian groups argued that it promoted Satanic themes.

Somewhere in the universe, there is probably a space war going on. #whatisitgoodfor

Biggest film of 2010: Toy Story 3 (Action/Adventure) earned ~ $415,000,000

TV Quotes… “And that’s the way it is” (Walter Cronkite) on CBS Evening News.

Diet Coke was first marketed in 1982.

The Bee Gees song Stayin’ Alive was used in a study to train medical professionals to provide chest compressions per minute while performing CPR.

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