On this day: March 28

College Coach Posed as Ball Boy to Enter Game in 1989

On March 28, 1989, a college basketball coach disguised himself as a ball boy to gain entry to a game after being barred from the arena. The incident drew attention for its unconventional tactics and prompted institutional responses about access and decorum.

Mail Fraud and a New Kind of Theft: A 1910 Identity-Deception Case

On March 28, 1910, U.S. postal and legal records describe what historians and legal scholars consider the first well-documented instance of identity theft using the mail: a scheme in which an impostor used mailed documents to assume another man’s credit identity and access property.

Court Upholds First Legal Use of Electric Chair in 1890

On March 28, 1890, a court ruling affirmed the legality of the United States' first execution by electric chair, resolving an early and contested legal challenge to electrocution as a method of capital punishment.

Electric Washing Machine Debuts in 1908

On March 28, 1908, an early electric washing machine was introduced to the U.S. market, marking a step in the mechanization of domestic laundry and the shift from hand and steam-powered washing methods to electrically driven appliances.