28 September

10 weird and wonderful things which happened on 28 September:

1. Born on this date in 1934 was Brigitte Bardot, French actress, fashion model, singer and animal welfare/rights activist.
2. Pope John Paul I (Albino Luciani) died on this date in 1978 at the age of 65 after a Papacy of just 33 days. Rumours persist to this day that he was poisoned. His last words were, "I will see you tomorrow, if God wills it." Which, as it turned out, God didn't. John Paul was found dead, possibly of a heart attack, the following morning, by a nun. The church refused an autopsy, so the cause of his death isn't known for certain, and is the subject of numerous conspiracy theories.
3. In 1745, God Save the King, the UK national anthem, was sung for the first time, at the Drury Lane Theatre, in London, to show defiance against the Young Pretender, Bonnie Prince Charlie, who'd landed in Scotland and was ready to invade England.
4. In 1865, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson became the first qualified woman doctor in Britain. This was after threatening the Society of Apothecaries with legal action if they did not allow her to take the exam. She'd been banned from the course because other students organised a petition complaining that a woman medical student made the hospital a laughing stock.
5. In 1924, the first circumnavigation of the earth by air was completed by two US Army Douglas DWC amphibians out of Seattle, returning there after 175 days. The flight was made in 57 hops, each one averaging 483 miles. The actual flying time was 351 hours.
6. At the age of 16, Napoleon Bonaparte, graduated from the military academy in Paris on this date in 1785. He came 42nd out of a class of 51.
7. In 1995, Michael Jackson formally asked Queen Elizabeth II to knight him for his "service to children". She said no.
8. In 490 BC, the Athenians defeated the Persians at Marathon. The Spartans arrived too late for the battle but inspected the battlefield, complimented the Athenians on their good work and went home. A Greek soldier ran 26 miles to tell Athens of the victory; made the announcement and promptly expired. His feat was the model for the modern marathon race.
9. In 1820, the Tomato was publicly proved safe to eat when Robert Johnson ate a bushel (24 kg) of them in Salem, Massachusetts, and didn't die.
10. In 1995, Chester the tortoise turned up near the home of his owner Malcolm Edwards, having been missing for 35 years.

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