What happened on August 16? There are more than 306 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 August 16
August 16 is the 229th day of the year 2024. There are 137 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Friday. This day falls under the 33rd week of the year 2024.
On this day in Seminole, Texas 79368 sunrise will occur at 07:11 AM and sunset will occur at 08:33 PM (local time).
The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Leo. The modern birthstone for this month is Peridot while the mystical birthstone is Diamond.
According to the Chinese calendar, there are 166 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (January 29, 2025).
Is your birthday coming up in two days? Are you not curious to find out who is sharing your special day? Discover all the April 28 famous birthdays. There are fun facts about that day that you must know. (Sponsored link)
Historical Events For August 16
- 1328The House of Gonzaga seizes power in the Duchy of Mantua, and will rule until 1708.
- 1513Battle of Guinegate (Battle of the Spurs) – King Henry VIII of England defeats French Forces who are then forced to retreat.
- 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.
- 1780American Revolutionary War: Battle of Camden – The British defeat the Americans near Camden, South Carolina.
- 1792Maximilien Robespierre presents the petition of the Commune of Paris to the Legislative Assembly, which demanded the formation of a revolutionary tribunal.
- 1793French Revolution: a levée en masse is decreed by the National Convention.
- 1812War of 1812: American General William Hull surrenders Fort Detroit without a fight to the British Army.
- 1819Seventeen people die and over 600 are injured in cavalry charges at a public meeting at St. Peter’s Field, Manchester, England.
- 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.
- 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.
- 1859The Tuscan National Assembly formally deposes the House of Habsburg-Lorraine.
- 1863The Dominican Restoration War begins when Gregorio Luperón raises the Dominican flag in Santo Domingo after Spain had recolonized the country.
- 1869Battle of Acosta Ñu: A Paraguayan battalion made up of children is massacred by the Brazilian Army during the War of the Triple Alliance.
- 1870Franco-Prussian War: The Battle of Mars-La-Tour is fought, resulting in a Prussian victory.
- 1891The Basilica of San Sebastian in Manila, the first all-steel church in Asia, is officially inaugurated and blessed.
- 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.
- 1906An estimated 8.2 MW earthquake hits Valparaíso, Chile, killing 3,886 people.
- 1913Completion of the Royal Navy battlecruiser HMS Queen Mary.
- 1913Tōhoku Imperial University of Japan (modern day Tōhoku University) becomes the first university in Japan to admit female students.
- 1914World War I: Battle of Cer begins.
- 1920Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians is hit on the head by a fastball thrown by Carl Mays of the New York Yankees, and dies early the next day. Chapman was the second player to die from injuries sustained in a Major League Baseball game, the first being Doc Powers in 1909.
- 1920The congress of the Communist Party of Bukhara opens. The congress would call for armed revolution.
- 1927The Dole Air Race begins from Oakland, California, to Honolulu, Hawaii, during which six out of the eight participating planes crash or disappear.
- 1929The 1929 Palestine riots break out in the British Mandate of Palestine between Arabs and Jews and continue until the end of the month. In total, 133 Jews and 116 Arabs are killed.
- 1930The first color sound cartoon, called Fiddlesticks, is made by Ub Iwerks.
- 1942World War II: The two-person crew of the U.S. naval blimp L-8 disappears without a trace on a routine anti-submarine patrol over the Pacific Ocean. The blimp drifts without her crew and crash-lands in Daly City, California.
- 1944First flight of the Junkers Ju 287.
- 1945An assassination attempt is made on Japan’s prime minister, Kantaro Suzuki.
- 1945Puyi, the last Chinese emperor and ruler of Manchukuo, is captured by Soviet troops.
- 1946Mass riots in Kolkata begin, in which more than 4,000 would be killed in 72 hours.
- 1960Cyprus gains its independence from the United Kingdom.
- 1960Joseph Kittinger parachutes from a balloon over New Mexico at 102800 ft, setting three records that still stand today: High-altitude jump, free-fall, and highest speed by a human without an aircraft.
- 1962Eight years after the remaining French India territories were handed to India, the ratifications of the treaty are exchanged to make the transfer official.
- 1964Vietnam War: A coup d'état replaces Duong Van Minh with General Nguyen Khanh as President of South Vietnam. A new constitution is established with aid from the U.S. Embassy.
