THIS DAY IN HISTORY

[IceWizard]

Benito Mussolini executed





1945
April 28



On April 28, 1945, “Il Duce,” Benito Mussolini, and his mistress, Clara Petacci,
are shot by Italian partisans who had captured the couple as they attempted
to flee to Switzerland.

The 61-year-old deposed former dictator of Italy was established by his German
allies as the figurehead of a puppet government in northern Italy during the
German occupation toward the close of the war. As the Allies fought their way
up the Italian peninsula, defeat of the Axis powers all but certain, Mussolini
considered his options. Not wanting to fall into the hands of either the British
or the Americans, and knowing that the communist partisans, who had been
fighting the remnants of roving Italian fascist soldiers and thugs in the north,
would try him as a war criminal, he settled on escape to a neutral country.

He and his mistress made it to the Swiss border, only to discover that the guards
had crossed over to the partisan side. Knowing they would not let him pass, he
disguised himself in a Luftwaffe coat and helmet, hoping to slip into Austria with
some German soldiers. His subterfuge proved incompetent, and he and Petacci
were discovered by partisans and shot, their bodies then transported by truck to
Milan, where they were hung upside down and displayed publicly for revilement
by the masses.




ALSO ON THIS DAY




CRIME
1996
35 killed in Australia’s Port Arthur Massacre mass shooting

On April 28, 1996, 28-year-old Martin Bryant begins a killing spree that
ends in the deaths of 35 men, women and children in the quiet town of
Port Arthur in Tasmania, Australia. Bryant began the day by killing an
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EXPLORATION
1789
Mutiny on the HMS Bounty

Three weeks into a journey from Tahiti to the West Indies, the HMS Bounty
is seized in a mutiny led by Fletcher Christian, the master’s mate.
Captain William Bligh and 18 of his loyal supporters were set adrift in a
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FRANCE
1969
Charles de Gaulle resigns as leader of France

Following the defeat of his proposals for constitutional reform in a
national referendum, Charles de Gaulle resigns as president of France.
A veteran of World War I, de Gaulle unsuccessfully petitioned his country
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After Henri Petain ... read more






VIETNAM WAR
1970
President Nixon approves Cambodian incursion

President Richard Nixon gives his formal authorization to commit
U.S. combat troops, in cooperation with South Vietnamese units,
against communist troop sanctuaries in Cambodia.
READ MORE:
How Nixon’s Invasion of Cambodia Triggered a
Check on Presidential Power Secretary of State



SPORTS
1967
Muhammad Ali refuses Army induction

On April 28, 1967, boxing champion Muhammad Ali refuses to be
inducted into the U.S. Army and is immediately stripped of his
heavyweight title. Ali, a Muslim, cited religious reasons for his
decision to forgo military service.
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COLD WAR
1965
U.S. Troops land in the Dominican Republic in
attempt to forestall a “communist dictatorship”

In an effort to forestall what he claims will be a “communist dictatorship”
in the Dominican Republic, President Lyndon B. Johnson sends more than
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1970S
1978
Afghan president is overthrown and murdered

Afghanistan President Sardar Mohammed Daoud is overthrown and
murdered in a coup led by procommunist rebels. The brutal action
marked the beginning of political upheaval in Afghanistan that resulted
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INVENTIONS & SCIENCE
1916
Luxury car magnate Ferruccio Lamborghini is born

On April 28, 1916, Ferruccio Lamborghini, the founder of the company
that bears his name and is known for stylish, high-performance cars,
is born in Italy. After World War II, Lamborghini founded a business
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