On This Day in History – June 28

by hpmom June 28, 2025

June 28, 2025

1491 – Henry VIII is born at Greenwich Palace, England; he would become one of the most influential monarchs in British history.
1838 – Queen Victoria is crowned Queen of the United Kingdom at Westminster Abbey.
1914 – Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife are assassinated in Sarajevo, triggering the beginning of World War I.
1919 – The Treaty of Versailles is signed, officially ending World War I and imposing heavy reparations on Germany.
1950 – North Korean forces capture Seoul, the capital of South Korea, in the early days of the Korean War.
1969 – The Stonewall Riots begin in New York City after police raid a gay bar, sparking the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.
2004 – The U.S. transfers sovereignty to the interim Iraqi government, ending the official occupation.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778), French philosopher and political theorist whose ideas influenced the French Revolution.
Luigi Pirandello (1867–1936), Italian playwright and Nobel Prize winner known for Six Characters in Search of an Author.
Mel Brooks (born 1926), American comedian, actor, and director behind classics like The Producers and Blazing Saddles.
Pat Morita (1932–2005), American actor best known for his role as Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid.
John Cusack (born 1966), American actor known for films like Say Anything, High Fidelity, and Grosse Pointe Blank.
Kathy Bates (born 1948), American actress and Academy Award winner for Misery.
Elon Musk (born 1971), South African-born entrepreneur and CEO of SpaceX and Tesla.

Franz Ferdinand (1863–1914), Archduke of Austria, assassinated in Sarajevo, sparking World War I.
Maximilian II (1811–1864), King of Bavaria and patron of the arts and sciences.
Rod Serling (1924–1975), American screenwriter and creator of The Twilight Zone.
Jesse Hill Ford (1928–1996), American author and journalist.

Constitution Day (Ukraine) – Celebrates the adoption of Ukraine’s post-Soviet constitution in 1996.
Vidovdan (Serbia) – A Serbian national and religious holiday commemorating the Battle of Kosovo in 1389.
National Insurance Awareness Day (U.S., unofficial) – A reminder for people to review their insurance policies.
Stonewall Day (LGBTQ+ Community) – Recognizes the start of the Stonewall Riots and the birth of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on this day directly led to a chain of events that started World War I just a month later.
The Treaty of Versailles was signed exactly five years after Franz Ferdinand’s assassination — a historically symbolic closure.
Mel Brooks, born on this day, is one of the few entertainers to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT).
The Stonewall Riots, which began on June 28, 1969, are commemorated every year during Pride Month as a turning point in LGBTQ+ history.
Elon Musk shares his birthday with some of history’s biggest thinkers and disruptors, including Rousseau and Pirandello.