July 28

Today in history

Today is July 28. On this date in:

1750: Prolific German composer and musician Johann Sebastian Bach, known for his orchestral compositions such as the "Brandenburg Concertos," died at age 65 due to complications resulting from eye surgery.

1821: José de San Martín and his forces proclaimed Peru's independence from Spain.

1866: Vinnie Ream was selected by Congress to sculpt a statue of President Abraham Lincoln, making her the first and youngest female artist to receive a commission from the U.S. government. She was 18.

1868: The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was certified and officially adopted. The landmark amendment guaranteed citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States, including former slaves.

1914: One month after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie, and after a breakdown in negotiations, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, effectively starting World War I.

1917: The Silent Parade began on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Organized by the NAACP and community leaders, an estimated 10,000 Black Americans silently marched to Madison Square to protest the escalating violence toward Black people and condemn racial violence and discrimination.

1932: "White Zombie," the first feature-length film featuring zombies, premiered at the Rivoli Theatre in New York City. The film, starring Bela Lugosi, is based on William Seabrook's book "The Magic Island."

1932: President Herbert Hoover issued an order to the U.S. Army to evict the "Bonus Army" from Washington, DC. The group of World War I veterans, numbering in the thousands, demanded early cash payments for their service bonus certificates.

1942: Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin issued Order No. 227 to the Red Army in direct response to advancing German forces. Known as the "Not a step back!" order, it condemned and punished military deserters.

1945: A U.S. Army B-25 Mitchell bomber, carrying two pilots and one passenger, crashed into the 79th floor of the Empire State Building. The accident, caused by heavy fog, killed 14 people and injured 24 others.

1975: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service gave federal protection to the grizzly bear by listing it as a threatened species in the lower 48 states under the Endangered Species Act, making it illegal to hunt or harm the bears except in cases of self-defense.

1976: One of the deadliest earthquakes in modern history flattened the Tangshan region of China. The quake measured between 7.5 and 8.2 magnitude on the Richter scale and XI (Extreme) on the Mercalli scale. Over 242,000 people died, and 160,000 others were injured. Some scholars estimated that the actual death toll was close to 300,000 when taking into account the missing and those who later died due to injuries.

2005: The Irish Republican Army announced that it would end its 36-year armed campaign against British rule and that all its members were "to assist the development of purely political and democratic programs through exclusively peaceful means."

– USA TODAY Network

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Today in history, July 28