August 28, 1749German author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is born at Frankfurt, Germany. Scientist, philosopher, novelist, and critic as well as lyric, dramatic, and epic poet, he is the leading figure of his age after Napoleon. He has early pretensions in the visual arts and is an avid draftsman into old age. He is best known for Faust.

August 29, 1949The USSR successfully detonates its first atomic bomb at Semipalatinsk in Kazakhstan. It is a copy