Browse Historical Events by Day: What Happened on November 28th?

King Richard the Lionheart dies, and his brother John becomes King of England.

The University of Oxford is officially founded in England, becoming one of the oldest universities in the world.

Emperor Charles IV of the Holy Roman Empire grants privileges to the city of Prague, leading to its economic and political growth.

William Caxton, an English merchant, printer, and writer, publishes his first book, "The Dictes or Sayengis of the Philosophers," in London.

Ferdinand Magellan, the Portuguese navigator sponsored by Spain becomes the first European explorer to reach the Pacific Ocean from the Atlantic by sailing through the dangerous straits below South America. Although he was the mastermind of the expedition, he was killed in the Philippines before completing the trip. The first European to complete the circumnavigation was Magellan's second-in-command, Juan Sebastian de Elcano, who took over after his death. More

The Second Battle of Myeongnyang takes place during the Japanese invasions of Korea, with Korean admiral Yi Sun-sin achieving a significant victory.

A severe cold wave, known as the Great Frost, begins in Europe and continues into January 1710, causing widespread suffering and hardship.

The Times of London makes newspapers available to a mass audience by using automatic, steam powered presses built by German inventors Friedrich Koenig and Andreas Friedrich Bauer. More

Women in New Zealand become the first in the world to vote in a national election. Governor Lord Glasgow had signed the new Electoral Act into law allowing women to vote in parliamentary elections. on September 19, 1893. More

The first auto race in the U.S. is held in Chicago on Thanksgiving Day. The race was promoted by H. H. Kohlsaat, the publisher of the Chicago Times-Herald. the Duryea, built and driven by J. Frank Duryea crossed the finish line first, 7 hours and 53 minutes later, with an average speed of 7 miles per hour. The official distance was 54.36 miles, and this was accomplished on 3.5 gallons of gas. More

Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh is assassinated near Tehran, leading to tensions in the region.