Today in History: September 28, Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin

Today in History

Today is Thursday, Sept. 28, the 271st day of 2023. There are 94 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On Sept. 28, 1928, Scottish medical researcher Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, the first effective antibiotic.

On this date:

In 1781, American forces in the Revolutionary War, backed by a French fleet, began their successful siege of Yorktown, Virginia.

In 1841, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow completed his poem “Excelsior.”

In 1850, flogging was abolished as a form of punishment in the U.S. Navy.

In 1920, eight members of the Chicago White Sox were indicted for allegedly throwing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. (All were acquitted at trial, but all eight were banned from the game for life.)

In 1924, three U.S. Army planes landed in Seattle, having completed the first round-the-world trip by air in 175 days.

In 1939, during World War II, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed a treaty calling for the partitioning of Poland, which the two countries had invaded.

In 1958, voters in the African country of Guinea overwhelmingly favored independence from France.

In 1962, a federal appeals court found Mississippi Gov. Ross Barnett in civil contempt for blocking the admission of James Meredith, a Black student, to the University of Mississippi.

In 1995, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO chairman Yasser Arafat signed an accord at the White House ending Israel’s military occupation of West Bank cities and laying the foundation for a Palestinian state.

In 2000, capping a 12-year battle, the government approved use of the abortion pill RU-486.

In 2018, reversing course, President Donald Trump agreed to the demands of Democrats for a deeper FBI investigation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

In 2019, voters in Afghanistan went to the polls to elect a president for the fourth time since a U.S.-led coalition ousted the Taliban regime in 2001; the vote was marred by violence, Taliban threats and widespread allegations of mismanagement.

In 2020, the worldwide death toll from the coronavirus pandemic topped 1 million, according to a count by Johns Hopkins University.

In 2021, testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called the 20-year war in Afghanistan a “strategic failure,” and said he had favored keeping several thousand troops in the country to prevent a collapse of the U.S.-backed government and a rapid takeover by the Taliban.

In 2022, Hurricane Ian barreled ashore in southwestern Florida as a massive Category 4 storm. About 2.5 million people were ordered to evacuate before the storm hit the coast with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph (241 kph).

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Brigitte Bardot is 89. Actor Joel Higgins is 80. Singer Helen Shapiro is 77. Actor Vernee Watson is 74. Movie writer-director-actor John Sayles is 73. Rock musician George Lynch is 69. Zydeco singer-musician C.J. Chenier (sheh-NEER’) is 66. Actor Steve Hytner is 64. Actor-comedian Janeane Garofalo (juh-NEEN’ guh-RAH’-fuh-loh) is 59. Country singer Matt King is 57. Actor Mira Sorvino is 56. TV personality/singer Moon Zappa is 56. Actor-model Carre Otis is 55. Actor Naomi Watts is 55. Country singer Karen Fairchild (Little Big Town) is 54. Singer/songwriter A.J. Croce is 52. Country singer Mandy Barnett is 48. Rapper Young Jeezy is 46. World Golf Hall of Famer Se Ri Pak is 46. Actor Peter Cambor is 45. Writer-producer-director-actor Bam Margera is 44. Actor Melissa Claire Egan is 42. Actor Jerrika Hinton is 42. Neo-soul musician Luke Mossman (Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats ) is 42. Pop-rock singer St. Vincent is 41. Comedian/actor Phoebe Robinson is 39. Rock musician Daniel Platzman (Imagine Dragons) is 37. Actor Hilary Duff is 36. Actor Keir Gilchrist is 31.