This Day in History: August 28

Aug 28, 2022 News

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Compiled by Zena Henry

Fatimah, daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad dies

Kaieteur News – Fatimah (born between 605 and 615 CE, died in 632 CE; cause of death disputed) was the youngest daughter of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad and his first wife Khadija.

Taking up after her father, Fatimah became highly spiritual and devoted to Islam. Fatimah was married to Ali ibn Abi Talib in 624 CE, and the marriage lasted until the end of her days. Her sons Hassan and Hussayn were the only surviving grandchildren of the Prophet and have been venerated as imams (spiritual leaders) by the Shia Muslim community, just like their father; Fatimah is termed as the mother of Imams and is revered by both Sunni and Shia Muslims. (Source: World History)

The Kaqchikel Maya rebel against their former Spanish allies

During the Spanish conquest of Guatemala, Spanish conquerors befriended Kaqchikels people and aided then in defeating neighbouring enemies.

But the Spanish conquerors rapidly began to demand gold in tribute from the Kaqchikels, souring the friendship between the two peoples, and the Kaqchikel people abandoned their city and fled to the forests and hills on August 28, 1524. Ten days later, the Spanish declared war on the Kaqchikel. The Spanish founded a new town at nearby Tecpán Guatemala, abandoned it in 1527 because of continuous Kaqchikel attacks, and moved to the Almolonga Valley to the east, refounding their capital at Ciudad Vieja. The Kaqchikel kept up resistance against the Spanish for a number of years until their eventual surrender.

1859 – The strongest geomagnetic storm on record struck Earth

The Carrington Event was a large solar storm that took place at the beginning of September 1859, just a few months before the solar maximum of 1860. Beginning August 28, 1859, astronomers around the world watched with fascination as the number of sunspots on the solar disk grew.

Among them was Richard Carrington, an amateur skywatcher in a small town called Redhill, near London in England.

On September 1, as Carrington was sketching the sunspots, he was blinded by a sudden flash of light. Carrington described it as a “white light flare” according to NASA spaceflight. The whole event lasted about five minutes. The flare was a major coronal mass ejection (CME), a burst of magnetized plasma from the sun’s upper atmosphere, the corona. In 17.6 hours, the CME traversed over 90 million miles (150 million km) between the sun and Earth and unleashed its force on the planet. According to NASA spaceflight, it usually takes CMEs multiple days to reach Earth. (Source: Space.com)

Cetshwayo, last king of the Zulus is captured by the British

Cetshwayo kaMpande, the last king of the Zulus, was captured by British Imperial forces on this day, August 28, 1879. His defeat and capture marked the end of the Zulus, who were annexed and integrated into the British Empire eight years later, in 1887. Cetshwayo was the son of King Mpande.

Mpande died in 1872, and Cetshwayo became King. Six years later, in 1878, the British decided that the Zulus should be conquered. Many attempts were made to provoke the Zulus, with demands for tribute, and insults, with the objective being to provoke Cetshwayo into a war.

He refused to take the bait until the British finally sent him an ultimatum demanding that he disband his army, or face a war. He chose war. Cetshwayo won a series of stunning victories over the British.

However, failure to capture the British fortress, and the loss of thousands of men, condemned the Zulu, who were lightly armed compared to the British, to defeat. On August 28, 1879, the British finally captured the Zulu capital, Ulundi. (Source: GRIPT)

U.S. Senator begins a filibuster to prevent vote on Civil Rights Act

On August 28, 1957, Strom Thurmond, a United States senator from South Carolina, began a filibuster intended to prevent the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957. The filibuster, an extended speech designed to stall legislation, began on August 28 at 8:54 p.m. and lasted until 9:12 p.m. the following day, a duration of 24 hours and 18 minutes.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gives his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech

The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, also known as simply the March on Washington or The Great March on Washington, was held in Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963. The purpose of the march was to advocate for the civil and economic rights of African Americans.

At the march, final speaker Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial, delivered his historic “I Have a Dream” speech in which he called for an end to racism. About 250,000 to 300,000 persons attended the march, of which 75 to 80 percent were Black.

India and Pakistan sign agreement to release prisoners of war

India and Pakistan signed an agreement on August 28, 1973, clearing the way for the release of most of the 90,000 ‘Pakistani prisoners held in India and for settlement of other problems arising from their war in December 1971.

The accord, reached after 19 days of difficult negotiations spread, over two months in Islamabad and New Delhi, also provided a procedure for Pakistani recognition of Bangladesh. Bangledesh, the Bengali region, that until the 1971 war, was the eastern wing of Pakistan, did not participate in the negotiations since her independence had not yet been recognised by the Pakistanis. (Source: New York Times)

 

 

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