- 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.
- 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.
- 1989A solar flare from the Sun creates a geomagnetic storm that affects micro chips, leading to a halt of all trading on Toronto’s stock market.
Who Were Born On August 16?
- 1355Countess Philippa Plantagenet of Ulster (d. 1382)
- 1378Hongxi Emperor of China (d. 1425)
- 1401Jacqueline, Countess of Hainaut, dauphine of France (d. 1436)
- 1557Agostino Carracci, Italian artist (d. 1602)
- 1573Queen Anna of Austria of Poland (d. 1598)
- 1596Frederick V, Elector Palatine (d. 1632)
- 1637Emilie Juliane of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, German countess and poet (d. 1706)
- 1645Jean de La Bruyère, French writer (d. 1696)
- 1650Vincenzo Coronelli, Italian cartographer and encyclopedist (d. 1718)
- 1682Louis, duc de Bourgogne, dauphin of France (d. 1712)
- 1761Yevstigney Fomin, Russian composer (d. 1800)
- 1815John Bosco, Italian priest and educator (d. 1888)
- 1820Andrew Rainsford Wetmore, Canadian politician (d. 1892)
- 1831John Jones Ross, Quebec politician (d. 1901)
- 1832Wilhelm Wundt, German psychologist (d. 1920)
- 1842Jakob Rosanes, German mathematician (d. 1922)
- 1845Gabriel Lippmann, French physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 1921)
- 1856Aparicio Saravia, Uruguayan politician and military leader (d. 1904)
- 1858Arthur Achleitner, German writer (d. 1927)
- 1860Jules Laforgue, French poet (d. 1887)
- 1860Martin Hawke, 7th Baron Hawke, England cricketer (d. 1938)
- 1862Amos Alonzo Stagg, American coach (d. 1965)
- 1868Bernarr McFadden, American publisher (d. 1955)
- 1876Ivan Bilibin, Russian illustrator (d. 1942)
- 1876Julian Ashby Burruss, American academic (d. 1947)
- 1882Christian Mortensen, Danish-born American supercentenarian (d. 1998)
- 1884Hugo Gernsback, Luxembourg-born editor and publisher (d. 1967)
- 1888Armand J. Piron, American musician (d. 1943)
- 1888T. E. Lawrence, English writer and soldier (d. 1935)
- 1892Otto Messmer, American cartoonist (d. 1983)
- 1894George Meany, American labor union leader (d. 1980)
- 1895Albert Cohen, Swiss novelist (d. 1981)
- 1895Liane Haid, Austrian actress (d. 2000)
- 1902Georgette Heyer, English novelist (d. 1974)
- 1904Wendell Meredith Stanley, American chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1971)
- 1908Orlando Cole, American classical cellist and educator (d. 2010)
- 1908William Keepers Maxwell, Jr., American novelist and editor (d. 2000)
- 1909Paul Callaway, American organist and choral conductor (d. 1995)
- 1911E. F. Schumacher, German economist and statistician (d. 1977)
- 1912Ted Drake, English footballer (d. 1995)
- 1913Menachem Begin, Israeli statesman, Nobel laureate (d. 1992)
- 1915Al Hibbler, American singer (d. 2001)
- 1916Iggy Katona, American race car driver (d. 2003)
- 1917Roque Cordero, Panamanian composer (d. 2008)
- 1920Charles Bukowski, American poet (d. 1994)
- 1922Ernie Freeman, American pianist and arranger (d. 2001)
- 1923Millôr Fernandes, Brazilian playwright
- 1924Fess Parker, American actor (d. 2010)
- 1924Inez Voyce, American female baseball player
- 1925Willie Jones, American baseball player (d. 1983)
- 1928Ann Blyth, American actress
- 1928Eddie Kirkland, American blues guitarist, harmonicist, singer, and songwriter (d. 2011)
- 1928Eydie Gormé, American singer
- 1929Bill Evans, American jazz pianist (d. 1980)
- 1929Fritz Von Erich, American professional wrestler (d. 1997)
- 1929Helmut Rahn, German footballer (d. 2003)
- 1929Wyatt Tee Walker, American civil rights activist
