Date·Lore

On This Day · The 118th day of the year

April 28

April 28 carries 10 recorded events spanning between 1253 and 1986. Nichiren, a Japanese Buddhist monk, propounds Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō for the first time and declares it to be the essence of Buddhism, in effect founding Nichiren Buddhism.

♉ZodiacTaurus ◈BirthstoneDiamond ❀Birth flowerDaisy

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed July 13, 2026

What happened on April 28?

April 28 is the 118th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 1253 and 1986. Famous people born on April 28 include Saddam Hussein, Elena Kagan and James Monroe.

The shape of the day

April 28's record stretches 733 years, from 1253 to 1986. Its center of gravity is the 20th century, and conflict is a recurring thread.

Taurus is the sign for April 28 — read more on the Taurus page, or see April's birthstone & birth flower.

Released on April 28

Movies, games, albums & shows

2026

  • Game S&box
  • Game Aphelion
  • TV Widow's Bay
  • TV Half Man

2023

  • Game Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

2022

  • Game Rogue Legacy 2
  • TV Throne of Seal

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 1253

    Nichiren

    Nichiren, a Japanese Buddhist monk, propounds Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō for the first time and declares it to be the essence of Buddhism, in effect founding Nichiren Buddhism.

  2. 1611

    University of Santo Tomas

    Establishment of the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, the Catholic University of the Philippines and the largest Catholic university in the world.

  3. 1887

    Prussian Secret Police

    A week after being arrested by the Prussian Secret Police, French police inspector Guillaume Schnaebelé is released on order of Wilhelm I, German Emperor, defusing a possible war.

  4. 1910

    Louis Paulhan

    Frenchman Louis Paulhan wins the 1910 London to Manchester air race, the first long-distance aeroplane race in the United Kingdom.

  5. 1937

    South Africa

    South African medical researcher Max Theiler develops the yellow fever vaccine at the Rockefeller Foundation in New York City.

  6. 1944

    World War II

    World War II: Nine German E-boats attack US and UK units during Exercise Tiger, the rehearsal for the Normandy landings, killing 946.

  7. 1952

    Treaty of Taipei

    The Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty (Treaty of Taipei) is signed in Taipei, Taiwan between Japan and the Republic of China to officially end the Second Sino-Japanese War.

  8. 1973

    The Dark Side of the Moon

    The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd, recorded in Abbey Road Studios goes to number one on the US Billboard chart, beginning a record-breaking 741-week chart run.

  9. 1983

    Stern (magazine)

    The West German news magazine Stern begins publishing excerpts from the purported diaries of Adolf Hitler, later revealed to be forgeries.

  10. 1986

    Chernobyl disaster

    High levels of radiation resulting from the Chernobyl disaster are detected at Forsmark Nuclear Power Plant in Sweden, leading Soviet authorities to publicly announce the accident.

Famous birthday twins

Born on April 28

Saddam Hussein

b. 1937

Iraqi general and politician, 5th President of Iraq

Elena Kagan

b. 1960

American lawyer and jurist, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

James Monroe

b. 1758

American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 5th President of the United States

Tristan Tzara

b. 1896

Romanian-French poet and critic

Hertha Ayrton

b. 1854

Polish-British engineer, mathematician, and physicist.

Penélope Cruz

b. 1974

Spanish actress and producer

Kurt Gödel

b. 1906

Czech-American mathematician, philosopher, and academic

Deaths

  • 1957Heinrich Bär
  • 1945Benito Mussolini
  • 1945Hermann Fegelein
  • 1858Johannes Peter Müller
  • 1853Ludwig Tieck
  • 1772Johann Friedrich Struensee

Holidays & observances

  • —Christian feast day: Aphrodisius and companions
  • —Christian feast day: Gianna Beretta Molla
  • —Christian feast day: Kirill of Turov (Orthodox, added to Roman Martyrology in 1969)
  • —Christian feast day: Louis de Montfort
  • —Christian feast day: Blessed Marie Louise Trichet
  • —Christian feast day: Pamphilus of Sulmona
  • —Christian feast day: Peter Chanel
  • —Christian feast day: Vitalis and Valeria of Milan

Historical facts, event summaries, and biographical lines above are adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. DateLore adds curation, structure, and original editorial commentary. DateLore is not affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation.

About the author

Roman Tailor compiles and reviews every date on DateLore. He's the writer and editor behind the site's editorial essays and the day-by-day almanac. Corrections and questions are welcome — read more about DateLore or get in touch.

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