What happened on February 16? There are more than 275 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 February 16

February 16 In HistoryFebruary 16 is the 47th day of the year 2024. There are 319 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Friday. This day falls under the 7th week of the year 2024.

On this day in Schley, Virginia 23154 sunrise occured at 06:52 AM and sunset occured at 05:47 PM (local time).

The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Aquarius. The modern birthstone for this month is Amethyst while the mystical birthstone is Bloodstone.

According to the Chinese calendar, there are 348 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (January 29, 2025).

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Historical Events For February 16

  • 116
    Emperor Trajan sends laureatae to the Roman Senate at Rome on account of his victories and being conqueror of Parthia.
  • 1249
    Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with Mongol Khagan of the Mongol Empire.
  • 1646
    Battle of Torrington, Devon – the last major battle of the first English Civil War.
  • 1742
    Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington, becomes British Prime Minister.
  • 1804
    First Barbary War: Stephen Decatur leads a raid to burn the pirate-held frigate USS Philadelphia.
  • 1852
    Studebaker Brothers wagon company, precursor of the automobile manufacturer, is established.
  • 1862
    American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant captures Fort Donelson, Tennessee.
  • 1866
    Spencer Compton Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington becomes British Secretary of State for War.
  • 1899
    Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur Iceland’s first football club is founded.
  • 1918
    The Council of Lithuania unanimously adopts the Act of Independence, declaring Lithuania an independent state.
  • 1923
    Howard Carter unseals the burial chamber of Pharaoh Tutankhamun.
  • 1934
    The Austrian Civil War ends with the defeat of the Social Democrats and the Republican Schutzbund.
  • 1936
    Elections bring the Popular Front to power in Spain.
  • 1937
    Wallace H. Carothers receives a United States patent for nylon.
  • 1940
    World War II: Altmark Incident: The German tanker Altmark is boarded by sailors from the British destroyer HMS Cossack. 299 British prisoners are freed.
  • 1943
    World War II: Red Army troops re-enter Kharkov.
  • 1945
    World War II: American forces land on Corregidor Island in the Philippines.
  • 1957
    The “Toddlers’ Truce”, a controversial television close down between 6.00 pm and 7.00 pm is abolished in the United Kingdom.
  • 1959
    Fidel Castro becomes Premier of Cuba after dictator Fulgencio Batista was overthrown on January 1.
  • 1960
    The U.S. Navy submarine USS Triton begins Operation Sandblast, setting sail from New London, Connecticut, to begin the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe.
  • 1961
    Explorer program: Explorer 9 (S-56a) is launched.
  • 1961
    The DuSable Museum of African American History is chartered.
  • 1962
    Flooding in the coastal areas of West Germany kills 315 and destroys the homes of about 60,000 people.
  • 1968
    In Haleyville, Alabama, the first 9-1-1 emergency telephone system goes into service.
  • 1978
    The first computer bulletin board system is created (CBBS in Chicago, Illinois).
  • 1980
    New Year’s Day in Chinese calendar. Start of the year of the Metal Monkey in Chinese astrology.
  • 1983
    The Ash Wednesday bushfires in Victoria and South Australia kill 75.
  • 1985
    Hezbollah is founded.
  • 1986
    The Soviet liner MS Mikhail Lermontov runs aground in the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand.
  • 1987
    The trial of John Demjanjuk, accused of being a Nazi guard dubbed “Ivan the Terrible” in Treblinka extermination camp, starts in Jerusalem.
  • 1991
    Nicaraguan Contras leader Enrique Bermúdez is assassinated in Managua.
  • 1998
    China Airlines Flight 676 crashes into a road and residential area near Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taiwan, killing all 196 aboard and six more on the ground.
  • 1999
    Across Europe, Kurdish rebels take over embassies and hold hostages after Turkey arrests one of their rebel leaders, Abdullah Öcalan.
  • 1999
    In Uzbekistan, a bomb explodes and gunfire is heard at the government headquarters in an apparent assassination attempt against President Islam Karimov.
  • 2005
    The Kyoto Protocol comes into force, following its ratification by Russia.
  • 2005
    The National Hockey League cancels the entire 2004-2005 regular season and playoffs, becoming the first major sports league in North America to do so over a labor dispute.
  • 2006
    The last Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) is decommissioned by the United States Army.

