This Day In History, March 28th.
Five Historical Events That Happened on March 28th.
Constantinople was officially renamed Istanbul, Turkey, in 1930.
Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States, died in 1969, at the age of 78.
The Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, United States, experienced a nuclear accident in 1979.
Jesse Owens was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by President George H.W. Bush in 1990, in recognition of his achievements as an Olympic athlete and civil rights activist.
A magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck the Sumatran island of Nias in 2005, killing over 900 people and causing widespread damage.
This Day In History, March 28th, 1930: Constantinople was officially renamed Istanbul, Turkey.
The Turkish government officially changed the name of Constantinople to Istanbul on March 28, 1930. The informal name change had been in use for centuries, but it wasn't until 1930 that it became the city's official name. "Istanbul" is derived from the Greek phrase "v" (pronounced "eis tin polin"), which means "to the city" and was used as a shorthand for Constantinople. This phrase eventually became "Istanbul." The renaming of the city was part of the Turkish government's larger effort to promote Turkish nationalism and distance itself from its Ottoman past.
1969: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States, died at the age of 78.
The 34th President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower, died on March 28, 1969, at the age of 78. During World War II, Eisenhower was a five-star general in the United States Army and the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe. Later, in 1952, he was elected President and served two terms, from 1953 to 1961. As President, Eisenhower presided over significant events such as the Korean War, the start of the Cold War, the Space Race, and the Civil Rights Movement. He retired to his farm in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, after leaving office, and lived there until his death.
1979: A nuclear accident occurred at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, United States.
A partial nuclear meltdown occurred on March 28, 1979, at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, United States. The accident was caused by a combination of equipment failures, design flaws, and human error. It resulted in the release of radioactive gases and the most serious nuclear power plant accident in American history. Despite the fact that no one was killed or injured immediately, the accident sparked widespread public concern about the safety of nuclear power and resulted in significant changes in the regulation and operation of nuclear power plants in the United States. The cleanup of the site took many years and was not finished until 1993.
1990: President George H.W. Bush posthumously awarded Jesse Owens the Congressional Gold Medal, recognizing his achievements as an Olympic athlete and civil rights activist.
President George H.W. Bush did award Jesse Owens the Congressional Gold Medal on March 28, 1990, but it was not posthumously. Owens died in 1980 and was unable to attend the ceremony, so the award was given to his widow, Ruth Owens. The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian honor bestowed by the United States Congress, and Owens was honored for his Olympic achievements as well as his contributions to civil rights. Despite facing discrimination and racism both in the United States and abroad, Owens won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany. He went on to become a civil rights activist, working to promote equality and opportunity for African Americans.
2005: The Sumatran island of Nias was struck by a magnitude 8.7 earthquake, killing over 900 people and causing widespread damage.
A magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Nias, located off the western coast of Sumatra, on March 28th, 2005. The earthquake caused widespread damage and destruction, killing over 900 people. Many buildings and homes were destroyed, and the infrastructure of the island was severely damaged. The earthquake was one of several large earthquakes that struck the region in the early to mid-2000s, including the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, which killed over 230,000 people across multiple countries. The Nias Island earthquake was one of the largest and most destructive in Indonesian history, highlighting the region's vulnerability to seismic activity as well as the need for improved disaster preparedness and response.