What happened on April 16? There are more than 280 events that were made this day in history. Here are the important historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

Interesting Facts & Myths About April 16

April 16 In HistoryApril 16 is the 107th day of the year 2024. There are 259 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Tuesday. This day falls under the 16th week of the year 2024.

On this day in Tuttle, North Dakota 58488 sunrise occured at 06:46 AM and sunset occured at 08:32 PM (local time).

The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Aries. The modern birthstone for this month is Diamond while the mystical birthstone is Opal.

According to the Chinese calendar, there are 288 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (January 29, 2025).

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Historical Events For April 16

  • 1178 BC
    The calculated date of the Greek king Odysseus’ return home from the Trojan War.
  • 1457 BC
    Likely date of the Battle of Megiddo between Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition under the King of Kadesh, the first battle to have been recorded in what is accepted as relatively reliable detail.
  • 73
    Masada, a Jewish fortress, falls to the Romans after several months of siege, ending the Jewish Revolt.
  • 1346
    Dušan the Mighty is proclaimed Emperor, with the Serbian Empire occupying much of the Balkans.
  • 1521
    Martin Luther’s first appearance before the Diet of Worms to be examined by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and the other estates of the empire.
  • 1582
    Spanish conquistador Hernando de Lerma founds the settlement of Salta, Argentina.
  • 1746
    The Battle of Culloden is fought between the French-supported Jacobites and the British Hanoverian forces commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, in Scotland after the battle many highland traditions were banned and the Highlands of Scotland were cleared of inhabitants.
  • 1780
    The University of Münster in Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany is founded.
  • 1799
    Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Mount Tabor – Napoleon drives Ottoman Turks across the River Jordan near Acre.
  • 1818
    The United States Senate ratifies the Rush-Bagot Treaty, establishing the border with Canada.
  • 1847
    The accidental shooting of a Māori by an English sailor results in the opening of the Wanganui Campaign of the New Zealand land wars.
  • 1853
    The first passenger rail opens in India, from Bori Bunder, Bombay to Thane.
  • 1858
    The Wernerian Natural History Society, a former Scottish learned society, is wound up.
  • 1862
    American Civil War: A bill ending slavery in the District of Columbia becomes law.
  • 1862
    American Civil War: The Battle at Lee’s Mills in Virginia.
  • 1863
    American Civil War: The Siege of Vicksburg – ships led by Union Admiral David Dixon Porter move through heavy Confederate artillery fire on approach to Vicksburg, Mississippi.
  • 1881
    In Dodge City, Kansas, Bat Masterson fights his last gun battle.
  • 1908
    Natural Bridges National Monument is established in Utah.
  • 1912
    Harriet Quimby becomes the first woman to fly an airplane across the English Channel.
  • 1917
    Lenin returns to Petrograd from exile in Switzerland.
  • 1919
    Gandhi organizes a day of “prayer and fasting” in response to the killing of Indian protesters in the Amritsar Massacre by the British.
  • 1919
    Polish–Soviet War: The Polish army launches the Vilna offensive to capture Vilnius in modern Lithuania.
  • 1922
    The Treaty of Rapallo, pursuant to which Germany and the Soviet Union re-establish diplomatic relations, is signed.
  • 1925
    During the Communist St Nedelya Church assault in Sofia, 150 are killed and 500 are wounded.
  • 1941
    Bob Feller of the Cleveland Indians throws the only Opening Day no-hitter in the history of Major League Baseball, beating the Chicago White Sox 1-0.
  • 1941
    World War II: The Italian convoy Duisburg, directed to Tunisia, is attacked and destroyed by British ships.
  • 1944
    Allied forces started bombing of Belgrade, killing about 1,100 people. This bombing fell on the Orthodox Christian Easter.
  • 1945
    More than 7,000 die when the German refugee ship Goya is sunk by a Soviet submarine torpedo.
  • 1945
    The Red Army begins the final assault on German forces around Berlin, with nearly one million troops fighting in the Battle of the Seelow Heights.
  • 1945
    The United States Army liberates Nazi Sonderlager (high security) prisoner-of-war camp Oflag IV-C (better known as Colditz).
  • 1947
    Bernard Baruch coins the term “Cold War” to describe the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union.
  • 1947
    Texas City Disaster: An explosion on board a freighter in port causes the city of Texas City, Texas, to catch fire, killing almost 600.
  • 1953
    Queen Elizabeth II launches the Royal Yacht Ship HMY.
  • 1962
    Walter Cronkite takes over as the lead news anchor of the CBS Evening News, during which time he would become “the most trusted man in America”.
  • 1963
    Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. pens his Letter from Birmingham Jail while incarcerated in Birmingham, Alabama for protesting against segregation.
  • 1972
    Apollo program: The launch of Apollo 16 from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
  • 1990
    The “Doctor of Death”, Jack Kevorkian, participates in his first assisted suicide.
  • 1992
    The Katina P. runs aground off of Maputo, Mozambique and 60,000 tons of crude oil spill into the ocean.
  • 2001
    India and Bangladesh begin a five-day border conflict, but are unable to resolve the disputes about their border.
  • 2003
    The Treaty of Accession is signed in Athens admitting 10 new member states to the European Union.
  • 2007
    President of Côte d'Ivoire Laurent Gbagbo declares the First Ivorian Civil War to be over.
  • 2007
    Virginia Tech massacre: The deadliest spree killing in modern American history. Seung-Hui Cho, kills 32 and injures 23 before committing suicide.

