May 28 in Pop Culture History

585 BC – A solar eclipse occurred, as predicted by the Greek philosopher and scientist Thales. Knowing this date helped historians find other exact and near-exact historical dates.

1830 – US President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act, which relocated Native Americans.

1892 – John Muir organized the Sierra Club in San Francisco, California.

1897 – Jell-o was introduced.

1902 – Macmillan Press published Owen Wister’s The Virginian. The book made the American Cowboy an icon.

1928 – The Dodge Brothers, Inc. and the Chrysler Corporation merged.

1935 – John Steinbeck’s first successful novel, Tortilla Flat, was published.

1937 – Gesellschaft zur Vorbereitung des Deutschen Volkswagens mbH, later renamed Volkswagenwerk, or Volkswagon was founded.

1937 – The Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, was officially opened to vehicles

1964 – The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was formed.

1966 # 1 Hit May 28, 1966 – June 10, 1966: Percy Sledge – When A Man Loves A Woman

1974 – The Magic Show (Broadway Musical) Opened on May 28, 1974, and closed on December 31, 1978

1983 # 1 Hit May 28, 1983 – July 8, 1983: Irene Cara – Flashdance… What a Feeling

1987 – Matthias Rust, a 19-year-old amateur pilot from West Germany, took off from Helsinki, Finland, in his Cessna and landed in Red Square, the heart of the Soviet Union.

1988 # 1 Hit May 28, 1988 – June 17, 1988: George Michael – One More Try

1998 – Former Saturday Night Live actor and comedian Phil Hartman was shot and killed by his wife Brynn in a murder/suicide.

1999 – In Milan, Italy, after 22 years of restoration work, Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece The Last Supper was displayed. It is bigger than most people think – it is life-size, almost 29 feet wide.