1. In 1868, Philadelphia hosted the first meeting of the National Republican Convention, which nominated Ulysses S. Grant for President of the United States. The convention was held at the Academy of Music and lasted for six days.

2. On July 28, 1951, the largest battle of the Korean War took place at the Battle of Bloody Ridge. Over 8,000 United Nations troops, including many from Pennsylvania, fought against North Korean and Chinese forces in this brutal five-day engagement.

3. The Pennsylvania Turnpike, which stretches 360 miles from the Ohio border to the New Jersey border, officially opened on July 28, 1940. It was the first long-distance, limited access highway in the United States and is still one of the most heavily traveled roads in Pennsylvania.

4. In 1866, the city of Scranton was incorporated as a borough. It would later become a city in 1877 and was named after industrialist and politician George W. Scranton, who was instrumental in bringing the railroad and coal industries to the area.

5. On July 28, 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg had just ended and Pennsylvania Governor Andrew Curtin arrived in the town to survey the damage. He famously declared that the battle had been a "great victory," although it came at a heavy cost – over 50,000 men were killed, wounded, or missing.