- 1930Frank Gifford, American football player and announcer
- 1930Robert Culp, American actor (d. 2010)
- 1930Tony Trabert, American former tennis player
- 1933Julie Newmar, American actress
- 1933Stuart Roosa, American astronaut (d. 1994)
- 1934Diana Wynne Jones, British author (d. 2011)
- 1934Donnie Dunagan, American actor
- 1934John Standing, English actor
- 1934Ketty Lester, American singer
- 1934Pierre Richard, French actor
- 1935Andreas Stamatiadis, Greek footballer and coach
- 1935Cliff Fletcher, Canadian National Hockey League executive
- 1937David Anderson, Canadian politician
- 1937David Behrman, US composer and producer
- 1939Seán Brady, Cardinal-Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland
- 1939Sir Trevor Mcdonald, Trinidadian-born British television newsreader
- 1940Bruce Beresford, Australian film director
- 1940John Craven, English journalist and television presenter
- 1941Théoneste Bagosora, Rwandan army officer and alleged war criminal
- 1942Barbara George, American singer and songwriter (d. 2006)
- 1943Sharon Baird, American actress and tap dancer
- 1943Woody Peoples, American football player (d. 2010)
- 1945Kevin Ayers, English singer-songwriter
- 1945Suzanne Farrell, American ballet dancer
- 1946Dick Murdoch, American professional wrestler (d. 1996)
- 1946Lesley Ann Warren, American actress
- 1946Massoud Barzani, Iraqi Kurdish politician
- 1947Carol Moseley Braun, American politician and lawyer
- 1947Katharine Hamnett, English fashion designer
- 1947Marc Messier, Canadian actor
- 1948Barry Hay, Indian-born Dutch singer (Golden Earring)
- 1948Mike Jorgensen, American baseball player
- 1948Pierre Reid, Canadian politician and teacher
- 1949Barbara Goodson, American voice actress
- 1949Bill Spooner, musician, guitarist, and songwriter
- 1949Scott Asheton, American musician (The Stooges)
- 1950Hasely Crawford, Trinidadian athlete
- 1950Jeff Thomson, Australian cricketer
- 1950Marshall Manesh, Iranian-born American actor
- 1950Stockwell Day, Canadian politician
- 1951Richard Hunt, American puppeteer (d. 1992)
- 1951Umaru Yar'Adua, Nigerian politician (d. 2010)
- 1952Gianna Rolandi, American soprano, opera director and instructor
- 1952Mahes Goonatilleke, Sri Lankan cricketer
- 1952Reginald VelJohnson, American actor
- 1953James “J.T.” Taylor, American singer (Kool & The Gang)
- 1953Kathie Lee Gifford, American singer and actress
- 1954George Galloway, British politician
- 1954James Cameron, Canadian film director
- 1956Daniel Willems, Belgian cyclist
- 1956Vahan Hovhannisyan, Armenian politician
- 1957Randhir Singh, Indian cricketer
- 1957Tim Farriss, Australian musician (INXS)
- 1958Angela Bassett, American actress
- 1958José Luis Clerc, Argentine tennis player
- 1958Madonna, American singer and actress
- 1958Michael Harkin, American anthropologist
- 1958Oscar Collodo, Swiss-born Italian rugby player and coach
- 1959Laura Innes, American actress
- 1959Marc Sergeant, Belgian cyclist
- 1960Timothy Hutton, American actor
- 1961Christian Okoye, American football player
- 1961Michaela Dornonville de la Cour, Swedish singer (Army of Lovers)
- 1962Steve Carell, American actor and comedian
- 1963Christine Cavanaugh, American voice actress
- 1964Jimmy Arias, American tennis player
- 1964Matt Lukin, American bassist (Mudhoney)
- 1966Barry Lather, American choreographer, musician and actor
- 1967Pamela Smart, American convicted murderess
- 1967Ulrika Jonsson, Swedish television personality
- 1968Mateja Svet, Slovenian alpine skier
- 1969Andy Milder, American voice actor
- 1970Bonnie Bernstein, American sportscaster