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Who Were Born On February 16?

  • 1032
    Emperor Yingzong of China (d. 1067)
  • 1222
    Nichiren Daishonin, Japanese founder of Nichiren Buddhism (d. 1282)
  • 1497
    Philipp Melanchthon, German humanist and reformer (d. 1560)
  • 1519
    Gaspard de Coligny, French Huguenot leader (d. 1572)
  • 1543
    Kano Eitoku, Japanese painter (d. 1590)
  • 1620
    Frederick William, Duke of Prussia (d. 1688)
  • 1643
    John Sharp, English Archbishop of York (d. 1714)
  • 1698
    Pierre Bouguer, French mathematician (d. 1758)
  • 1727
    Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin, Austrian scientist (d. 1817)
  • 1761
    Charles Pichegru, French general (d. 1804)
  • 1786
    Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia (d. 1859)
  • 1802
    Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, American philosopher (d. 1866)
  • 1804
    Karl Theodor Ernst von Siebold, German physiologist (d. 1885)
  • 1812
    Henry Wilson, American politician 18th Vice President of the United States (d. 1875)
  • 1821
    Heinrich Barth, German explorer (d. 1865)
  • 1822
    Sir Francis Galton, English explorer, biologist and statistician (d. 1911)
  • 1824
    Peter Kozler, Slovenian cartographer and geographer (d. 1879)
  • 1826
    Joseph Victor von Scheffel, German poet (d. 1886)
  • 1831
    Nikolai Leskov, Russian writer (d. 1895)
  • 1834
    Ernst Haeckel, German zoologist and philosopher (d. 1919)
  • 1838
    Henry Adams, American historian and novelist (d. 1918)
  • 1845
    George Kennan, American explorer (d. 1924)
  • 1847
    Philipp Scharwenka, Polish-German composer (d. 1917)
  • 1848
    Hugo de Vries, Dutch botanist (d. 1935)
  • 1856
    Rudolph Karstadt, German entrepreneur (d. 1944)
  • 1856
    Willem Kes, Dutch conductor (d. 1934)
  • 1866
    Billy Hamilton, American baseball player (d. 1940)
  • 1866
    Vyacheslav Ivanov, Russian poet (d. 1949)
  • 1874
    Marie Gutheil-Schoder, German soprano (d. 1935)
  • 1876
    George Macaulay Trevelyan, English historian (d. 1962)
  • 1878
    Pamela Colman Smith, British writer and occultist (d. 1951)
  • 1880
    Frank Burke, American baseball player (d. 1946)
  • 1881
    Anna Pavlova, Russian ballerina (d. 1931)
  • 1883
    Elizabeth Craig, British writer (d. 1980)
  • 1884
    Robert J. Flaherty, American filmmaker (d. 1951)
  • 1886
    Van Wyck Brooks, American historian and critic (d. 1963)
  • 1887
    Kathleen Clifford, American actress (d. 1962)
  • 1891
    Hans F. K. Günther, German eugenicist (d. 1967)
  • 1896
    Eugénie Blanchard, French supercentenarian (d. 2010)
  • 1898
    Katharine Cornell, American actress (d. 1974)
  • 1901
    Chester Morris, American film actor (d. 1970)
  • 1901
    Vincent Coleman, American actor (d. 1971)
  • 1901
    Wayne King, American musician and orchestra leader (d. 1985)
  • 1903
    Edgar Bergen, American ventriloquist (d. 1978)
  • 1903
    Georges-Henri Lévesque, Quebec priest and sociologist (d. 2000)
  • 1904
    George F. Kennan, American historian and diplomat (d. 2005)
  • 1904
    Karl-Heinz Bürger, German Nazi figure (d. 1988)
  • 1906
    Vera Menchik, British-born Czech chess player (d. 1944)
  • 1909
    Hugh Beaumont, American actor (d. 1982)
  • 1909
    Jeffrey Lynn, American actor (d. 1995)
  • 1909
    Richard McDonald, American fast food entrepreneur (d. 1998)
  • 1915
