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 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 Ludowici, Georgia 31316 sunrise occured at 07:06 AM and sunset occured at 06:15 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).
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 22 famous birthdays. There are fun facts about that day that you must know. (Sponsored link)
Historical Events For February 16
- 116Emperor Trajan sends laureatae to the Roman Senate at Rome on account of his victories and being conqueror of Parthia.
- 1249Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with Mongol Khagan of the Mongol Empire.
- 1646Battle of Torrington, Devon – the last major battle of the first English Civil War.
- 1742Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington, becomes British Prime Minister.
- 1804First Barbary War: Stephen Decatur leads a raid to burn the pirate-held frigate USS Philadelphia.
- 1852Studebaker Brothers wagon company, precursor of the automobile manufacturer, is established.
- 1862American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant captures Fort Donelson, Tennessee.
- 1866Spencer Compton Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington becomes British Secretary of State for War.
- 1899Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur Iceland’s first football club is founded.
- 1918The Council of Lithuania unanimously adopts the Act of Independence, declaring Lithuania an independent state.
- 1923Howard Carter unseals the burial chamber of Pharaoh Tutankhamun.
- 1923New Year’s Day in Chinese calendar. Start of the year of the Water Pig in Chinese astrology.
- 1934The Austrian Civil War ends with the defeat of the Social Democrats and the Republican Schutzbund.
- 1936Elections bring the Popular Front to power in Spain.
- 1937Wallace H. Carothers receives a United States patent for nylon.
- 1940World War II: Altmark Incident: The German tanker Altmark is boarded by sailors from the British destroyer HMS Cossack. 299 British prisoners are freed.
- 1943World War II: Red Army troops re-enter Kharkov.
- 1945World War II: American forces land on Corregidor Island in the Philippines.
- 1957The “Toddlers’ Truce”, a controversial television close down between 6.00 pm and 7.00 pm is abolished in the United Kingdom.
- 1959Fidel Castro becomes Premier of Cuba after dictator Fulgencio Batista was overthrown on January 1.
- 1960The U.S. Navy submarine USS Triton begins Operation Sandblast, setting sail from New London, Connecticut, to begin the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe.
- 1961Explorer program: Explorer 9 (S-56a) is launched.
- 1961The DuSable Museum of African American History is chartered.
- 1962Flooding in the coastal areas of West Germany kills 315 and destroys the homes of about 60,000 people.
- 1968In Haleyville, Alabama, the first 9-1-1 emergency telephone system goes into service.
- 1978The first computer bulletin board system is created (CBBS in Chicago, Illinois).
- 1983The Ash Wednesday bushfires in Victoria and South Australia kill 75.
- 1985Hezbollah is founded.
- 1986The Soviet liner MS Mikhail Lermontov runs aground in the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand.
- 1987The trial of John Demjanjuk, accused of being a Nazi guard dubbed “Ivan the Terrible” in Treblinka extermination camp, starts in Jerusalem.
- 1991Nicaraguan Contras leader Enrique Bermúdez is assassinated in Managua.
- 1998China 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.
- 1999Across Europe, Kurdish rebels take over embassies and hold hostages after Turkey arrests one of their rebel leaders, Abdullah Öcalan.
- 1999In Uzbekistan, a bomb explodes and gunfire is heard at the government headquarters in an apparent assassination attempt against President Islam Karimov.
- 2005The Kyoto Protocol comes into force, following its ratification by Russia.
- 2005The 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.
- 2006The last Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) is decommissioned by the United States Army.
Who Were Born On February 16?