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Who Were Born On April 16?

  • 778
    King Louis the Pious (d. 840)
  • 1319
    King John II of France (d. 1364)
  • 1495
    Petrus Apianus, German mathematician (d. 1557)
  • 1516
    Tabinshwehti, King of Burma (d. 1550)
  • 1646
    Jules Hardouin Mansart, French architect (d. 1708)
  • 1660
    Sir Hans Sloane, British collector and physician (d. 1753)
  • 1661
    Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax, British poet and statesman (d. 1715)
  • 1682
    John Hadley, British inventor (d. 1744)
  • 1693
    Anne Sophie Reventlow, queen of Denmark and Norway (d. 1743)
  • 1728
    Joseph Black, Scottish chemist (d. 1799)
  • 1730
    Henry Clinton, British general (d. 1795)
  • 1755
    Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, French painter (d. 1842)
  • 1800
    George Bingham, 3rd Earl of Lucan, British soldier (d. 1888)
  • 1821
    Ford Madox Brown, English painter (d. 1893)
  • 1823
    Gotthold Eisenstein, German mathematician (d. 1852)
  • 1827
    Octave Crémazie, Canadian poet (d. 1879)
  • 1844
    Anatole France, French writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1924)
  • 1847
    Hans Auer, Swiss architect (d. 1906)
  • 1848
    Kandukuri Veeresalingam, Indian social reformer (d. 1919)
  • 1859
    Winifred Cochrane, Countess of Dundonald, Welsh socialite (d. 1924)
  • 1865
    Henry George Chauvel, Australian general (d. 1945)
  • 1866
    José de Diego, Puerto Rican statesman and journalist (d. 1918)
  • 1867
    Wilbur Wright, American aviation pioneer (d. 1912)
  • 1871
    John Millington Synge, Irish writer (d. 1909)
  • 1878
    Tip Foster, English cricketer (d. 1914)
  • 1885
    Leo Weiner, Hungarian composer and music educator (d. 1960)
  • 1886
    Ernst Thälmann, German politician (d. 1944)
  • 1889
    Charlie Chaplin, English actor and filmmaker (d. 1977)
  • 1890
    Michalis Dorizas, Greek javelin thrower, Olympic medal winner (d. 1957)
  • 1895
    Robert Dean Frisbie, American writer (d. 1948)
  • 1896
    Pat Clayton, British surveyor and explorer (d. 1962)
  • 1896
    Tristan Tzara, Romanian poet and essayist (d. 1963)
  • 1899
    Osman Achmatowicz, Polish chemist (d. 1988)
  • 1904
    Fifi D'Orsay, Canadian actress (d. 1983)
  • 1905
    Frits Philips, Dutch businessman (d. 2005)
  • 1907
    August Eigruber, Austrian war criminal (d. 1947)
  • 1907
    Joseph-Armand Bombardier, Canadian inventor and businessman (d. 1964)
  • 1910
    Berton Roueché, American medical writer (d. 1994)
  • 1912
    Catherine Scorsese, Italian-American actress (d. 1997)
  • 1912
    Garth Williams, American illustrator (d. 1996)
  • 1915
    Gerard McLarnon, Irish playwright (d. 1997)
  • 1915
    Joan Alexander, American actress (d. 2009)
  • 1917
    Barry Nelson, American actor (d. 2007)
  • 1918
    Dick Gibson, British racing driver
  • 1918
    Spike Milligan, Irish comedian (d. 2002)
  • 1919
    Merce Cunningham, American dancer and choreographer (d. 2009)
  • 1919
    Tom Willmore, English geometer (d. 2005)
  • 1921
    Peter Ustinov, English actor (d. 2004)
  • 1922
    Kingsley Amis, English author (d. 1995)
  • 1922
