1991 35 years ago Historical Events April 28 3 sources

Space Shuttle Discovery launches on STS-39, the first unclassified shuttle mission for the United States Department of Defense.

On April 28, in the year 1991, Space Shuttle Discovery launches on STS-39, the first unclassified shuttle mission for the United States Department of Defense. This event is recorded as a Historical Events event in the history of April 28, one of 389 recorded events on this date across all of history.

Space Shuttle Discovery is a retired American Space Shuttle orbiter. The spaceplane was one of the orbiters from NASA's Space Shuttle program and the third of five fully operational orbiters to be built. Its first mission, STS-41-D, flew from August 30 to September 5, 1984. Over 27 years of service it launched and landed 39 times, aggregating more spaceflights than any other spacecraft as of December 2024. The Space Shuttle launch vehicle had three main components: the Space Shuttle orbiter, a single-use central fuel tank, and two reusable solid rocket boosters. Nearly 25,000 heat-resistant tiles cover the orbiter to protect it from high temperatures on re-entry.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on April 28, 1991 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Historical Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 3 Wikipedia articles.
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 13 April 2026.

On This Date in History 389

Type Year Date Event
Notable Deaths 2024 Apr 28 Brian McCardie, Scottish actor and writer (born 1965)
Notable Deaths 2021 Apr 28 Michael Collins, American astronaut (born 1930)
Notable Deaths 2021 Apr 28 El Risitas, Spanish comedian (born 1956)
Notable Deaths 2019 Apr 28 Richard Lugar, American politician (born 1932)
Notable Deaths 2019 Apr 28 John Singleton, American film director (born 1968)
Notable Deaths 2018 Apr 28 James Hylton, American race car driver (born 1934)
Notable Deaths 2017 Apr 28 Mariano Gagnon, American Catholic priest and author (born 1929)
Notable Deaths 2016 Apr 28 Jenny Diski, English author and screenwriter (born 1947)
Notable Deaths 2015 Apr 28 Antônio Abujamra, Brazilian actor and director (born 1932)
Notable Deaths 2015 Apr 28 Marcia Brown, American author and illustrator (born 1918)
Notable Deaths 2015 Apr 28 Michael J
Notable Deaths 2014 Apr 28 Barbara Fiske Calhoun, American cartoonist and painter (born 1919)
Notable Deaths 2014 Apr 28 William Honan, American journalist and author (born 1930)
Notable Deaths 2014 Apr 28 Dennis Kamakahi, American guitarist and composer (born 1953)
Notable Deaths 2014 Apr 28 Edgar Laprade, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1919)
Notable Deaths 2014 Apr 28 Jack Ramsay, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster (born 1925)
Notable Deaths 2014 Apr 28 Idris Sardi, Indonesian violinist and composer (born 1938)
Notable Deaths 2014 Apr 28 Frederic Schwartz, American architect, co-designed Empty Sky (born 1951)
Notable Deaths 2014 Apr 28 Ryan Tandy, Australian rugby player (born 1981)
Notable Deaths 2013 Apr 28 Brad Lesley, American baseball player (born 1958)
Notable Deaths 2013 Apr 28 Fredrick McKissack, American author (born 1939)
Notable Deaths 2013 Apr 28 John C
Notable Deaths 2013 Apr 28 Jack Shea, American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2013 Apr 28 János Starker, Hungarian-American cellist and educator (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2013 Apr 28 Paulo Vanzolini, Brazilian singer-songwriter and zoologist (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2013 Apr 28 Bernie Wood, New Zealand journalist and author (born 1939)
Notable Deaths 2012 Apr 28 Fred Allen, New Zealand rugby player and coach (born 1920)
Notable Deaths 2012 Apr 28 Matilde Camus, Spanish poet and author (born 1919)
Notable Deaths 2012 Apr 28 Al Ecuyer, American football player (born 1937)
Notable Deaths 2012 Apr 28 Patricia Medina, English actress (born 1919)
Notable Deaths 2012 Apr 28 Milan N
Notable Deaths 2012 Apr 28 Aberdeen Shikoyi, Kenyan rugby player (born 1985)
Notable Deaths 2011 Apr 28 Erhard Loretan, Swiss mountaineer (born 1959)
Notable Deaths 2009 Apr 28 Ekaterina Maximova, Russian ballerina and actress (born 1939)
Notable Deaths 2009 Apr 28 Richard Pratt, Polish-Australian businessman (born 1934)
Selected Events 2008 Apr 28 The 1,388-foot-tall (423
Notable Deaths 2007 Apr 28 Dabbs Greer, American actor (born 1917)
Notable Deaths 2007 Apr 28 René Mailhot, Canadian journalist (born 1942)
Notable Deaths 2007 Apr 28 Tommy Newsom, American saxophonist and bandleader (born 1929)
Notable Deaths 2007 Apr 28 Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker, German physicist and philosopher (born 1912)
Notable Deaths 2007 Apr 28 Bertha Wilson, Scottish-Canadian lawyer and jurist (born 1923)
Notable Deaths 2006 Apr 28 Steve Howe, American baseball player (born 1958)
Notable Deaths 2005 Apr 28 Percy Heath, American bassist (born 1923)
Notable Deaths 2005 Apr 28 Chris Candido, American wrestler (born 1971)
Notable Deaths 2005 Apr 28 Taraki Sivaram, Sri Lankan journalist and author (born 1959)
Historical Events 2004 Apr 28 CBS News releases evidence of the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse
Notable Deaths 2002 Apr 28 Alexander Lebed, Russian general and politician (born 1950)
Notable Deaths 2002 Apr 28 Lou Thesz, American wrestler and trainer (born 1916)
Notable Births 2001 Apr 28 Anthony Volpe, American baseball player
Notable Births 2000 Apr 28 Victoria De Angelis, Italian musician

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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