    Elisabeth Eybers, South African poet (d. 2007)
  • 1915
    Jim O'Hora, American college football coach (d. 2005)
  • 1915
    Michael Relph, British film producer and director (d. 2004)
  • 1916
    Bill Doggett, American jazz and rhythm and blues pianist and organist (d. 1996)
  • 1918
    Patty Andrews, American singer (The Andrews Sisters)
  • 1920
    Anna Mae Hays, American army general
  • 1921
    Araucaria, British crossword compiler
  • 1921
    Jean Behra, French race car driver (d. 1959)
  • 1921
    Vera-Ellen, American actress (d. 1981)
  • 1922
    Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, German night fighter pilot (d. 1950)
  • 1925
    Carlos Paredes, Portuguese guitarist (d. 2004)
  • 1926
    John Schlesinger, English film director (d. 2003)
  • 1926
    Margot Frank, German-born Dutch Jewish holocaust victim (d. 1945)
  • 1927
    June Brown, British actress
  • 1929
    Gerhard Hanappi, Austrian footballer (d. 1980)
  • 1929
    Peter Porter, Australian poet (d. 2010)
  • 1931
    George E. Sangmeister, American politician (d. 2007)
  • 1931
    Ken Takakura, Japanese actor
  • 1932
    Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, former President of Sierra Leone
  • 1932
    Gretchen Wyler, American actress and dancer (d. 2007)
  • 1932
    Harry Goz, American actor (d. 2003)
  • 1932
    Otis Blackwell, American songwriter and singer (d. 2002)
  • 1934
    August Coppola, American academic; father of Nicolas Cage (d. 2009)
  • 1934
    Harold ‘Hal’Kalin, American singer (d. 2005)
  • 1934
    Herbert ‘Herbie’Kalin, American singer (d. 2006)
  • 1934
    Marlene Hagge, American professional golfer
  • 1935
    Sonny Bono, American entertainer politician (d. 1998)
  • 1936
    Jill Kinmont, American skier
  • 1937
    Yuri Manin, Russian mathematician
  • 1938
    Barry Primus, American actor
  • 1938
    John Corigliano, American composer
  • 1939
    Adolfo Azcuna, Filipino Supreme Court jurist
  • 1939
    Czesław Niemen, Polish singer-songwriter and composer (d. 2004)
  • 1941
    Kim Jong-il, North Korean leader (d. 2011)
  • 1942
    Richard Williams, father of Venus Williams and Serena Williams
  • 1943
    Brig Owens, American football player
  • 1944
    António Mascarenhas Monteiro, 2nd President of Cape Verde
  • 1944
    Richard Ford, American novelist
  • 1945
    Jeremy Bulloch, English actor
  • 1946
    Ian Lavender, English actor
  • 1949
    Bob Didier, American baseball player
  • 1950
    Kazuki Tomokawa, Japanese acid-folk singer
  • 1950
    Peter Hain, British politician
  • 1950
    Roman Tam, Hong Kong singer (d. 2002)
  • 1951
    William Katt, American actor
  • 1952
    Barry Foote, American baseball player
  • 1953
    George Martin, English footballer
  • 1953
    Lanny McDonald, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1953
    Roberta Williams, American video game designer
  • 1954
    Iain Banks, Scottish author
  • 1954
    Margaux Hemingway, American actress and model (d. 1996)
  • 1954
    Michael Holding, Jamaican West Indies cricketer
  • 1955
    Hunt Block, American actor
  • 1956
    James Ingram, American singer
  • 1956
    Vincent Ward, New Zealand director and screenwriter
  • 1957
    LeVar Burton, American actor
  • 1958
    Herb Williams, American basketball player and coach
  • 1958
    Ice-T, American rapper and actor
  • 1958
    Lisa Loring, American actress
  • 1958
