August 28Replica of Tom Thumb475 Orestes took control of Ravenna, the capital of the Western Roman Empire, forcing Emperor Julius Nepos to flee.1830 Tom Thumb (replica pictured), the first American-built steam locomotive, took part in an impromptu race against a horse-drawn car in Maryland.1950 American tennis player Althea Gibson became the first African-American woman to compete at the U.S. National Championships.1955 African-American teenager Emmett Till was lynched near Money, Mississippi, for allegedly flirting with a white woman, energizing the nascent American civil rights movement.1973 Swedish police used gas bombs to end a seven-day hostage situation in Stockholm; the hostages had bonded with their captors during the incident, leading to the term Stockholm syndrome.Augustine of Hippo (d.430)Prince William of Gloucester (d.1972)Valtteri Bottas (b.1989)Ons Jabeur (b.1994)More anniversaries: August 27August 28August 29ArchiveBy emailList of days of the yearAbout