August 16Birthdays & History

On this day: August 16 in history

Oldest first. Tap a year to see it on the World Chronicle timeline.

1. 1 BCWang Mang consolidates his power in China and is declared marshal of state. Emperor Ai of Han, who died the previous day, had no heirs.Asia
2. 942Start of the four-day Battle of al-Mada'in, between the Hamdanids of Mosul and the Baridis of Basra over control of the Abbasid capital, Baghdad.Middle East
3. 963Nikephoros II Phokas is crowned emperor of the Byzantine Empire, swearing to protect the two sons of the previous emperor Romanos II, who are already crowned co-emperors.Europe
4. 965Nikephoros II Phokas captures the city of Tarsus, finalising the Byzantine conquest of Cilicia.Europe
5. 1328The House of Gonzaga seizes power in the Duchy of Mantua, and will rule until 1708.Europe
6. 1513Battle of the Spurs (Battle of Guinegate): King Henry VIII of England and his Imperial allies defeat French forces who are then forced to retreat.Europe
7. 1550Rabbi Moses Isserles issues his ruling in the Bragadin-Giustiniani dispute, one of the earliest instances of a copyright suit over any book.Europe
8. 1570The Principality of Transylvania is established after John II Zápolya renounces his claim as King of Hungary in the Treaty of Speyer.Europe
9. 1652Battle of Plymouth: Inconclusive naval action between the fleets of Michiel de Ruyter and George Ayscue in the First Anglo-Dutch War.Europe
10. 1685Great Turkish War: An imperial coalition army under Charles of Lorraine defeats the Ottoman army that had been besieging Esztergom.Middle East
11. 1717Austro-Turkish War (1716–1718): An imperial coalition army under Prince Eugene of Savoy defeats an Ottoman army under Haji Halil Pasha, leading to the surrender of the Ottoman garrison of Belgrade a few days later.Middle EastEurope
12. 1777American Revolutionary War: The Americans led by General John Stark rout British and Brunswick troops under Friedrich Baum at the Battle of Bennington in Walloomsac, New York.North AmericaEurope
13. 1780American Revolutionary War: Battle of Camden: The British defeat the Americans near Camden, South Carolina.North AmericaEurope
14. 1792Maximilien Robespierre presents the petition of the Commune of Paris to the Legislative Assembly, which demanded the formation of a revolutionary tribunal.Europe
15. 1793French Revolution: A levée en masse is decreed by the National Convention.Europe
16. 1812War of 1812: American General William Hull surrenders Fort Detroit without a fight to the British Army.North AmericaEurope
17. 1819Peterloo Massacre: Seventeen people die and over 600 are injured in cavalry charges at a public meeting at St. Peter's Field, Manchester, England.Europe
18. 1837Three African soldiers in the 1st West India Regiment – Daaga, Edward Coffin and Maurice Ogston – are executed for their role in the St. Joseph Mutiny in the British colony of Trinidad.AfricaAsiaEurope
19. 1841U.S. President John Tyler vetoes a bill which called for the re-establishment of the Second Bank of the United States. Enraged Whig Party members riot outside the White House in the most violent demonstration on White House grounds in U.S. history.North America
20. 1844Governor-general of the Philippines Narciso Claveria signs a decree to reform the country's calendar by skipping Tuesday, December 31, as a solution to anomalies that had existed since Ferdinand Magellan's arrival in 1521.Asia
21. 1858U.S. President James Buchanan inaugurates the new transatlantic telegraph cable by exchanging greetings with Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. However, a weak signal forces a shutdown of the service in a few weeks.North AmericaEurope
22. 1859The Grand Duchy of Tuscany formally deposes the exiled House of Lorraine.Europe
23. 1863The Dominican Restoration War begins when Gregorio Luperón raises the Dominican flag in Santo Domingo after Spain had recolonized the country.Europe
24. 1869Battle of Acosta Ñu: A Paraguayan battalion largely made up of children is massacred by the Brazilian Army during the Paraguayan War.Latin America
25. 1870Franco-Prussian War: The Battle of Mars-la-Tour is fought, resulting in a Prussian victory.Europe
26. 1876Richard Wagner's Siegfried, the penultimate opera in his Ring cycle, is premiered at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus.Europe
27. 1891The Basilica of San Sebastian, Manila, the first all-steel church in Asia, is officially inaugurated and blessed.Asia
28. 1896Skookum Jim Mason, George Carmack and Dawson Charlie discover gold in a tributary of the Klondike River in Canada, setting off the Klondike Gold Rush.North America
29. 1900The Battle of Elands River during the Second Boer War ends after a 13-day siege is lifted by the British. The battle had begun when a force of between 2,000 and 3,000 Boers had surrounded a force of 500 Australians, Rhodesians, Canadians and British soldiers at a supply dump at Brakfontein Drift.AfricaEurope
30. 1906The 8.2 Mw Valparaíso earthquake hits central Chile, killing 3,882 people.Latin America
31. 1913Tōhoku Imperial University of Japan (modern day Tohoku University) becomes the first university in Japan to admit female students.Asia
32. 1913Completion of the Royal Navy battlecruiser HMS Queen Mary.Europe
33. 1914German admiral Wilhelm Souchon hands over the two warships under his command to the Ottomans and becomes commander of the Turkish navy, leading later to the entry of the Ottoman Empire in World War I.EuropeMiddle East
