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Today in History, June 28th

On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo, sparking World War I. Plus Versailles and the Stonewall uprising.

By Today in History Updated November 10, 2026 3 min read Sources checked

Published June 28, 2026 · Last updated November 10, 2026

June 28 is best known for 1914, when Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie, were shot dead in Sarajevo, the spark for World War I. Five years later to the day, in 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed, and in 1969 the Stonewall uprising began in New York City.

The big story: Archduke Franz Ferdinand is assassinated in Sarajevo (1914)

The heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne came to Bosnia to inspect troops. That alone was provocative. Austria-Hungary had annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1908, and Serbian nationalists believed the region belonged with Serbia. A group of young plotters lay in wait along the archduke’s route, and after a morning of missed chances, 19-year-old Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb nationalist, stepped up to the procession and fired at point-blank range. Franz Ferdinand and Sophie died almost at once. Vienna blamed the Serbian government. Russia stood behind Serbia, Austria looked to Germany for support, and the alliance system did the rest. Exactly one month later, on July 28, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, and Europe’s great powers tumbled into World War I. Two shots on a city street had set off a war that would last more than four years.

More events on June 28

Year	What happened
1519	Electors chose Charles I of Spain to succeed his grandfather Maximilian I as Holy Roman Emperor. He reigned as Charles V.
1836	Former President James Madison died at his Virginia plantation.
1894	President Grover Cleveland signed a bill making Labor Day a national holiday.
1904	Helen Keller graduated from Radcliffe College, the first DeafBlind person to earn a bachelor’s degree.
1919	The Treaty of Versailles, the peace settlement with Germany after World War I, was signed. Its harsh terms on Germany bred resentment that helped lead to the next war.
1940	Britain recognized Charles de Gaulle as leader of the Free French.
1969	The Stonewall Riots began in New York City’s Greenwich Village, a landmark moment for the gay rights movement.
1972	President Richard Nixon announced that draftees would no longer be sent to Vietnam unless they volunteered.
1992	Two strong earthquakes struck the desert east of Los Angeles.
1997	Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield’s ear during their heavyweight title rematch and was disqualified.
2007	The bald eagle was taken off the U.S. list of threatened and endangered species.

Born on June 28

1491: Henry VIII, king of England from 1509 to 1547, born in Greenwich, near London.
1712: Jean-Jacques Rousseau, philosopher whose ideas shaped the French Revolution and the Romantics, born in Geneva.
1926: Mel Brooks, filmmaker and comedian, born in Brooklyn, New York.
1946: Gilda Radner, comedian and original Saturday Night Live cast member, born in Detroit.