Today in History for Aug. 28:
On this date:
In 430, St. Augustine of Hippo, the great early Latin Church father and one of the outstanding theological figures of the ages, died at age 76. It was St. Augustine who wrote: "Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in thee." His greatest work was "City of God."
In 1619, Ferdinand II was crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
In 1749, German author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was born.
In 1789, Enceladus, one of Saturn's moons, was discovered. Scientists think the moon may have underground fluids, making it one of the top planets in the solar system where extraterrestrial life might exist.
In 1828, Count Leo Tolstoy, one of the world's great classical writers, was born at Yasnaya Polyana, in Russia. Tolstoy did not distinguish himself in university, but began making his mark as a writer in 1854 with his brilliant sketches of the Crimean War. After his return from the war, Tolstoy freed the serfs at his estate and became a social reformer. His masterpieces include "War and Peace" and "Anna Karenina."
In 1833, an act abolishing slavery throughout the British Colonies received royal assent. It came into force on Aug. 1, 1834. It was the result of a campaign by abolitionists internationally, and in the British Parliament by an alliance of Evangelical Anglicans and Quakers led by MP William Wilberforce.
In 1846, the British Possessions Act gave the provinces power to enact their own tariff and other agreements. The act, which was passed in London, allowed colonial legislatures to reduce or repeal imperial customs duties they were subject to, and allowed them to have free trade.
In 1861, William Lyon Mackenzie, a central figure of his time, Toronto's first mayor and leader in the Upper Canada rebellion of 1837, died in 1861. He was 66. After three years in the Upper Canada legislature, he was expelled for breach of privilege and not allowed to resume his seat, although his constituents re-elected him five times. In December 1837, he led about 750 rural supporters in an uprising that took the form of two skirmishes near Toronto. When they were put down, he fled to the United States but returned under amnesty in 1849. He was re-elected in 1851, but retired from politics in 1858.
In 1872, the world's first "Wild West Show" was staged at Niagara Falls, Ont. The main attraction was American frontiersman James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickock who appeared in "Buffalo Bill's" show until 1874. Hickock's reputation as a marksman made him a celebrity in the travelling show.
In 1904, the first jail sentence for speeding was handed down in Newport, R.I. -- five days -- for driving 32 km/h.
In 1907, United Parcel Service had its beginnings as the American Messenger Company of Seattle.
In 1913, author Robertson Davies was born at Thamesville, Ont. He died Dec. 2, 1995.
In 1914, British and German forces fought the first major naval battle of the First World War, the Battle of Heligoland Bight.
In 1916, Italy declared war on Germany during the First World War.
In 1919, Sir Godfrey Hounsfield, the British electrical engineer who invented the CAT (computerized axial tomography) scanner, was born. The scanner, first used in a London hospital in 1972, revolutionized health care by producing photographs 100 times more detailed than X-rays. Hounsfield's work earned him a share of the 1979 Nobel Prize in medicine. He died Aug. 12, 2004.
In 1922, radio station WEAF in New York City aired the first radio commercial -- a 10-minute pitch for a new co-op apartment house.
In 1926, the Soviet ship "Buryvestnik" struck a pier at Kronstadt, USSR, killing 300 people.
In 1947, legendary bullfighter Manolete died after being gored during a fight in Linares, Spain. He was 30.
In 1957, three armed men stole $5,400 in American funds from a CNR passenger train on a run from Windsor, Ont., to Toronto. It was Canada's first train robbery since 1928.
In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I have a dream" speech to almost 250,000 demonstrators in Washington in front of the Lincoln Memorial. "I have a dream that one day ... the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together," the civil rights leader said. King was awarded the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent battle against discrimination and poverty. He was assassinated in Memphis in April 1968.
In 1968, "Les Belles-Soeurs," by playwright Michel Tremblay, premiered in Quebec City. It was one of the first artistic uses of the street language called "joual."
In 1982, "Today" magazine, distributed in 18 Canadian newspapers with a circulation of three million, published its last issue.
In 1983, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin announced his resignation.
In 1985, a planned mass march on Pollsmoor Prison in South Africa to demand the release of African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela was crushed by police who used whips, tear gas and shotguns to disperse the demonstrators. At least six people were killed and dozens were injured. Mandela was finally released on Feb. 11, 1990.
In 1988, the worst crash during an air show took place at the U.S. airbase in Ramstein, then in West Germany. Three Italian air force jets collided above a crowd of 300,000, killing 70 people and injuring 500. Opposition to military air shows mushroomed after the tragedy and NATO allies suspended future air shows as they tried to figure out how to make them safer.
