On This Day - January 28, 2026

The first female detective in the United States dies of pneumonia. Kate Warne served as a Pinkerton detective for 12 years. During her career, Warne proved integral to thwarting an 1861 assassination plot against President-elect Abraham Lincoln.

U.S. Patent Office issues patent no. 135,245 to Louis Pasteur for an "Improvement in Brewing Beer and Ale."

The Danish toy building block company, Lego, filed an application to patent the interlocking plastic toy building blocks. Originally invented and designed out of wood by the company's founder Ole Kirk Christiansen, the company produced its first plastic blocks in 1949.

Singer-songwriters from across the United States including Lionel Richie, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper, Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Willie Nelson, Daryl Hall, John Oats, and Paul Simon came together as USA for Africa. They record the hit single We Are the World, raising over $63 million for Ethiopian famine relief.

Seven NASA astronauts tragically die when the space shuttle Challenger breaks apart 73 seconds after launch. Crew members included Payload Gregory Jarvis, Judy Resnick, Christa McAuliffe, Dick Scobee, Ronald McNair, Michael Smith, and Ellison Onizuka. January 28th Celebrated Birthdays