Today in History: December 28, U.S. Afghan war formally ends
Today is Sunday, Dec. 28, the 362nd day of 2025. There are three days left in the year.
Today in history:
On Dec. 28, 2014, the U.S. war in Afghanistan came to a formal end after 13 years with a quiet flag-lowering ceremony in Kabul, marking the transition of fighting from U.S.-led combat troops to the country’s own security forces. More than 2,200 Americans had died in Afghanistan since the war began.
Also on this date:
In 1895, the Lumiere brothers, Auguste and Louis, held the first public showing of their films in Paris.
In 1908, a major earthquake followed by a tsunami devastated the Italian cities of Messina and Reggio Calabria, killing at least 70,000 people.
In 1912, San Francisco’s Municipal Railway began operations with Mayor James Rolph Jr. at the controls of Streetcar No. 1 as 50,000 spectators looked on.
In 1945, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance.
In 1972, Kim Il Sung, the premier of North Korea, was named the country’s president under a new constitution.
In 1973, the Endangered Species Act was signed by President Richard Nixon, a law designed to protect plants and animals from extinction.
In 1981, Elizabeth Jordan Carr, the first American “test-tube” baby, was born in Norfolk, Virginia.
In 1991, nine people died in a crush of people trying to get into a celebrity charity basketball game at City College in New York that was headlined by hip-hop stars.
In 2015, a grand jury in Cleveland declined to indict two white police officers in the killing of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who was Black. He was shot while carrying what turned out to be a toy pellet gun.
In 2019, a truck bomb exploded at a a busy security checkpoint in Somalia’s capital of Mogadishu, killing at least 78 people, including many students.
Today’s Birthdays:
- Actor Denzel Washington is 71.
- TV personality Gayle King is 71.
- Hockey Hall of Famer Ray Bourque is 65.
- Linux creator Linus Torvalds is 56.
- Political commentator Ana Navarro is 54.
- TV host-comedian Seth Meyers is 52.
- Actor Joe Manganiello is 49.
- Musician John Legend is 47.
- Actor André Holland is 46.
- Actor Noomi Rapace is 46.
- Actor Sienna Miller is 44.
- Actor Jessie Buckley is 36.
- Singer and songwriter David Archuleta is 35.