    Pat Peppler, American pro football coach and executive
  • 1924
    Henry Mancini, American composer (d. 1994)
  • 1924
    Rudy Pompilli, American musician (Bill Haley & His Comets) (d. 1976)
  • 1924
    Sir John Harvey-Jones, British industrialist (d. 2008)
  • 1927
    Edie Adams, American actress (d. 2008)
  • 1927
    Peter Mark Richman, American actor
  • 1927
    Pope Benedict XVI
  • 1928
    Dick “Night Train” Lane, American football player (d. 2002)
  • 1929
    Ed Townsend, American singer and songwriter (d. 2003)
  • 1929
    Roy Hamilton, American singer (d. 1969)
  • 1930
    Herbie Mann, American jazz flute player (d. 2003)
  • 1933
    Joan Bakewell, British broadcaster
  • 1935
    Bobby Vinton, American singer
  • 1935
    Sarah Kirsch, German poet
  • 1937
    George “The Animal” Steele, American professional wrestler
  • 1938
    Gordon Wilson, Scottish politician
  • 1938
    Rich Rollins, American baseball player
  • 1939
    Boris Dvornik, Croatian actor (d. 2008)
  • 1939
    Dusty Springfield, English singer (d. 1999)
  • 1940
    Benoît Bouchard, Canadian politician
  • 1940
    Margrethe II of Denmark
  • 1942
    Jim Lonborg, American baseball player
  • 1942
    Sir Frank Williams, English Formula One constructor and team principal
  • 1943
    Dave Peverett, English musician (Foghat, Savoy Brown) (d. 2000)
  • 1943
    Ruth Madoc, Welsh actress
  • 1944
    Richard Bradshaw British opera conductor
  • 1945
    Tom Allen, American politician
  • 1946
    Margot Adler, American journalist
  • 1947
    Gerry Rafferty, Scottish musician and songwriter (d. 2011)
  • 1947
    Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, American basketball player
  • 1948
    Lynne Franks, British public relations consultant
  • 1949
    Melody Patterson, American actress
  • 1950
    David Graf, American actor (d. 2001)
  • 1951
    Björgvin Halldórsson, Icelandic singer
  • 1951
    Ioan Mihai Cochinescu, Romanian writer and photographer
  • 1951
    Mordechai Ben David, American Yiddish singer
  • 1952
    Bill Belichick, American football coach
  • 1952
    Billy West, American voice actor
  • 1952
    Michel Blanc, French actor
  • 1953
    J. Neil Schulman, American writer
  • 1953
    Peter Garrett, Australian singer (Midnight Oil)
  • 1954
    Ellen Barkin, American actress
  • 1954
    John Bowe, Australian racing driver
  • 1955
    Bruce Bochy, American baseball player and manager
  • 1955
    Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
  • 1956
    David McDowell Brown, American astronaut (d. 2003)
  • 1956
    Lise-Marie Morerod, Swiss skier
  • 1959
    Alison Ramsay, Scottish field hockey player
  • 1959
    Robert Casilla, American artist and illustrator
  • 1959
    Scott McKinsey, American television director
  • 1960
    Pierre Littbarski, German footballer
  • 1960
    Rafael Benítez, Spanish football manager
  • 1960
    Wahab Akbar, Filipino politician (d. 2007)
  • 1961
    Doris Dragović, Croatian singer
  • 1962
    Ian MacKaye, American musician, (Fugazi and Minor Threat)
  • 1963
    Jimmy Osmond, American pop singer (The Osmonds)
  • 1963
    Saleem Malik, Pakistani cricketer
