On This Day for September 28 - California “discovered”, Élie, Duc Decazes is featured, and more

This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, click here to view. September 28 FEATURED BIOGRAPHY Élie, Duc Decazes READ MORE   FEATURED EVENT 1542 California "discovered" READ MORE   Advertisement Advertisement   MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY 2016: Polish-born Israeli statesman Shimon Peres—who served as prime minister (1984–86 and 1995–96) and president (2007–14) of Israel and shared the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1994 for helping to negotiate the Oslo Accords (the historic Israeli-PLO peace agreement of 1993)—died in Ramat Gan. [Take our quiz about the Middle East.] 2008: SpaceX successfully launched Falcon 1, becoming the first privately owned company to send a liquid-fueled rocket into orbit. [ Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about space exploration.] 2003: Tennis player Althea Gibson—the first African American to win singles titles at the French Open (1956), Wimbledon (1957–58), and the U.S. Open (1957–58)—died in New Jersey. [How much do you know about Wimbledon?] 1934: French actress Brigitte Bardot, who was an international sex symbol in the 1950s and '60s, was born. [Test your knowledge of actors and acting quiz.] 1781: The Siege of Yorktown began, eventually leading on October 19 to the British surrender by General Lord Cornwallis and the end of the American Revolution. [ How much do you know about the American Revolution?] 1958: Madagascar voted for autonomy within the French Community. SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1934 Brigitte Bardot French actress 1929 Lata Mangeshkar Indian singer 1947 Sheikh Hasina Wazed prime minister of Bangladesh 1852 John French, 1st earl of Ypres British field marshal 1916 Peter Finch British actor 1905 Max Schmeling German boxer SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY   Advertisement   FOLLOW: To unsubscribe from Britannica e-mails, click here. Encyclopædia Britannica 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Chicago, Illinois 60654 United States © 2020 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Privacy Policy • Help