TODAY IN HISTORY
On Sept. 28, 1928, Scottish medical researcher Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, the first effective antibiotic.
Also on this date
In 1781, American forces in the Revolutionary War, backed by a French fleet, began their successful siege of Yorktown, Virginia.
In 1787, the Congress of the Confederation voted to send the justcompleted Constitution of the United States to state legislatures for their approval.
In 1850, flogging was abolished as a form of punishment in the U.S. Navy.
In 1892, the first nighttime football game took place in Mansfield, Pennsylvania, as teams from Mansfield State Normal and Wyoming Seminary played under electric lights to a scoreless tie.
In 1920, eight members of the Chicago White Sox were indicted for allegedly throwing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. (All were acquitted at trial, but all eight were banned from the game for life.)
In 1962, a federal appeals court found Mississippi Gov. Ross Barnett in civil contempt for blocking the admission of James Meredith, a Black student, to the University of Mississippi. (Federal marshals escorted Meredith onto the campus two days later.)
In 1995, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO chairman Yasser Arafat signed an accord at the White House ending Israel’s military occupation of West Bank cities and laying the foundation for a Palestinian state.
In 2000, capping a 12-year battle, the government approved use of the abortion pill RU-486.
In 2015, President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin, meeting at the United Nations, agreed to discuss a political transition in Syria but remained at odds about what that would mean for Syria leader Bashar Assad’s future.
Ten years ago: The youngest son of North Korean President Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un, was selected for his first leadership post in the ruling Workers Party, putting him well on the path to succeed his father.
Five years ago: Trevor Noah debuted as host of “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central.
One year ago: A massive pro-democracy rally in downtown Hong Kong ended early and violently, with police firing tear gas and a water cannon after protesters threw bricks and Molotov cocktails at government buildings.