  • 1964
    Dave Pirner, American rock singer (Soul Asylum)
  • 1964
    David Kohan, American television producer
  • 1965
    Jon Cryer, American actor
  • 1965
    Martin Lawrence, American actor
  • 1965
    Michael Wong Man Tak, Hong Kong actor and director
  • 1968
    Vickie Guerrero, American professional wrestling personality
  • 1969
    Fernando Viña, American baseball player
  • 1969
    Patrik Järbyn, Swedish alpine ski racer
  • 1970
    Dero Goi, German musician
  • 1970
    Walt Williams, American basketball player
  • 1971
    Max Beesley, English musician and actor
  • 1971
    Moses Chan, Hong Kong actor
  • 1971
    Peter Billingsley, American actor
  • 1971
    Seigo Yamamoto, Japanese racing driver
  • 1971
    Selena, American Tejano singer (d. 1995)
  • 1972
    Conchita Martínez, Spanish tennis player
  • 1972
    Ed Byrne, Irish comedian
  • 1973
    Akon, American singer and song writer
  • 1973
    Bonnie Pink, Japanese singer
  • 1974
    Mat Devine, American singer (Kill Hannah)
  • 1974
    Valarie Rae Miller, American actress
  • 1974
    Xu Jinglei, Chinese actress, singer and director
  • 1975
    Kelli O'Hara, American singer/actress
  • 1975
    Keon Clark, American basketball player
  • 1975
    Nick Pickard, British actor
  • 1975
    Sean Maher, American actor
  • 1976
    Dan Kellner, American fencer
  • 1976
    Lukas Haas, American actor
  • 1976
    Shu Qi, Taiwanese actress
  • 1977
    Alek Wek, Sudanese supermodel
  • 1977
    Fredrik Ljungberg, Swedish footballer
  • 1978
    Lara Dutta, Indian actress
  • 1978
    Matthew Lloyd, Australian rules footballer
  • 1979
    Christijan Albers, Dutch Formula One driver
  • 1979
    Sean Costello, American blues musician (d. 2008)
  • 1979
    Sixto Peralta, Argentine footballer
  • 1980
    Paul London, American professional wrestler
  • 1981
    Anestis Agritis, Greek footballer
  • 1982
    Barry Jones, Scottish magician
  • 1982
    Boris Diaw, French basketball player
  • 1982
    Gina Carano, American Mixed Martial Arts fighter
  • 1982
    Jonathan Vilma, American football player
  • 1983
    Cat Osterman, American softball pitcher
  • 1983
    George Patis, Greek badminton player
  • 1983
    Marié Digby, American singer
  • 1984
    Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, American author
  • 1984
    Noah Fleiss, American actor
  • 1984
    Tucker Fredricks, American speed skater
  • 1985
    Benjamín Rojas, Argentine actor and singer
  • 1985
    Brendon Leonard, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1985
    Luol Deng, British-Sudanese basketball player
  • 1985
    Mark Baker, Welsh author and historian
  • 1986
    Paul di Resta, British racing driver
  • 1986
    Peter Regin, Danish ice hockey player
  • 1987
    Aaron Lennon, English footballer
  • 1990
    Evangelos Mantzaris, Greek basketball player
  • 1990
    Lily Loveless, British actress
  • 1990
    Lorraine Nicholson, American actress
  • 1992
    Prince Sébastien of Luxembourg
  • 1993
    Mirai Nagasu, American figure skater
  • 1994
    Liliana Mumy, American actress
  • 2003
    Alina Foley, American actress
  • 2008
    Princess Eléonore of Belgium