    Michael W. Burns, American politician
  • 1958
    Natalie Angier, American journalist and author
  • 1958
    Oscar Schmidt, Brazilian basketball player
  • 1959
    John McEnroe, American tennis player
  • 1959
    Kelly Tripucka, American basketball player
  • 1960
    Cherie Chung, Hong Kong actress
  • 1960
    Pete Willis, English guitarist (Def Leppard)
  • 1961
    Andy Taylor, English musician (Duran Duran, The Power Station)
  • 1961
    Eric Red, American screenwriter and director
  • 1961
    LaGaylia Frazier, American-Swedish singer
  • 1962
    John Balance, English musician (Coil, Psychic TV) (d. 2004)
  • 1963
    Dano Halsall, Swiss swimmer
  • 1964
    Bebeto, Brazilian footballer
  • 1964
    Christopher Eccleston, English actor
  • 1965
    Dave Lombardo, Cuban-born drummer (Slayer)
  • 1967
    John Valentin, baseball player
  • 1967
    Keith Gretzky, Canadian hockey player
  • 1968
    Warren Ellis, British comic writer
  • 1969
    David Heath, American professional wrestler
  • 1969
    Holly Aird, English actress
  • 1970
    Angelo Peruzzi, Italian footballer
  • 1970
    Serdar Ortac, Turkish popstar
  • 1971
    Amanda Holden, British actress
  • 1972
    Jerome Bettis, American football player
  • 1972
    Sarah Clarke, American actress
  • 1973
    Cathy Freeman, Australian athlete
  • 1973
    Christian Bassedas, Argentine footballer
  • 1973
    Maureen Johnson, American author
  • 1973
    Nikos Kostakis, Greek footballer
  • 1974
    Fanis Katergiannakis, Greek footballer
  • 1974
    Johnny Tri Nguyen, Vietnamese-born American stuntman and martial artist
  • 1974
    Luis Figueroa, Puerto Rican baseball player
  • 1974
    Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, American actor
  • 1975
    Don Jeffcoat, American actor
  • 1975
    Nanase Aikawa, Japanese singer
  • 1975
    Vanina Ickx, Belgian racing driver
  • 1976
    Eric Byrnes, American baseball player
  • 1976
    Joe Odagiri, Japanese actor
  • 1976
    Kyo, Japanese singer (Dir en grey)
  • 1977
    Ahman Green, American football player
  • 1977
    Brad Walst, American bassist (Three Days Grace)
  • 1977
    Ian Clarke, Irish computer programmer
  • 1977
    Paul Brittain, American comedian
  • 1978
    John Tartaglia, Broadway actor and Muppeteer
  • 1978
    Tia Hellebaut, Belgian athlete
  • 1978
    Wasim Jaffer, Indian cricketer
  • 1979
    Eric Mun, Korean rapper (Shinhwa)
  • 1979
    Valentino Rossi, Italian motorcycle racer
  • 1980
    Agim Kaba, American actor and film producer
  • 1980
    Ashley Lelie, American football player
  • 1981
    Jay Howard, British racing driver
  • 1981
    Jerry Owens, American baseball player
  • 1981
    Qyntel Woods, American basketball player
  • 1982
    Alemão, Portuguese footballer
  • 1982
    Lupe Fiasco, American hip hop artist
  • 1983
    Agyness Deyn, British model
  • 1983
    Tuomo Ruutu, Finnish ice hockey player
  • 1984
    Ous Mellouli, Tunisian swimmer
  • 1986
    Zoi Dimoschaki, Indian batsman
  • 1987
    Hasheem Thabeet, American basketball player
  • 1987
    Theresa Goh, Singaporean paralympic swimmer
  • 1988
    Denílson Pereira Neves, Brazilian footballer
  • 1988
    Diego Capel, Spanish footballer
  • 1991
    Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg
  • 1991
    Sergio Canales, Spanish footballer
  • 1992
    Nicolai Boilesen, Danish footballer
  • 1993
    Mike Weinberg, American former child actor

