What Day Is July 28? World War I Begins and Bach Dies
July 28 is the 209th day of the year (210th in leap years). With 156 days remaining, it marks the 1914 start of World War I and the 1750 death of J.S. Bach.
About July 28
July 28 is the 209th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (210th in leap years). There are 156 days remaining until the end of the year. Few dates carry the historical weight that this one does.
The Significance of July 28
On July 28, 1750, Johann Sebastian Bach died in Leipzig. He was 65 and had recently lost his sight to botched surgery. He composed over 1,100 works across his life, including the six Brandenburg Concertos, the Well-Tempered Clavier, and the Mass in B Minor. Most of them were unknown outside of small circles when he died. It took Felix Mendelssohn’s 1829 performance of the St Matthew Passion to reintroduce Bach’s music to a wider public.
On July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, formally beginning the First World War. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand a month earlier had set the diplomatic crisis in motion; this declaration activated the interlocking alliance system that pulled Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and eventually the United States into the same conflict. The war killed an estimated 20 million people by November 1918.
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On This Day in History
- 1750Johann Sebastian Bach died in Leipzig at age 65. He left over 1,100 compositions and was largely forgotten after his death until Mendelssohn revived the St Matthew Passion in 1829.
- 1914Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, triggering the chain of alliances that drew all major European powers into World War I. The war lasted four years and killed approximately 20 million people.
Baby Names for This Day
July 28 falls under Leo. Names inspired by J.S. Bach and the weight of July 28 in history:
- JohannBoy
J.S. Bach's first name — 'God is gracious' in Hebrew; the name of one of the greatest composers ever.
- SebastianBoy
Bach's middle name — revered, honored — still one of the most widely used names in Europe.
- PaxUnisex
Latin for 'peace' — what the world lost in 1914 and spent four years reclaiming.
- AriaGirl
A form in music Bach mastered; clear, singing, direct.
- FelixBoy
Mendelssohn's first name — the man who rediscovered Bach's music 79 years after Bach's death.
- VictorBoy
Saint's feast name for July 28 in the Western calendar — 'conqueror.'
Frequently Asked Questions
What day is July 28?add
July 28, 1914 is the day Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, marking the official start of World War I. Johann Sebastian Bach also died on July 28, 1750.
What number day of the year is July 28?add
July 28 is the 209th day of the year, or the 210th in leap years, with 156 days remaining.
What sign is July 28?add
July 28 falls under the sign of Leo.