Events on March 28 38

Roman Emperor Pertinax is assassinated by Praetorian Guards, who then sell the throne in an auction to Didius Julianus.

Roman Emperor Valentinian I appoints his brother Flavius Valens co-emperor.

The foundation stone of Valletta, Malta's capital city, is laid by Jean Parisot de Valette, Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

Juan Bautista de Anza finds the site for the Presidio of San Francisco.

Allies under Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld defeat French forces at Le Cateau.

Partitions of Poland: The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia, a northern fief of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, ceases to exist and becomes part of Imperial Russia.

Treaty of Florence is signed.

Heinrich Wilhelm Matthäus Olbers discovers 2 Pallas, the second asteroid ever to be discovered.

Peninsular War: France defeats Spain in the Battle of Medellín.

War of 1812: In the Battle of Valparaíso, two American naval vessels are captured by two Royal Navy vessels of equal strength.

First concert of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, founded by Otto Nicolai.

Crimean War: France and Britain declare war on Russia.

First Taranaki War: The Battle of Waireka begins.

American Civil War: In the Battle of Glorieta Pass, Union forces stop the Confederate invasion of the New Mexico Territory. The battle began on March 26.

The Paris Commune is formally established in Paris.

Tonkin Campaign: French victory in the Battle of Gia Cuc.

Henri Fabre becomes the first person to fly a seaplane, the Fabre Hydravion, after taking off from a water runway near Martigues, France.

Palm Sunday tornado outbreak of 1920 affects the Great Lakes region and Deep South states.

The Imperial Airways biplane City of Liverpool is believed to be the first airliner lost to sabotage when a passenger sets a fire on board.

Spanish Civil War: Generalissimo Francisco Franco conquers Madrid after a three-year siege.

World War II: Britain's Mediterranean Fleet sinks three heavy cruisers and two destroyers of Italy's Regia Marina.

World War II: A British combined force permanently disables the Louis Joubert Lock in Saint-Nazaire in order to keep the German battleship Tirpitz away from the mid-ocean convoy lanes.

Cold War: The United States Department of State releases the Acheson-Lilienthal Report, outlining a plan for the international control of nuclear power.

First Indochina War: In the Battle of Mạo Khê, French Union forces, led by World War II hero Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, inflict a defeat on Việt Minh forces commanded by General Võ Nguyên Giáp.

The State Council of the People's Republic of China dissolves the government of Tibet.

Brazilian high school student Edson Luís de Lima Souto is killed by military police at a protest for cheaper meals at a restaurant for low-income students.

Greek poet and Nobel Prize laureate Giorgos Seferis makes a famous statement on the BBC World Service opposing the junta in Greece.

An earthquake strikes western Turkey at about 23:05 local time, killing 1,086 and injuring 1,260.

The US Supreme Court hands down 5-3 decision in Stump v. Sparkman, a controversial case involving involuntary sterilization and judicial immunity.

A coolant leak at the Three Mile Island's Unit 2 nuclear reactor outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania leads to the core overheating and a partial meltdown.

The British House of Commons passes a vote of no confidence against James Callaghan's government, precipitating a general election.

United States President George H. W. Bush posthumously awards Jesse Owens the Congressional Gold Medal.

In South Africa, African National Congress security guards kill dozens of Inkatha Freedom Party protesters.

Kosovo War: Serb paramilitary and military forces kill 146 Kosovo Albanians in Izbica.

In a friendly fire incident, two American A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft attack British tanks participating in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, killing one soldier.

An earthquake shakes northern Sumatra with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VI (Strong), leaving 915-1,314 people dead and 340-1,146 injured.

Massive protests are mounted against France's First Employment Contract law, meant to reduce youth unemployment.

Roman emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, entitled to him by the Senate.