April 28
1788
Maryland became the 7th state in the United States.
1789
Fletcher Christian led the mutiny aboard the British ship Bounty against Captain William Bligh.
1945
Benito Mussolini was executed.
1947
Thor Heyerdahl and five others began their Pacific Ocean crossing on the raft, Kon-Tiki.
1967
Boxing champion Muhammad Ali refused to be inducted into the Army.
1992
The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture unveiled its first “food pyramid.”
2001
Dennis Tito became the first space tourist.
2004
The Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal first comes to light when graphic photos of U.S. soldiers physically abusing and humiliating Iraqi prisoners were shown on CBS’s 60 Minutes II.
Birthdays
James Monroe
1758–1831, American president, born in Westmoreland County, Va.
Marie Joseph Chenier
poet and dramatist (1764)
Lionel Barrymore
actor (1878)
Harper Lee
author (1926)
Saddam Hussein
political leader (1937)
Jay Leno
talk-show host (1950)
Penélope Cruz
actress (1974)