- 1970Fabio Casartelli, Italian cyclist (d. 1995)
- 1970Killah Priest, American rapper
- 1970Manisha Koirala, Nepalese Bollywood actress
- 1970Saif Ali Khan, Indian actor
- 1971Rulon Gardner, American Greco-Roman wrestler
- 1971Stefan Klos, German footballer
- 1972Emily Robison, American country singer (Dixie Chicks)
- 1972Frankie Boyle, Scottish comedian
- 1972George Stroumboulopoulos, Canadian television and radio personality
- 1972Stan Lazaridis, Australian footballer
- 1973Damian Jackson, American baseball player
- 1974Iván Hurtado, Ecuadorian footballer
- 1974Krisztina Egerszegi, Hungarian swimmer
- 1974Roger Cedeño, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1974Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Guyanese cricketer
- 1975Didier Agathe, French footballer
- 1975George Stults, American actor
- 1975Pantelis Konstantinidis, Greek footballer
- 1976Dave Ockun, American concert producer
- 1976Jonatan Johansson, Finnish footballer
- 1976Tiina Kankaanpää, Finnish discus thrower
- 1977Tamer Hosny, Egyptian singer/actor
- 1978Eddie Gill, American basketball player
- 1978Fu Mingxia, Chinese female diver
- 1978Thalia Pellegrini, British children’s TV presenter
- 1979Monder Rizki, Belgian athlete
- 1979Paul Gallacher, Scottish football player
- 1980Emerson, Brazilian footballer
- 1980Hwangbo, Korean singer/rapper
- 1980Piet Rooijakkers, Dutch professional bicyclist
- 1980Raniere, Brazilian footballer
- 1980Robert Hardy, English musician (Franz Ferdinand)
- 1980Vanessa Carlton, American singer/songwriter
- 1981Denis Gremelmayr, German male tennis player
- 1981Roque Santa Cruz, Paraguayan footballer
- 1981Taylor Rain, American pornographic actress
- 1982Cam Gigandet, American actor
- 1982Joleon Lescott, English footballer
- 1982Tomohiro Ito, Japanese sprinter
- 1983Colin Griffiths, English TV presenter and DJ
- 1983Colt Brennan, American football player
- 1983Nikos Zisis, Greek basketball player
- 1984Candice Dupree, American basketball player
- 1984Matteo Anesi, Italian speed skater
- 1985Agnes Bruckner, American actress
- 1986Chris Reynolds, Welsh DJ
- 1986Kim Oh-Sung, South Korean footballer
- 1986Shawn Pyfrom, American actor
- 1986Yu Darvish, Japanese baseball player
- 1987Carey Price, Canadian Hockey Player
- 1987Evan Berger, Australian footballer
- 1987Kyal Marsh, Australian actor
- 1988Kevin Schmidt, American actor
- 1988Rumer Willis, American actress
- 1989Charlotte Gurr, English footballer
- 1989Wang Hao, Chinese athlete
- 1991Evanna Lynch, Irish actress
- 1991G.E.M., Hong Kong singer
- 1991Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse, Canadian actress
- 1992Islam Dzhabrailov, Russian footballer
- 1997Greyson Chance, American singer
Who Died On August 16?
- 1027Giorgi I, King of Georgia (b. 998)
- 1297John II of Trebizond (b. 1262)
- 1327Roch, French saint (b. 1295)
- 1358Duke Albert II of Austria (b. 1298)
- 1419Wenceslaus, King of the Romans, King of Bohemia (b. 1361)
- 1443Ashikaga Yoshikatsu, Japanese shogun (b. 1434)
- 1445Margaret of Scotland, consort of Louis XI (b. 1424)
- 1518Loyset Compère, French composer (b. circa 1445)
- 1532John, Elector of Saxony (b. 1468)
- 1661Thomas Fuller, English churchman and historian (b. 1608)
- 1678Andrew Marvell, English poet (b. 1621)
- 1705Jacob Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician and scientist (b. 1654)
- 1733Matthew Tindal, English deist (b. 1657)
- 1791Charles-François de Broglie, marquis de Ruffec, French soldier and diplomat (b. 1719)
- 1836Marc-Antoine Parseval, French mathematician (b. 1755)
- 1855Henry Colburn, British publisher (b. ?)
