On September 28, 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, landed his invasion force on England’s southern coast, beginning a conquest that would reshape the country and its relationships with Europe. England’s succession was disputed, and William claimed that its crown belonged to him rather than the newly crowned Harold II. Within weeks, their armies would meet at the Battle of Hastings. The Norman Conquest changed England’s ruling class, government, landownership, and language. Its influence remains visible in English vocabulary, medieval buildings, and institutions that developed under Norman rule.
Major Historical Events
1066: William of Normandy lands in England
William’s troops came ashore at Pevensey, in present-day East Sussex. Their arrival followed months of preparation and a delay while William waited for suitable sailing conditions. Harold had just defeated another invading army, led by Norway’s Harald Hardrada, at Stamford Bridge in northern England.
That timing mattered. Harold now had to move south to confront a second threat. William’s victory at Hastings on October 14, followed by his coronation on Christmas Day, established a new dynasty. Norman nobles gradually replaced much of England’s Anglo-Saxon elite, while closer connections with continental Europe influenced law, religion, architecture, and trade.
1542: Cabrillo’s expedition reaches San Diego Bay
Sailing for Spain, Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo entered San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542. His expedition is generally recognized as the first documented European visit to what is now the California coast.
The region was already home to Indigenous communities, including the Kumeyaay. Cabrillo’s voyage expanded European geographical knowledge of the Pacific coast, although permanent Spanish settlement in California began more than two centuries later. The expedition formed part of Spain’s wider search for trade routes, resources, and navigable passages.
1864: An international workers’ association is founded
Workers’ representatives and political activists gathered at St. Martin’s Hall in London to establish the International Workingmen’s Association, later known as the First International. Participants sought cooperation across national borders as industrialization transformed working life.
Its members disagreed about political strategy, ownership, and the role of the state. Nevertheless, the association helped connect trade unionists, socialists, and other reformers. Karl Marx became influential in its work, though the organization included competing traditions. Internal divisions eventually weakened it, but international labor cooperation remained an important legacy.
1928: Fleming’s penicillin discovery
September 28 is commonly commemorated as the date of Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin in 1928. At St. Mary’s Hospital in London, Fleming observed that bacteria had failed to grow near a contaminating mold in a laboratory culture.
The observation did not immediately produce a usable medicine. More than a decade later, researchers including Howard Florey and Ernst Boris Chain helped turn penicillin into an effective treatment, followed by large-scale production. Antibiotics transformed medicine by making many previously dangerous bacterial infections treatable. Fleming’s experience also illustrates how careful attention to an unexpected result can open an entirely new field.
1939: Germany and the Soviet Union divide occupied Poland
Following their separate invasions of Poland, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed the German-Soviet Boundary and Friendship Treaty on September 28, 1939. It revised their respective zones of control, building on secret arrangements made in the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact the previous month.
Warsaw’s capitulation was also formalized that day after a devastating siege, although Polish resistance continued elsewhere. Occupation brought repression, deportations, and mass killings. Poland’s government continued abroad, and Polish forces fought alongside the Allies. The partition was a major early development in the Second World War.
1958: Guinea votes against joining the French Community
Voters in French Guinea rejected France’s proposed constitution in a referendum, choosing a path to immediate independence rather than membership in the new French Community. Under political leader Ahmed Sékou Touré, Guinea was the only participating French African territory to vote no.
Independence followed on October 2. France rapidly withdrew personnel and assistance, creating serious difficulties for the new state. Guinea’s decision became a prominent milestone in African decolonization, demonstrating both the appeal of sovereignty and the practical challenges of breaking colonial ties.
1969: The Murchison meteorite falls in Australia
Fragments of a meteorite fell near Murchison, Victoria, giving scientists an unusually valuable sample of material from the early solar system. Residents helped recover pieces before extensive exposure to Earth’s environment could alter them.
Researchers identified many organic compounds, including amino acids, in the meteorite. These findings showed that some of the chemical ingredients associated with life can form beyond Earth. The meteorite did not establish that life came from space, but it became an important resource for studying chemistry before life and the origins of planetary material.
2008: Falcon 1 reaches orbit
After three unsuccessful attempts, SpaceX launched its fourth Falcon 1 rocket from the Marshall Islands and successfully reached Earth orbit. It was the first privately developed liquid-fueled rocket to do so.
The achievement demonstrated that a comparatively small commercial company could develop an orbital launch vehicle. Falcon 1 itself had a short operational life, but the flight helped establish the technical and business foundations for SpaceX’s later rockets and spacecraft.
Notable Births
Born in Milan on September 28, 1571, Caravaggio became one of the most influential painters of the Baroque era. His strong contrasts of light and shadow and his use of ordinary-looking figures gave religious scenes an immediacy that influenced artists across Europe.
French chemist Henri Moissan, born in 1852, successfully isolated fluorine in 1886 after earlier attempts by other researchers had proved dangerous or unsuccessful. His work with fluorine and the electric furnace earned him the 1906 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Few voices became as familiar across South Asia as that of Lata Mangeshkar, born in Indore in 1929. Over decades as a playback singer, she recorded songs in numerous Indian languages, helping shape the sound and emotional expression of Indian cinema.
Finnish racing driver Mika Häkkinen was born in 1968. Formula One world champion in 1998 and 1999 with McLaren, he became a leading figure in international motorsport through his speed, precision, and competition with other outstanding drivers of his era.
Notable Deaths
American novelist Herman Melville died on September 28, 1891, with much of his writing receiving limited attention. Later generations recognized Moby-Dick as a major work of world literature, exploring obsession, authority, and humanity’s relationship with nature.
The death of Louis Pasteur in 1895 marked the loss of a central figure in modern microbiology. His research strengthened understanding of germs, supported safer food preservation through pasteurization, and contributed to vaccines against diseases including rabies.
Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser died in 1970. A major voice in Arab nationalism and the Non-Aligned Movement, he reshaped Egypt through state-led reforms and the nationalization of the Suez Canal. His legacy also includes authoritarian government and the consequences of regional conflict.
Across these centuries, September 28 brings together conquest, independence, scientific observation, artistic expression, and technological persistence.