In 1990, during the Persian Gulf crisis, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein ordered the release of all foreign women and children being detained in Iraq and Kuwait.
In 1994, the Commonwealth Games came to a close in Victoria, with Canada placing second after Australia with 128 medals.
In 1996, CBC Radio's "Morningside" host Peter Gzowski announced his retirement.
In 1996, the divorce of Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, became final.
In 1999, the crew of the Russian space station Mir headed back to Earth, leaving the station unmanned in preparation for its abandonment in 2000.
In 2003, North Korea announced its plans to conduct a nuclear test to prove its status as the world’s newest nuclear power.
In 2007, Steven Truscott, the youngest Canadian to ever face a death sentence nearly half a century ago, was acquitted by the Ontario Court of Appeal of the 1959 rape and murder of 12-year-old Lynne Harper. The court ruled Truscott was a victim of a "miscarriage of justice."
In 2008, Major League Baseball instituted instant replay.
In 2009, the Los Angeles County coroner officially declared Michael Jackson's death a homicide. Forensic tests determined the cause of death was "acute propofol intoxication." His personal doctor, Conrad Murray, was later convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to four years in prison.
In 2013, U.S. Army Major Nidal Hasan was sentenced to death for the 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, which killed 13 people and wounded more than 30.
In 2018, a 16-year-old youth was charged in a southern Alberta highway shooting that left a German tourist with a serious brain injury. RCMP said the teen from the Stoney Nakoda First Nation was facing 14 charges, including attempted murder and possession of a prohibited firearm.
In 2018, an independent study ordered by Puerto Rico found Hurricane Maria killed nearly 3,000 people in the U.S. territory in the desperate, sweltering months after the storm - with the elderly and impoverished most affected.
In 2019, the Queen approved British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's request to suspend Parliament from September 9-October 14. The suspension took many vacationing lawmakers by surprise giving M-Ps even less time to block a so-called no-deal Brexit. The speaker of the House of Commons, who was not told in advance of Johnson's plan, called it an "offence against the democratic process.'' The U-K is scheduled to leave the European Union October 31.
In 2019, Swedish teen climate activist Greta Thunberg arrived in New York City following a trans-Atlantic trip on a sailboat to attend a global warming conference. The 16-year-old and her crew were escorted into a lower Manhattan marina - concluding a two-week crossing from Plymouth, England. She refused to fly because of the carbon emissions involved in jet travel. The teenager has led protests against climate change in Sweden that inspired student strikes in about 100 cities worldwide. She was to speak at a United Nations climate summit in September.
In 2020, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced he would step down because a chronic health problem he has had since he was a teenager has resurfaced. Abe said he was on a new treatment for ulcerative colitis that requires IV injections and provides no guarantee of a cure. Abe became Japan's youngest prime minister in 2006 at the age of 52, and this year became Japan's longest-serving prime minister by consecutive days in office.
In 2020, the co-creator of the famous Scooby-Doo cartoon series died at the age of 87. Joe Ruby came up with the idea with his TV writing partner Ken Spears in 1969.
In 2020, the federal government once again extended travel restrictions to limit the spread of COVID-19. Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said existing restrictions on international travel to Canada would be extended one more month to Sept. 30.
In 2020, civil rights advocates gathered with the families of victims of police brutality and vigilante violence during a commemoration of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. This year's March on Washington was first planned after the killing of George Floyd. But the crowds were also there for Breonna Taylor, Jacob Blake, and many others — demanding change and calling for real solutions to police shootings of Black Americans.
In 2020, friends, fans and colleagues lamented the death of actor Chadwick Boseman, who died at the age of 43 after a four-year battle with colon-cancer. Before he was a Marvel superstar, Boseman wowed audiences with his portrayals of baseball icon Jackie Robinson in "42'' and James Brown in the biopic "Get On Up.'' His "Wakanda Forever'' salute reverberated around the world after the release of "Black Panther'' two years ago.
In 2021, the Pentagon says the military had begun its final withdrawal from Afghanistan amid a heightened threat of terrorist attacks. An official said the number of U.S. troops remaining had dropped to 4,000 or fewer, three days before President Joe Biden's deadline for getting out and ending the longest war in American history.
In 2022, six people died in a single-vehicle crash in Barrie, Ont. Police said four men and two women in their 20s were found dead.
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The Canadian Press