- 1886Sri Ramakrishna, Bengali saint, guru of Swami Vivekananda (b. 1836)
- 1888John Pemberton, American druggist and inventor of Coca-Cola (b. 1831)
- 1893Jean-Martin Charcot, French neurologist (b. 1825)
- 1899Robert Wilhelm Bunsen, German chemist (b. 1811)
- 1900José Maria de Eça de Queiroz, Portuguese writer (b. 1845)
- 1907James Hector, Scottish geologist (b. 1834)
- 1911Patrick Francis Moran, Irish-Australian cardinal (b. 1830)
- 1921King Peter I of Serbia (b. 1844)
- 1938Andrej Hlinka, Slovak politician and priest (b. 1864)
- 1938Robert Johnson, American blues singer and guitarist (b. 1911)
- 1948Babe Ruth, American baseball player (b. 1895)
- 1949Margaret Mitchell, American novelist (b. 1900)
- 1951Louis Jouvet, French actor and producer (b. 1887)
- 1952Lydia Field Emmet, American painter (b. 1866)
- 1956Bela Lugosi, Hungarian actor (b. 1882)
- 1957Irving Langmuir, American chemist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1881)
- 1959Wanda Landowska, Polish harpsichordist (b. 1879)
- 1959William Halsey Jr., American Navy Admiral (b. 1882)
- 1961Maulvi Abdul Haq, Indian educator and linguist, Father of Modern Urdu (b. 1870)
- 1971Spyros Skouras, Greek-born American movie executive, chairman of the Twentieth Century Fox (b. 1893)
- 1972Pierre Brasseur, French actor (b. 1905)
- 1973Selman Waksman, Ukrainian-born American biochemist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1888)
- 1975Vladimir Kuts, Ukrainian-born Soviet distance runner (b. 1927)
- 1977Elvis Presley, American singer, actor, and guitarist (b.1935)
- 1978Alidius Stachouwer, Dutch lawyer and politician (b. 1888)
- 1978Jean Acker, American silent film actress (b. 1893)
- 1979John Diefenbaker, Canadian politician and 13th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1895)
- 1983Earl Averill, American baseball player (b. 1902)
- 1986Jaime Saenz, Bolivian poet and novelist, and short story writer (b. 1921)
- 1989Amanda Blake, American actress (b. 1929)
- 1990Pat O'Connor, New Zealand professional wrestler (b. 1925)
- 1991Luigi Zampa, Italian film director (b. 1905)
- 1992Mark Heard, American singer-songwriter (b. 1951)
- 1993Stewart Granger, British film actor (b. 1913)
- 1995J.P. McCarthy, American radio personality (b. 1933)
- 1997Gerard McLarnon, Irish playwright and actor (b. 1915)
- 1997Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Pakistani musician & singer (b. 1948)
- 2002Abu Nidal, Palestinian political leader (b. 1937)
- 2002Jeff Corey, American actor (b. 1914)
- 2002John Roseboro, American baseball player and coach (b. 1933)
- 2003Idi Amin, Ugandan dictator (b. 1928)
- 2004Carl Mydans, American photographer (b. 1907)
- 2004Ivan Hlinka, Czech ice hockey coach (b. 1950)
- 2004Robert Quiroga, American boxer (b. 1969)
- 2005Frère Roger, Swiss monk and mystic (b. 1915)
- 2005Joe Ranft, American animator (b. 1960)
- 2005Tonino Delli Colli, Italian cinematographer (b. 1922)
- 2005Vassar Clements, American musician (b. 1928)
- 2005Vicky Moscholiou, Greek singer (b. 1943)
- 2005William Corlett, English children’s author (b. 1938)
- 2006Alex Buzo, Australian playwright and author (b. 1944)
- 2006Alfredo Stroessner, Paraguayan politician and President of Paraguay (b. 1912)
- 2006Herschel Green, American pilot (b. 1920)
- 2007Bahaedin Adab, Iranian politician (b. 1945)
- 2007Dewey Robertson, Canadian professional wrestler (b. 1939)
- 2007Max Roach, American percussionist, drummer, and composer (b. 1924)
- 2008Dorival Caymmi, Brazilian singer and songwriter (b. 1914)
- 2008Elena Leuşteanu, Romanian gymnast and Olympic medalist (b. 1935)
- 2008Masanobu Fukuoka, Japanese sustainable farmer and author (b. 1913)
- 2008Ronnie Drew, Irish singer (The Dubliners) (b. 1934)
- 2010Bobby Thomson, American baseball player (b. 1923)
- 2010Dimitrios Ioannidis, Greek military officer and dictator (b. 1923)
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