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Who Died On February 16?

  • 1247
    Heinrich Raspe, Landgrave of Thuringia (b. 1204)
  • 1279
    King Afonso III of Portugal (b. 1210)
  • 1391
    John V Palaeologus, Byzantine Emperor (b. 1332)
  • 1531
    Johannes Stöffler, German mathematician and astronomer (b. 1452)
  • 1560
    Jean du Bellay, French Catholic cardinal and diplomat
  • 1645
    Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, (b. 1585)
  • 1710
    Esprit Fléchier, French writer and Bishop of Nîmes (b. 1632)
  • 1721
    James Craggs the Younger, English politician (b. 1686)
  • 1754
    Richard Mead, English physician (b. 1673)
  • 1820
    Georg Carl von Döbeln, Swedish Lieutenant General and war hero (b. 1758)
  • 1844
    Joseph Crosfield, English soap and alkali manufacturer (b. 1792)
  • 1898
    Thomas Bracken, New Zealand poet (b. 1843)
  • 1899
    Félix Faure, President of France (b. 1841)
  • 1907
    Giosuè Carducci, Italian writer, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1835)
  • 1912
    St. Nikolai of Japan, Eastern Orthodox priest (b. 1836)
  • 1917
    Octave Mirbeau, French writer (b. 1848)
  • 1919
    Vera Kholodnaya, Russian film star (b. 1893)
  • 1928
    Eddie Foy, American singer and dancer (b. 1856)
  • 1932
    Ferdinand Buisson, French pacifist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1841)
  • 1932
    Sir Edgar Speyer, American-born British financier and philanthropist (b. 1862)
  • 1944
    Henri Nathansen, Danish writer and stage director (b. 1868)
  • 1961
    Dazzy Vance, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (b. 1891)
  • 1967
    Antonio Moreno, Spanish-born actor (b. 1887)
  • 1967
    Smiley Burnette, American actor, singer and songwriter (b. 1911)
  • 1974
    John Garand, Canadian rifle engineer and manufacturer (b. 1888)
  • 1975
    Morgan Taylor, American athlete (b. 1903)
  • 1975
    Norman Treigle, American bass-baritone (b. 1927)
  • 1977
    Carlos Pellicer, Mexican poet (b. 1897)
  • 1978
    E. Roland Harriman, American financier (b. 1895)
  • 1979
    Nematollah Nassiri, executed Iran general/head of SAVAK (b. 1911)
  • 1980
    Erich Hückel, German physicist (b. 1895)
  • 1984
    M.A.G. Osmani, Supreme Commander of Bangladesh Forces during the Bangladesh Liberation War (b. 1918)
  • 1986
    kumar shiv shankar, Indian Batsman (b. 1909)
  • 1988
    Jean Carignan, French Canadian fiddler (b. 1916)
  • 1990
    Keith Haring, American artist (b. 1958)
  • 1991
    Enrique Bermúdez, Nicaraguan Contra leader (b. 1932)
  • 1992
    Angela Carter, English writer (b. 1940)
  • 1992
    Herman Wold, Swedish statistician (b. 1908)
  • 1992
    Jânio Quadros, Brazilian politician (b. 1917)
  • 1996
    Brownie McGhee, American singer (b. 1915)
  • 1996
    Edmund G. “Pat” Brown, Governor of California (b. 1905)
  • 1996
    Roger Bowen, American actor (b. 1932)
  • 1997
    Chien-Shiung Wu, Chinese-American physicist (b. 1912)
  • 1999
    Michael Larson, Press Your Luck Big-winning contestant (b. 1949)
  • 2000
    Karsten Solheim, Norwegian-born engineer and inventor (b. 1911)
  • 2000
    Lila Kedrova, Russian-born actress (b. 1918)
  • 2000
    Marceline Day, American actress (b. 1908)
  • 2001
    Bob Buhl, baseball player (b. 1928)
  • 2001
    Howard W. Koch, American film director (b. 1916)
  • 2001
    William Masters, American gynecologist and sexologist (b. 1915)
  • 2002
    Walter Winterbottom, England football manager (b. 1913)
  • 2003
    Eleanor “Sis” Daley, wife of Chicago mayor Richard J. Daley (b. 1907)
  • 2003
    Rusty Magee, American composer (b. 1955)
  • 2004
    Doris Troy, American singer (b. 1937)
  • 2005
    Nicole DeHuff, American actress (pneumonia) (b. 1975)
  • 2005
    Queen Narriman, second and last wife of King Farouk
  • 2006
    Ernie Stautner, German-born American football player (b. 1925)
  • 2006
    Johnny Grunge, American professional wrestler (b. 1966)
  • 2009
    Stephen Kim Sou-hwan, Korean Cardinal, Protopriest of the Holy Roman Church (b. 1921)
  • 2010
    Wan Chi Keung, Hong Kong soccer player and actor. (b. 1956)
  • 2011
    Justinas Marcinkevičius, Lithuanian poet and playwright (b. 1930)
  • 2011
    Len Lesser, American actor (b. 1922)

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