Today in History: Pope John XXIII is elected

The following are some of the major events that occurred on October 28 throughout history:

28 October 1492 – Explorer Christopher Columbus sights the island of Cuba and claims it for Spain.

28 October 1636 – The Harvard University (originally Harvard College) is founded by the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

28 October 1834 – The Pinjarra massacre in Western Australia: a confrontation between colonial settlers and the Binjareb Noongar people.

28 October 1886 – The Statue of Liberty is officially dedicated in New York Harbour by U.S. President Grover Cleveland.

28 October 1919 – The U.S. Congress passes the Volstead Act (National Prohibition Act) over President Woodrow Wilson’s veto.

28 October 1922 – The March on Rome begins: Interpreted as the day when fascist forces under Benito Mussolini seize effective control of the Italian government.

28 October 1928 – The song Indonesia Raya is publicly performed for the first time during the Second Youth Congress in Indonesia, marking a key moment in the Indonesian nationalist movement.

28 October 1958 – Pope John XXIII is elected as head of the Roman Catholic Church.

28 October 1962 – Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev agrees to dismantle Soviet missile installations in Cuba, marking the end of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

28 October 1940 – Greece rejects Italy’s ultimatum, leading to Italy’s invasion of Greece (commemorated as Ohi Day).