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HISTORY & TIMELINE
28 October

A journey through
28 October in history

A battle at a bridge in 312, a college voted into being in 1636, a statue in 1886 and the end of the world’s closest brush with nuclear war in 1962: 28 October carries a great deal. This timeline follows the date from 312 to 1962.

Begin the Timeline ↓ ← Back to Explore This Day
JUMP THROUGH TIME
I
EARLIEST RECORDS

Ancient & Early History

The earliest worthwhile records and events connected with this date.

312
The Battle of the Milvian Bridge, painted by Giulio Romano and his workshop in the Vatican.The Battle of the Milvian Bridge, painted by Giulio Romano and his workshop in the Vatican.Image: Giulio Romano · Public domain
world · Europe

Constantine wins at the Milvian Bridge

Constantine defeated his rival Maxentius outside Rome on 28 October 312, at Saxa Rubra on the Flaminian Way; Maxentius drowned in the Tiber while fleeing across the Milvian Bridge. The victory made Constantine sole ruler of the western Roman Empire. Ancient writers report that he went into the battle under a Christian sign shown to him in a dream or a vision, and the battle is traditionally treated as the turning point after which Christianity went from persecuted to favoured.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica: The Battle of the Milvian Bridge ↗
II
THE MIDDLE AGES

Medieval History

Kingdoms, conflict, faith, power and the changing medieval world.

1492
A replica of Columbus's flagship, the Santa María.A replica of Columbus’s flagship, the Santa María.Image: Possibly by Edward H. Hart. · Public domain
world · Americas

Columbus reaches Cuba

Columbus landed on the coast of Cuba on 28 October 1492, sixteen days after his first Caribbean landfall in the Bahamas. He believed at first that he had found Cipango — Japan — and by 1 November had persuaded himself instead that this was the mainland of Cathay. The fleet left in December and was carried to Hispaniola.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica: Christopher Columbus, the first voyage ↗
III
A CHANGING WORLD

Early Modern Era

Exploration, political change, scientific development and expanding global connections.

1636
Massachusetts Hall, built in 1720 and the oldest surviving building at Harvard.Massachusetts Hall, built in 1720 and the oldest surviving building at Harvard.Image: Muns (talk · contribs) · CC BY-SA 3.0
world · Americas

Harvard is voted into being

The Great and General Court of Massachusetts voted on 28 October 1636 to put £400 towards ‘a schoale or colledge’ — the first college in the American colonies. It opened in 1638, and in 1639 the court named it after John Harvard, a young minister who had left it his library and half his estate. Henry Dunster became its first president in 1640.

Source: Harvard University: The history of Harvard University ↗
IV
THE NINETEENTH CENTURY

The 1800s

Industry, empire, invention, reform and a century of enormous transformation.

1893
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.Image: Émile Reutlinger · Public domain
culture · Europe

Tchaikovsky conducts the Pathétique

Tchaikovsky conducted the first performance of his Sixth Symphony in the Hall of Nobles in St Petersburg on 28 October 1893. He had begun it in February and finished it at the end of August, and dedicated it to his nephew Vladimir Davydov. The symphony ends not in triumph but in a long, sinking adagio. Nine days after the premiere Tchaikovsky was dead at fifty-three, of what was recorded as cholera — which has given the Pathétique the reputation of a farewell, deserved or not.

Source: Boston Symphony Orchestra: Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 6, Pathétique ↗
V
THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

The 1900s

War and peace, technological leaps, social change, politics, sport and popular culture.

1940
Ioannis Metaxas, who rejected the ultimatum.Ioannis Metaxas, who rejected the ultimatum.Image: The Archaeological Society at Athens / εν Aθήναις Aρχαιολογική Eταιρεία, 1937 · Public domain
world · Europe

Greece says no

Greece rejected an Italian ultimatum in the early hours of 28 October 1940 — the ‘ochi’ that gives the Greek national holiday its name — and Italian troops invaded from Albania hours later. The Greeks drove them back within weeks.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica: Greece, the Metaxas regime and World War II ↗
RESEARCH

Sources & Further Reading

Selected authoritative references supporting the events on this page.

WHY THESE MOMENTS?

Significance before volume

This page is not the longest possible list of events. It is a chronological journey through 28 October, where each entry is chosen for historical significance, human interest and reliability.

Facts are checked against authoritative museums, archives, universities and reference works. Where sources disagree, the page says so.

EXPLORED THE DEEPER STORY?

Return to the highlights of 28 October

Discover the lighter side of the date with famous birthdays, culture, firsts and lives remembered.

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