September 28

Today in History
• 1542 - Explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo discovers California
• 1569 - Istanbul has its greatest fire of the century when a blaze destroys 36,000 buildings
• 1701 - Divorce legalized in Maryland
• 1781 - 9,000 American and 7,000 French troops begin the siege of Yorktown
• 1787 - Congress sends Constitution to state legislatures for their approval
• 1850 - US Navy abolishes flogging as punishment
• 1858 - Donati's comet becomes 1st to be photographed
• 1892 - 1st night football game played (Mansfield Pa)


Holidays - Traditional and Obscure
• International Right To Know Day
• Ask a Stupid Question Day
• National Neighbor Day
• National North Carolina Day
• National Self Awareness Day
• St. Wenceslas Day — Statehood Day
• World Maritime Day
• World Rabies Day

Birthdays
• 551-479 BC -Confucius, Chinese philosopher and founder of Confucianism
• 1330 - Nicolas Flamel, scribe alchemist (believed to have created the Philosopher's Stone)
• 1735 - Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton, British Prime Minister (1768-70)
• 1780 - Élie, Duke Decazes, French Bourbon politician (4th Prime Minister of France)
• 1789 - Richard Bright, English physician (Bright's Disease/nephritis)
• 1793 - Denis-Auguste Affre, Archbishop of Paris (1840-48)
• 1839 - Frances Willard, educator and founder (Woman's Christian Temperance Union)
• 1910 - Diosdado Macapagal, President of the Philippines (1961-65)