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Who Died On April 16?

  • 69
    Marcus Salvius Otho, Roman Emperor (b. 32)
  • 665
    Fructuosus of Braga
  • 744
    al-Walid II, Umayyad caliph
  • 924
    Berengar of Friuli, King of Italy
  • 1113
    Sviatopolk II of Kiev, Russian prince (b. 1050)
  • 1118
    Adelaide del Vasto, wife of Roger II of Sicily
  • 1198
    Duke Frederick I of Austria
  • 1645
    Tobias Hume, English composer
  • 1687
    George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, English statesman (b. 1628)
  • 1689
    Aphra Behn, English dramatist (b. 1640)
  • 1783
    Christian Mayer, Czech astronomer (b. 1719)
  • 1788
    Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, French naturalist (b. 1707)
  • 1828
    Francisco Goya, Spanish painter (b. 1746)
  • 1846
    Domenico Dragonetti, Italian composer (b. 1763)
  • 1850
    Marie Tussaud, founder of the Madame Tussauds wax museum (b. 1761)
  • 1859
    Alexis de Tocqueville, French historian (b. 1805)
  • 1879
    Bernadette Soubirous, Saint of the Roman Catholic Church and visionary of Lourdes, France during 1858 (b. 1844)
  • 1888
    Zygmunt Florenty Wróblewski, Polish physicist (b. 1845)
  • 1899
    Emilio Jacinto, Filipino poet and revolutionary (b. 1875)
  • 1904
    Maximilian Kronberger, German poet (b. 1888)
  • 1904
    Samuel Smiles, Scottish writer and reformer (b. 1812)
  • 1914
    George William Hill, American astronomer (b. 1838)
  • 1915
    Nelson W. Aldrich, American politician (b. 1841)
  • 1928
    Henry Birks, Canadian businessman, founder of Henri Birks and Sons (b. 1840)
  • 1930
    José Carlos Mariátegui, Peruvian journalist, political philosopher and activist (b. 1894)
  • 1938
    Steve Bloomer, English footballer (b. 1874)
  • 1946
    Arthur Chevrolet, Swiss-born race car driver and automobile designer (b. 1884)
  • 1947
    Rudolf Höß, commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp (b. 1900)
  • 1955
    David Kirkwood, Scottish labor leader (b. 1872)
  • 1958
    Rosalind Franklin, British chemist (b. 1920)
  • 1968
    Edna Ferber, American author (b. 1885)
  • 1968
    Fay Bainter, American actress (b. 1893)
  • 1970
    Richard Neutra, American architect (b. 1892)
  • 1972
    Yasunari Kawabata, Japanese writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1899)
  • 1973
    Nino Bravo, Spanish singer (b. 1944)
  • 1978
    Lucius D. Clay, American general (b. 1897)
  • 1985
    Scott Brady, American actor (b. 1924)
  • 1989
    Miles Lawrence, English cricketer (b. 1940)
  • 1991
    Sir David Lean, British film director (b. 1908)
  • 1992
    Andy Russell, American singer (b. 1919)
  • 1992
    Neville Brand, American actor (b. 1920)
  • 1994
    Ralph Ellison, American writer (b. 1913)
  • 1995
    Arthur English, English actor and comedian (b. 1919)
  • 1995
    Iqbal Masih, Pakistani child slave labourer, activist (b. 1982)
  • 1996
    Stavros Niarchos, Greek shipping tycoon (b. 1909)
  • 1997
    Doris Angleton, American socialite (b. 1951)
  • 1997
    Roland Topor, French illustrator (b. 1938)
  • 1998
    Alberto Calderón, Argentine mathematician (b. 1920)
  • 1998
    Fred Davis, English snooker player (b. 1913)
  • 1999
    Skip Spence, Canadian-born guitarist, singer and songwriter (Jefferson Airplane) (b. 1946)
  • 2001
    Alec Stock, English football manager (b. 1917)
  • 2002
    Billy Ayre, English footballer and manager (b. 1952)
  • 2002
    Robert Urich, American actor (b. 1946)
  • 2002
    Ruth Fertel, American restaurateur (b. 1927)
  • 2003
    Graham Jarvis, Canadian actor (b. 1930)
  • 2003
    Graham Stuart Thomas, English author and garden designer (b. 1909)
  • 2005
    Kay Walsh, British actress (b. 1911)
  • 2005
    Kim Mu-saeng, South Korean actor (b. 1943)
  • 2005
    Marla Ruzicka, American humanitarian worker and peace activist (b. 1976)
  • 2006
    Francisco Adam, Portuguese actor and model (b. 1983)
  • 2007
    Frank Bateson, New Zealand astronomer (b. 1909)
  • 2007
    G. V. Loganathan, Indian American professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering (b. 1954)
  • 2007
    Gaetan Duchesne, Canadian hockey player (b. 1962)
  • 2007
    Jocelyne Couture-Nowak, Canadian instructor of French at Virginia Tech (b. 1958)
  • 2007
    Kevin Granata, American professor of Engineering (b. 1961)
  • 2007
    Liviu Librescu, American Jewish-Romanian professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics and Holocaust survivor (b. 1930)
  • 2007
    Maria Lenk, Brazilian swimmer and first Brazilian woman to compete in the Olympic Games (b. 1915)
  • 2007
    Seung-Hui Cho, American spree killer (b. 1984)
  • 2008
    Edward Norton Lorenz, American mathematician and meteorologist (b. 1917)
  • 2008
    Joseph Solman, American painter (b. 1909)
  • 2010
    Rasim Delic, Bosnian military chief of staff and war criminal (b. 1949)

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