May 28

in History

Halys River, Anatolia (modern Turkey)Ancient

585

Eclipse Stops a Battle

The sky goes dark and warriors drop their swords

According to Herodotus, a solar eclipse -- accurately predicted by the philosopher Thales of Miletus -- interrupted the Battle of Halys between the Lydians and the Medes. As day turned to night on the battlefield, the terrified warriors took it as a divine sign and immediately ceased fighting. The eclipse, one of the most famous astronomical events in ancient history, led to a peace treaty between the two kingdoms and stands as the earliest historical event dateable to a specific day.

585 BC

Tommy Ladnier Was Born — A trumpet like no other in New Orleans jazz

Mandeville, Louisiana, United StatesEarly 20th Century

1900

Tommy Ladnier Was Born

A trumpet like no other in New Orleans jazz

In Mandeville, Louisiana, Thomas James Ladnier was born into the cradle of jazz. He would become one of the most distinctive trumpet players of the early jazz era, his warm, expressive tone earning comparisons to the great Louis Armstrong himself. The influential French critic Hugues Panassie ranked Ladnier second only to Armstrong among all jazz trumpeters. His death at thirty-nine cut short a career that helped define the golden age of New Orleans jazz.

1900 AD

Early 20th Century

1926

28 May 1926 coup d'état

The 28 May 1926 coup d'état: Ditadura Nacional is established in Portugal to suppress the unrest of the First Republic.

1926 AD