1. On September 28, 1887, the University of Nebraska held its first classes in Lincoln. The university had been established two years earlier and initially had only one building, called University Hall, which still stands today.

2. In 1954, four-time Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens visited Lincoln and spoke to a crowd of 7,500 at Memorial Stadium. Owens is best known for winning four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, where he famously showed up Hitler's beliefs about Aryan supremacy.

3. A major flood occurred in Nebraska on September 28, 1910. Heavy rain caused the Elkhorn River to overflow, flooding several towns and causing significant damage. The flood was one of the worst in Nebraska history, and several people lost their lives.

4. On September 28, 1942, the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team played their first game of the season against the Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks. The Cornhuskers won the game 7-0, and would go on to have a successful season, finishing with a record of 8-2.

5. Nebraska native and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Willa Cather was born on September 28, 1873 in Back Creek Valley, Virginia. Cather is best known for her novels, including "O Pioneers!" and "My Ántonia," which often explored themes of American identity, immigration, and the American West.