October 28 Birthday
The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886, in a ceremony attended by President Cleveland. A military and naval parade preceded the unveiling. A French flag was draped over the statue's face and was supposed to fall at the signal, but the signal was given too early. The statue was a gift from France, commemorating the alliance between the two nations during the American Revolution. It was originally the copper color of a penny — the green patina took twenty years to develop. The seven spikes on the crown represent the seven continents and seven seas. On October 28, 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis ended. Khrushchev announced that Soviet missiles would be dismantled and shipped back to the USSR. Kennedy publicly pledged not to invade Cuba and secretly agreed to remove US Jupiter missiles from Turkey. The world had been on the edge of nuclear war for thirteen days. The crisis led to the establishment of the Washington-Moscow hotline and the Partial Test Ban Treaty of 1963. Bill Gates, born this day in 1955, dropped out of Harvard to found Microsoft with Paul Allen. He is one of the richest people in history and has pledged to give away nearly all his wealth through the Gates Foundation, which has spent over $50 billion on global health and education. People born on October 28 fall under the zodiac sign of Scorpio. The birthstone is Opal and the birth flower is Marigold. Historical events on October 28 include 1886: Statue of Liberty dedicated by President Cleveland, 1962: Cuban Missile Crisis ends — Khrushchev announces missile withdrawal, 1919: Congress overrides Wilson's veto of Volstead Act (Prohibition enforcement). Famous people born on October 28 include Evelyn Waugh (1903), Jonas Salk (1914), Bill Gates (1955).