This Day in History is DUE’s daily dose of trivia for all the history buffs out there. So sit back and take a ride of all the fascinating things that happened on 28th March!
People are trapped in history and history is trapped in people, and hence, every day has been a significant one in the foibles of history. Now, let’s take a tour of “This Day in History – 28th March”.
1737: Bajirao Peshwa invades Delhi and defeats the Mughals
The First Battle of Delhi took place between the Maratha Empire and the Mughal Empire. It was part of the Later Mughal-Maratha Wars. The Marathas were victorious in the battle. The Mughal king had to sign a treaty promising Malwa province, tributes of the region between Narmada and Chambal and 50 lakh rupees as war expenses to the Marathas.
1939: Spanish Civil War ends
The Spanish Civil War ended today as Madrid fell to the Nationalists headed by Francisco Franco. The Republican defenders of Madrid raised the white flag over the city, bringing to an end the bloody three-year Spanish Civil War. The conflict took a million lives, the most devastating in Spanish history. The Nationalists, as the rebels were called, received aid from Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. The Republicans received aid from the Soviet Union as well as volunteers from Europe and the United States. Read more about the Spanish Civil War HERE.
1941: Virginia Woolf’s Death Anniversary
Leaving behind a suicide letter to her husband Leonard, Virginia Woolf today filled her overcoat pockets with rocks and walked into the River Ouse behind her house never to emerge alive. “I don’t think two people could have been happier till this terrible disease came. I can’t fight any longer,” she wrote referring to the depression that took her life. Ms. Woolf is well-known for her works such as A Room of One’s Own, Mrs. Dalloway and To The Lighthouse. She also wrote pioneering essays on artistic theory, literary history, women’s writing, and the politics of power.
1979: Nuclear disaster at Three Mile Island
At 4 am today began the worst accident in the history of the US nuclear power industry. A pressure valve in the Unit-2 reactor at Three Mile Island failed to close. Cooling water, contaminated with radiation, drained from the open valve into adjoining buildings, and the core began to dangerously overheat. At the height of the crisis, plant workers were exposed to unhealthy levels of radiation, but no one outside Three Mile Island had their health adversely affected by the accident. In the four decades since this accident, not a single new nuclear power plant has been ordered in the United States.
1986: Lady Gaga is born
The American singer-songwriter who has given us hits such as Just Dance, Shallow and Bad Romance turn 35 today. Her achievements include various Guinness World Records, 12 Grammy Awards, and recognition as Billboard‘s Artist of the Year and Woman of the Year. She has released over six studio albums, the latest being Chromatica (2020). She also garnered an Oscar nomination for her first lead role, in the 2018 remake of the movie A Star Is Born. In 2021 Lady Gaga also sang the national anthem at the U.S. presidential inauguration of Joe Biden.
2018: Smith and Warner suspended for the infamous ball-tampering scandal
Cricket Australia suspended Captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner for 12 months, and Cameron Bancroft for 9 months, for their part in the infamous ball-tampering scandal in South Africa. During the third Test match against South Africa at Newlands in Cape Town, television cameras had caught Bancroft trying to rough up one side of the ball with sandpaper to make it swing in flight. Smith and Warner were found to be involved. Coach Darren Lehmann also stepped down from his role following the scandal out of his own volition.
