Today in History - October 28

Major event on this day:

 

On October 28, 1886, the Statue of Liberty, a gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States, was dedicated in New York Harbour by President Grover Cleveland.

 

Originally known as "Liberty Enlightening the World," the statue was proposed by the French historian Edouard de Laboulaye to commemorate the Franco-American alliance during the American Revolution.

 

Other important events:

 

On October 28, 1864, Union forces withdrew from Fair Oaks, Virginia, after failing to breach the Confederate defences around Richmond during the American Civil War. The assault was actually a diversion to draw attention from a larger Union offensive around Petersburg.

On October 28, 1962, the Cuban Missile crisis came to a close as Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev agreed to remove Russian missiles from Cuba in exchange for a promise from the United States to respect Cuba's territorial sovereignty.

On October 28, 1999, a powerful cyclone in the Indian Ocean suddenly intensified to the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane. The next day it struck the Indian coast near Orissa, killing more than 10,000 people.

On October 28, 1965, workers "topped out" the final section of the Gateway Arch in St Louis, Missouri, completing construction of the nation's tallest memorial after four years of work.

On October 28, 1940, Mussolini's army, which was already occupying Albania, invaded Greece in what proved to be a disastrous military campaign for the Duce's forces.