December 28 in history — What Happened Today in History

Chin Peng, David Marshall and Tunku Abdul Rahman meet in Baling, Malaya to try to resolve the Malayan Emergency situation.

The DC-3 airliner NC16002 disappears 80 kilometres (50 mi) south of Miami.

Maurice Richard becomes the first player to score eight points in one game of NHL ice hockey.

Soviet authorities launch Operation Ulussy, beginning the deportation of the Kalmyk nation to Siberia and Central Asia.

World War II: After eight days of brutal house-to-house fighting, the Battle of Ortona concludes with the victory of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division over the German 1st Parachute Division and the capture of the Italian town of Ortona.

World War II: Operation Anthropoid, the plot to assassinate high-ranking Nazi officer Reinhard Heydrich, commences.

Constance Markievicz, while detained in Holloway prison, becomes the first woman to be elected Member of Parliament (MP) to the British House of Commons.

The first municipally owned streetcars take to the streets in San Francisco.

The 7.1 Mw Messina earthquake shakes Southern Italy with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing between about 80,000.

The Syracuse Athletic Club defeat the New York Philadelphians, 5–0, in the first indoor professional football game, which was held at Madison Square Garden.

The Lumière brothers perform for their first paying audience at the Grand Cafe in Boulevard des Capucines.

Wilhelm Röntgen publishes a paper detailing his discovery of a new type of radiation, which later will be known as x-rays.

The Indian National Congress is founded in Bombay Presidency, British India.

Tay Bridge disaster: The central part of the Tay Rail Bridge in Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom collapses as a train passes over it, killing 75.

Iowa is admitted as the 29th U.S. state.

South Australia and Adelaide are founded.

Spain recognizes the independence of Mexico with the signing of the Santa María–Calatrava Treaty.

Osceola leads his Seminole warriors in Florida into the Second Seminole War against the United States Army.

John C. Calhoun becomes the first Vice President of the United States to resign. He resigned after being elected Senator from South Carolina.

Construction of Yonge Street, formerly recognized as the longest street in the world, begins in York, Upper Canada (present-day Toronto).

King Taksin's coronation achieved through conquest as a king of Thailand and established Thonburi as a capital.

William III of Orange enters London with a Dutch army during the 1688 invasion of England.

The Marathas defeat the Adilshahi forces in the Battle of Kolhapur.

John Henson, American basketball player

Bastiaan Lijesen, Dutch swimmer

Austin Barnes, American baseball player

Mackenzie Rosman, American actress

Thomas Dekker, American actor and musician

Tom Huddlestone, English footballer

Martin Kaymer, German golfer

Duane Solomon, American runner

Cedric Benson, American football player (died 2019)

Beau Garrett, American actress and model

François Gourmet, Belgian decathlete

Curtis Glencross, Canadian hockey player

Khalid Boulahrouz, Dutch footballer

Lemmy, English musician, singer, and songwriter (born 1945)

Leelah Alcorn, American transgender teenager (born 1997)

Vahan Hovhannisyan, Armenian politician (born 1956)

Frankie Randall, American singer-songwriter (born 1938)

Halton Arp, American-German astronomer and critic (born 1927)

Esther Borja, Cuban soprano and actress (born 1913)

Andrew Jacobs, Jr., American soldier, lawyer, and politician (born 1932)

Alfred Marshall, American businessman, founded Marshalls (born 1919)

Joseph Ruskin, American actor and producer (born 1924)

Ilya Tsymbalar, Ukrainian-Russian footballer and manager (born 1969)

Nicholas Ambraseys, Greek-English seismologist and engineer (born 1929)

Mark Crispin, American computer scientist and academic, designed the IMAP (born 1956)

Václav Drobný, Czech footballer (born 1980)