This Day In History — Henry VIII’s Fifth

July 28

1540
King Henry VIII of England’s chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, was executed and Henry married his fifth wife, Catherine Howard.

1750
The great baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach died.

1794
Robespierre, one of the leading figures of the French Revolution, was sent to the guillotine.

1821
Peru declared its independence from Spain.

1868
The 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which established the citizenship of African Americans and guaranteed due process of law, was ratified.

1914
Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, precipitating the start of World War I.

1932
Herbert Hoover ordered Douglas MacArthur to evict the Bonus Marchers from their camps.

2002
Nine Pennsylvania coal miners were rescued after 77 hours of being trapped in a mine shaft.

Birthdays

Jacqueline Onassis

1929–1994, born in Southampton, N.Y.

Beatrix Potter

author (1866)

Marcel Duchamp

painter (1887)

Bill Bradley

basketball player (1943)

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