1928 Facts That Will Take You Back 100 Years In Time

What was life like about a hundred years ago?

Of course, you must have learned about the times of your ancestors, but history has more to offer. The legendary stories of valiance, revolutionary reformation, and scientific development have gifted us the time that is ticking now.

History never fails to grab attention with its amusing stories of invigorating adventures, battles, inventions, discoveries, and other life-changing events. Without the knowledge of the extinct dinosaurs, princes and princesses, dictators like Hitler, legendary figures like Saint Joan of Arc, and the common people of the time, our present life would have been pretty lusterless.

The art and culture of yesteryears influence pop-culture history today.

The origins of rock 'n' roll, blues, country, and jazz music date back to historical times. The 1920s are also composed of all these elements so let's embark on this journey to learn about the major events that transpired in 1928.

If you enjoyed reading these enlightening facts about the 1920s, then keep indulging but also, don't miss out on these mind-boggling 1922 facts and 1925 facts.

Fun Facts About 1928

History isn't limited to the tragic events of the war between nations. History also incorporates the weird and unusual incidents that make up for a fun read. Here are some of those not-so-serious warlike events that shaped the year 1928.

'The Lights of New York' qualified to be the world's first movie that was completely filled with sounds. It was also the first film to explore the genre of crime in sound. The production of the entire film was completed for just $23,000, but it turned out to be a blockbuster, earning a revenue of over $1,000,000!

Among the famous personalities born in 1928 was the prolific American director Stanley Kubrick. He was born on July 26 in New York, US.

The American painter and filmmaker, Andrew Warhol, was born on August 6, 1928. He was one of the prominent leaders who carried forward the pop art, or visual art, movement. Some other noteworthy celebrities include Noam Chomsky, Shirley Temple, Maya Angelou, James Garner, Billy Martin, Rodolfo Gonzales, John Forbes Nash Jr., Adam West, and Eddie Fisher.

Some criminals who made headlines were also born this year. The famous American assassin, James Earl Ray, known for his assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. was born on March 10.

The American mobster, Vincent Louis Gigante, popularly called 'the Chin' was born on March 29. He was also a renowned professional boxer. Also known as the 'Mad Hatter' or 'Grim Reaper', Gregory Scarpa was an infamous hitman born on May 8.

Did you know the life expectancy of male residents of the US was just 55.6 years, whereas that of females was higher at 58.3 years in 1928?

Are you aware of an Olympic champion who betrayed death? It's Betty Robinson, who returned from the world of the dead.

Sounds weird and spooky, right? At the young age of 16, Betty set a world record after winning the first gold in the women's 100m race.

However, after her great achievement, she suffered from a violent plane crash. She bore innumerable injuries, her head was bleeding from a deep wound, the left arm was completely fractured, the legs were badly twisted, and a deep cut on her forehead skirted over the right eye.

The person who discovered Betty considered her dead due to her unresponsiveness, so she was taken to an undertaker rather than a hospital. It was the undertaker who took her to the hospital for treatment when he found her alive.

Despite the treatments, Betty had thin chances of recovery, but her sheer determination and strong willpower assured a speedy recovery. Surprisingly, in 1936, Betty showed her extraordinary caliber to the entire world by bagging another gold in the relay.

Remember Mickey Mouse? This world-famous cartoon character was created by the renowned Walt Disney in 1928. From the day of its debut, this iconic anthropomorphic mouse was rendered with the actual voice of Walt Disney until 1946.

Thomas Midgley and Charles Kettering invented Freon, a non-flammable, odorless gas or liquid that was once considered to be a miraculous compound. Currently, it is a cause of great concern as it is responsible for the ozone layer's depletion.

Freon is a gas belonging to the chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) category that is widely used in appliances like air conditioners and refrigerators.

Historical Facts About 1928

History is not just about the most famous battle and its aftermath; the culmination of innumerable other events plays a significant role in determining the fate of mankind. These fascinating facts about the history of the world will surely keep you on the edge of your seat.

On June 18, 1928, Amelia Earhart created headlines for flying across the Atlantic Ocean. Although she was a passenger in the airplane, accompanied by two male pilots, she was the first woman to make the transatlantic flight. Later, in 1932, she set another record as the first woman to fly a plane across the Atlantic.

Calvin Coolidge, the US President, passed the Boulder Dam Project Act in 1928. The project was aimed at promoting growth among the major cities by distributing and utilizing the water of the Colorado River in a better way.

After negotiations with Herbert Hoover, the construction of the dam commenced in 1933 and was wrapped up by 1935. Renamed the 'Hoover Dam' in 1947, it immensely benefited New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, California, Utah, and Wyoming.

