1928

1928 was a leap year in the Gregorian calendar that saw a number of significant political, scientific, and cultural developments around the world. It is often noted for advances in diplomacy, state planning, and popular culture that helped shape the interwar period.

In international politics, the Kellogg-Briand Pact was signed on August 27, 1928, in Paris, in which dozens of nations renounced war as an instrument of national policy. Although the pact lacked strong enforcement mechanisms, it reflected a widespread hope for postwar diplomacy. In the Soviet Union, the first Five-Year Plan was launched in 1928, directing rapid industrialization and the collectivization of agriculture, and setting the course for economic and social transformation in the 1930s. The year also saw ongoing industrial and technological developments in the capitalist world, including continued growth in automobile production such as the Ford Model A, introduced as a successor to the Model T.

Culturally and scientifically, 1928 featured notable milestones. Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin in 1928 would later revolutionize medicine, establishing the groundwork for antibiotics. In entertainment, Walt Disney released Steamboat Willie, a landmark achievement in animation that introduced synchronized sound to the cartoon and featured the debut of Mickey Mouse. In sports, the 1928 Summer Olympics took place in Amsterdam, notable for allowing women to compete in track and field events for the first time, and the 1928 Winter Olympics were held in St. Moritz, Switzerland, highlighting the growing global reach of international competition.

Overall, 1928 is viewed as a year of important, though uneven, advances across diplomacy, economic planning, science, and culture, influencing the trajectory of the late 1920s and the decade that followed.