In History, Today on January 28

Pharmaceutical company Novavax announced that its COVID-19 vaccine was 89.3% effective in preventing COVID-19 in its Phase 3 clinical trial in the UK.

U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled the Middle East peace plan, known as the 'Deal of the Century,' which was met with mixed reactions and significant controversy.

The World Health Organization announces an outbreak of the Zika virus, which is linked to birth defects, as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

Ukraine's Prime Minister Mykola Azarov and his cabinet resigned amid the ongoing Euromaidan protests. This was a significant development in the series of demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine that began in November 2013, sparked by the Ukrainian government's suspension of an association agreement with the European Union in favor of closer ties with Russia.

The Egyptian Revolution of 2011, part of the Arab Spring, intensifies as tens of thousands of protesters gather in Cairo and other cities, demanding the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak.

The roof of one of the buildings at the Katowice International Fair in Poland collapses due to heavy snow, resulting in 65 deaths and over 170 injuries.

President George W. Bush delivers the State of the Union Address, where he makes the case for the Iraq War, citing the threat of weapons of mass destruction.

The TAME Flight 120, a Boeing 727-100, crashes in the Andes mountains in Colombia, killing all 92 people on board.

Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling restoration was finally completed, after multiple phases of cleaning that started in the 1980s, revealing vibrant colors and details that had been obscured for centuries.

The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurs when the shuttle breaks apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members.

In Canada, the Royal Commission on Arts, Letters and Sciences was established to investigate federal support for the arts and to propose recommendations for future cultural policy.

The Battle of the Bulge ended with an Allied victory, marking a turning point in the European theater of World War II as German forces were pushed back across the Western front in Europe.

The Japanese army used chemical weapons against the Chinese near Chinghsien during the Second Sino-Japanese War, marking one of several instances of chemical warfare during this conflict.

Iceland becomes the first Western country to legalize therapeutic abortion.

The name Pakistan is coined by Choudhry Rahmat Ali in a pamphlet titled 'Now or Never; Are We to Live or Perish Forever?'

The Viaduct Girder Bridge over the River Thames at Sutton in England collapsed because of unexpected high water levels causing the loss of the passenger train operating over it killing eight people.

The United States Coast Guard is created as a branch of the United States Armed Forces.

United States troops leave Cuba with the exception of Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, ensuring the U.S. retained the right to intervene in Cuba's affairs to some degree following its occupation for several years after the Spanish-American War.

The Yale Daily News was first published, making it the oldest college daily newspaper in the United States.

The Siege of Paris ends, marking a decisive victory for Prussia in the Franco-Prussian War.

The Panama Railway, the first transcontinental railroad, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, was completed.

The Battle of Aliwal took place during the First Anglo-Sikh War, in which the British forces, led by Sir Harry Smith, defeated the Sikh army.

The Antarctic continent was first discovered by the Russian expedition led by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev on the ships Vostok and Mirny.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is first published in the United Kingdom.

The British First Fleet, led by Captain Arthur Phillip, established a settlement at Sydney Cove, marking the foundation of Sydney, Australia.

Horace Walpole coined the word 'serendipity' in a letter to Horace Mann.

Edward VI is crowned King of England at the age of nine following the death of his father, Henry VIII.

The Diet of Worms began, where Martin Luther was summoned to recant his teachings, marking a pivotal moment in the Protestant Reformation.

During a masquerade ball at the court of Charles VI of France, the 'Bal des Ardents' occurs, where several dancers, disguised as wild men in flammable costumes, are accidentally set on fire, resulting in the deaths of four knights. The incident highlights the dangers of court entertainment and the instability of Charles's reign.

Charlemagne, King of the Franks and Lombards and Emperor of the Carolingian Empire, dies in Aachen, present-day Germany. His death marks the end of a significant era in European history, as Charlemagne was instrumental in uniting much of Western Europe during the early Middle Ages.