This dam qualified to be the world's largest dam at the time and was a remarkable achievement in the field of civil engineering. On the other hand, the St. Francis Dam in California collapsed, causing catastrophic damage to life and property.

Over 450 individuals died due to the sudden collapse while the towns of Bardsdale, Fillmore, and Castaic Junction were flooded, making it one of the worst failures of civil engineering.

Another incident of flooding was witnessed in London, UK, when the river Thames overflowed its banks. It killed 14 people and rendered 4,000 citizens homeless.

In Australia, two Walpiri tribesmen murdered Frederick Brooks and consequently initiated the Coniston Massacre on August 7. The Aboriginals were at the receiving end and suffered the onslaught.

After Joseph Stalin came to power, the Five-Year Plan was implemented by the Soviet Union for the first time. The plan commenced in 1928 and focused on the collectivization of agriculture and heavy industry.

Although the plans were highly ambitious, they were not pragmatic. The Five-Year Plan failed due to a shortage of time that made it impossible to accomplish the set targets. However, this marked a significant change, as China also implemented its Five-Year Plan for the first time in 1953 with the assistance of the Soviet Union.

Facts About Inventions Made In 1928

Inventions and discoveries form an indispensable part of history. It is because of these inventions that the current generation lives a comfortable life.

The Scottish microbiologist and physician, Sir Alexander Fleming, made a groundbreaking discovery that proved to be a miraculous life-saving drug in the later years. On September 3, he accidentally discovered the antibiotic properties of the mold named 'Penicillium rubens', later coined as 'benzylpenicillin'.

It was found upon research that administering the antibiotic brought down the death count dramatically as it could cure infections.

On July 6, the world's first machine for slicing bread was invented and patented by Richard Otto Rohwedder. The perfectly sliced bread pieces that you find in bakeries or grocery stores are a product of this fine invention. The bread slicer was sold to a baking company named Chillicothe, in Missouri.

Facts About Global Events In 1928

Peek into this shortlist of events that took place across the globe in 1928.

Interested in international sports? In 1928, the Summer Olympics were hosted by Amsterdam, the Netherlands, for the very first time.

In the Olympics, the Indian men's national field hockey team brought home the gold with a remarkable victory. In the finals of the Stanley Cup, the New York Rangers emerged winners against the Montreal Maroons.

Founded on April 26, this ice hockey team managed to gain the top position by winning their first Stanley Cup in the year 1928. The 1928 World Series trophy was lifted by the New York Yankees.

The Yankees were pitted against the St. Louis Cardinals in the finals. With undefeatable wins in four consecutive matches against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Yankees set a historical record.

The year 1928 was filled with artistic exuberance as some of the most significant pop artists, like the Carter Family, Gene Austin, Vernon Dalhart, Al Jolson, Frank Crumit, and several others, belted hit numbers.

If you're inclined towards music, then you should definitely listen to these popular and influential songs like 'T for Texas' by Jimmy Rogers, 'Black & Tan Fantasy' by Duke Ellington, 'Ol' Man River' by Paul Robeson, and 'I Wanna Be Loved by You' by Helen Kane.

On the other hand, the film 'The Patriot' which was released on August 17, was widely acclaimed. The film was adapted from two dramas, namely Dmitry Merezhkovsky's 'Paul I' and Ashley Dukes' 'The Patriot', and turned out to be a masterpiece under the direction of Ernst Lubitsch.

It carried off the Academy Award for Best Writing.

Apart from the award, the film received nominations for Best Director, Best Actor, Best Art Direction, and Best Picture. Sadly, the entire copy of the film couldn't be preserved as only a few bits and pieces, including the trailers, were retrieved.

Another noteworthy movie was 'The Passion of Joan of Arc' directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer. It was a silent film that accurately depicted the historical trial of Saint Joan of Arc, followed by her execution in 1431.

Portions of the film were removed by the director after being censored by the French government as well as the Archbishop of Paris.

Considered to be one of the finest, the original film was believed to be lost. However, a copy was recovered from the mental institute known as Dikemark Hospital in 1981.

A. A. Milne published the second volume of his famous children's book 'The House at Pooh Corner' in England. Did you know that D. H. Lawrence's most controversial novel, 'Lady Chatterley's Lover' was banned? The first private publication of the novel took place in Italy followed by France in 1929.

The year 1928 was crucial in the history of Indian politics as the Swaraj Constitution was drafted by Pandit Motilal Nehru with the assistance of his committee.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 1928 facts, then why not take a look at 1930 facts, or 1935 facts?