July 28 in History

World War I, fought between 1914 and 1918, was one of the deadliest and most transformative conflicts in human history. Triggered by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, it drew in the major powers of Europe and many of their colonies and allies, killing millions of soldiers and civilians and redrawing the political map of Europe and the Middle East.

The Tangshan earthquake struck northeastern China in the early hours of 28 July 1976 and is generally ranked among the deadliest earthquakes of the modern era. The industrial city of Tangshan, in Hebei province about 150 kilometers southeast of Beijing, was almost completely destroyed within seconds. The official death toll was given as roughly 242,000, though some outside researchers have argued the true figure could be considerably higher. The disaster mattered not only for its scale but for what it revealed about earthquake preparedness, state secrecy, and a country in political transition.