34. 1916The Migratory Bird Treaty between Canada and the United States is signed.North America
35. 1918The Battle of Lake Baikal is fought between the Czechoslovak Legion and the Red Army.Europe
36. 1920The congress of the Communist Party of Bukhara opens. The congress would call for armed revolution.Asia
37. 1920Polish–Soviet War: The Battle of Radzymin concludes; the Soviet Red Army is forced to turn away from Warsaw.Europe
38. 1920Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians is hit on the head by a fastball thrown by Carl Mays of the New York Yankees. Next day, Chapman will become the second player to die from injuries sustained in a Major League Baseball game.North America
39. 1923The United Kingdom gives the name "Ross Dependency" to part of its claimed Antarctic territory and makes the Governor-General of the Dominion of New Zealand its administrator.EuropeOceania
40. 1927The Dole Air Race begins from Oakland, California, to Honolulu, Hawaii, during which six out of the eight participating planes crash or disappear.North America
41. 1929The 1929 Palestine riots break out in Mandatory Palestine between Palestinian Arabs and Jews and continue until the end of the month. In total, 133 Jews and 116 Arabs are killed.Middle East
42. 1930The first British Empire Games are opened in Hamilton, Ontario, by the Governor General of Canada, the Viscount Willingdon.EuropeNorth America
43. 1930The first color sound cartoon, Fiddlesticks, is released by Ub Iwerks.North America
44. 1933Christie Pits riot takes place in Toronto, Ontario.North America
45. 1942World War II: US Navy L-class blimp L-8 drifts in from the Pacific and eventually crashes in Daly City, California. The two-man crew cannot be found.North America
46. 1943World War II: 317 Greek civilians are murdered by soldiers of the German 1st Mountain Division in the village of Kommeno, Greece.Europe
47. 1944First flight of a jet with forward-swept wings, the Junkers Ju 287.Europe
48. 1945The National Representatives' Congress, the precursor of the current National Assembly of Vietnam, convenes in Sơn Dương.North AmericaAsia
49. 1946Mass riots in Kolkata begin; more than 4,000 people would be killed in 72 hours.Asia
50. 1946The All Hyderabad Trade Union Congress is founded in Secunderabad.North America
51. 1954The first issue of Sports Illustrated is published.North America
52. 1960Cyprus gains its independence from the United Kingdom.Middle EastEurope
53. 1960Joseph Kittinger parachutes from a balloon over New Mexico, United States, at 102,800 feet (31,300 m), setting three records that held until 2012: High-altitude jump, free fall, and highest speed by a human without an aircraft.North AmericaLatin America
54. 1964Vietnam War: A coup d'état replaces Dương Văn Minh with General Nguyễn Khánh as President of South Vietnam. A new constitution is established with aid from the U.S. Embassy.AsiaNorth America
55. 1966Vietnam War: The House Un-American Activities Committee begins investigations of Americans who have aided the Viet Cong. The committee intends to introduce legislation making these activities illegal. Anti-war demonstrators disrupt the meeting and 50 people are arrested.AsiaNorth America
56. 1972In an unsuccessful coup d'état attempt, the Royal Moroccan Air Force fires upon Hassan II of Morocco's plane while he is traveling back to Rabat.Africa
57. 1975Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam symbolically hands over land to the Gurindji people after the eight-year Wave Hill walk-off, a landmark event in the history of Indigenous land rights in Australia, commemorated in a 1991 song by Paul Kelly and an annual celebration.Oceania
58. 1986A Sudan Airways Fokker F27 Friendship is shot down near Malakal in present day South Sudan, killing 60.Africa
59. 1987Northwest Airlines Flight 255, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, crashes after takeoff in Detroit, Michigan, killing 154 of the 155 on board, plus two people on the ground.North America
60. 1989A solar particle event affects computers at the Toronto Stock Exchange, forcing a halt to trading.North America
61. 1991Indian Airlines Flight 257, a Boeing 737-200, crashes during approach to Imphal Airport, killing all 69 people on board.Asia
62. 2005West Caribbean Airways Flight 708, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, crashes in Machiques, Venezuela, killing all 160 people on board.Latin America
63. 2008The Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago is topped off at 1,389 feet (423 m), at the time becoming the world's highest residence above ground-level.North America
64. 2010AIRES Flight 8250 crashes at Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport in San Andrés, San Andrés y Providencia, Colombia, killing two people.Latin America
65. 2012South African police fatally shoot 34 miners and wound 78 more during an industrial dispute at Marikana near Rustenburg.Africa
66. 2013The ferry St. Thomas Aquinas collides with a cargo ship and sinks at Cebu, Philippines, killing 61 people with 59 others missing.Asia
67. 2015More than 96 people are killed and hundreds injured following a series of air-raids by the Syrian Arab Air Force on the rebel-held market town of Douma.Middle East
68. 2015Trigana Air Flight 267, an ATR 42, crashes in Oksibil, Bintang Mountains Regency, killing all 54 people on board.Asia
69. 2020The August Complex fire in California burns more than one million acres of land.North America

Source: Wikipedia "August 16" / CC BY-SA 4.0