January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 337 days remain until the end of the year.
We have some interesting facts & historic events all about January 28th, including areas in religion, crime, health and more.
Keep reading for more interesting facts about January 28th in history!
Table of Contents
Global Celebrations
- Data Privacy Day
- National Blueberry Pancake Day
- National Kazoo Day
Historic Events
What Happened On This Day – January 28
1986: Space Shuttle “Challenger” explodes
The orbiter broke apart 73 seconds after lift-off, killing all 7 astronauts on board.
1985: USA for Africa record “We Are the World
”Over 20 million copies of the charity single were sold.
1958: The Lego brick is patented
The Lego company has since produced 500 billion Lego elements, amounting to 10 lego towers from Earth to the Moon.
1820: Fabian von Bellinghausen discovers the Antarctic
The Baltic German explorer is believed to be the first person to sight the Earth’s southernmost continent.
1813: Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice, is published
It is one of the best-known works of English literature and it was sold about 20 million times.
1939: New Mexico, 1939. Photograph by Luis Marden.

Photograph by Luis Marden.
Famous Birthdays
Births On This Day, January 28
1978: Gianluigi Buffon, Italian footballer
1968: Sarah McLachlan, Canadian singer-songwriter, pianist, producer
1955: Nicolas Sarkozy, French politician, 23rd President of France
1912: Jackson Pollock, American painter
1853: José Martí, Cuban journalist, poet, theorist
Heartbreaking Deaths
Deaths On This Day, January 28
2002: Astrid Lindgren, Swedish author, screenwriter
1975: Ola Raknes, Norwegian psychoanalyst, philologist
1939: W. B. Yeats, Irish poet, Nobel Prize laureate
1547: Henry VIII of England
814: Charlemagne, Frankish king