- 1032Emperor Yingzong of China (d. 1067)
- 1222Nichiren Daishonin, Japanese founder of Nichiren Buddhism (d. 1282)
- 1497Philipp Melanchthon, German humanist and reformer (d. 1560)
- 1519Gaspard de Coligny, French Huguenot leader (d. 1572)
- 1543Kano Eitoku, Japanese painter (d. 1590)
- 1620Frederick William, Duke of Prussia (d. 1688)
- 1643John Sharp, English Archbishop of York (d. 1714)
- 1698Pierre Bouguer, French mathematician (d. 1758)
- 1727Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin, Austrian scientist (d. 1817)
- 1761Charles Pichegru, French general (d. 1804)
- 1786Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia (d. 1859)
- 1802Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, American philosopher (d. 1866)
- 1804Karl Theodor Ernst von Siebold, German physiologist (d. 1885)
- 1812Henry Wilson, American politician 18th Vice President of the United States (d. 1875)
- 1821Heinrich Barth, German explorer (d. 1865)
- 1822Sir Francis Galton, English explorer, biologist and statistician (d. 1911)
- 1824Peter Kozler, Slovenian cartographer and geographer (d. 1879)
- 1826Joseph Victor von Scheffel, German poet (d. 1886)
- 1831Nikolai Leskov, Russian writer (d. 1895)
- 1834Ernst Haeckel, German zoologist and philosopher (d. 1919)
- 1838Henry Adams, American historian and novelist (d. 1918)
- 1845George Kennan, American explorer (d. 1924)
- 1847Philipp Scharwenka, Polish-German composer (d. 1917)
- 1848Hugo de Vries, Dutch botanist (d. 1935)
- 1856Rudolph Karstadt, German entrepreneur (d. 1944)
- 1856Willem Kes, Dutch conductor (d. 1934)
- 1866Billy Hamilton, American baseball player (d. 1940)
- 1866Vyacheslav Ivanov, Russian poet (d. 1949)
- 1874Marie Gutheil-Schoder, German soprano (d. 1935)
- 1876George Macaulay Trevelyan, English historian (d. 1962)
- 1878Pamela Colman Smith, British writer and occultist (d. 1951)
- 1880Frank Burke, American baseball player (d. 1946)
- 1881Anna Pavlova, Russian ballerina (d. 1931)
- 1883Elizabeth Craig, British writer (d. 1980)
- 1884Robert J. Flaherty, American filmmaker (d. 1951)
- 1886Van Wyck Brooks, American historian and critic (d. 1963)
- 1887Kathleen Clifford, American actress (d. 1962)
- 1891Hans F. K. Günther, German eugenicist (d. 1967)
- 1896Eugénie Blanchard, French supercentenarian (d. 2010)
- 1898Katharine Cornell, American actress (d. 1974)
- 1901Chester Morris, American film actor (d. 1970)
- 1901Vincent Coleman, American actor (d. 1971)
- 1901Wayne King, American musician and orchestra leader (d. 1985)
- 1903Edgar Bergen, American ventriloquist (d. 1978)
- 1903Georges-Henri Lévesque, Quebec priest and sociologist (d. 2000)
- 1904George F. Kennan, American historian and diplomat (d. 2005)
- 1904Karl-Heinz Bürger, German Nazi figure (d. 1988)
- 1906Vera Menchik, British-born Czech chess player (d. 1944)
- 1909Hugh Beaumont, American actor (d. 1982)
- 1909Jeffrey Lynn, American actor (d. 1995)
- 1909Richard McDonald, American fast food entrepreneur (d. 1998)
- 1915Elisabeth Eybers, South African poet (d. 2007)
- 1915Jim O'Hora, American college football coach (d. 2005)
- 1915Michael Relph, British film producer and director (d. 2004)
- 1916Bill Doggett, American jazz and rhythm and blues pianist and organist (d. 1996)
- 1918Patty Andrews, American singer (The Andrews Sisters)
- 1920Anna Mae Hays, American army general
- 1921Araucaria, British crossword compiler
- 1921Jean Behra, French race car driver (d. 1959)
- 1921Vera-Ellen, American actress (d. 1981)
- 1922Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, German night fighter pilot (d. 1950)
- 1925Carlos Paredes, Portuguese guitarist (d. 2004)
- 1926John Schlesinger, English film director (d. 2003)
- 1926Margot Frank, German-born Dutch Jewish holocaust victim (d. 1945)
- 1927June Brown, British actress
- 1929Gerhard Hanappi, Austrian footballer (d. 1980)
- 1929Peter Porter, Australian poet (d. 2010)
- 1931George E. Sangmeister, American politician (d. 2007)
- 1931Ken Takakura, Japanese actor
- 1932Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, former President of Sierra Leone
- 1932Gretchen Wyler, American actress and dancer (d. 2007)
- 1932Harry Goz, American actor (d. 2003)
- 1932Otis Blackwell, American songwriter and singer (d. 2002)
- 1934August Coppola, American academic; father of Nicolas Cage (d. 2009)
- 1934Harold ‘Hal’Kalin, American singer (d. 2005)
- 1934Herbert ‘Herbie’Kalin, American singer (d. 2006)
- 1934Marlene Hagge, American professional golfer
- 1935Sonny Bono, American entertainer politician (d. 1998)
- 1936Jill Kinmont, American skier
- 1937Yuri Manin, Russian mathematician
- 1938Barry Primus, American actor
- 1938John Corigliano, American composer
- 1939Adolfo Azcuna, Filipino Supreme Court jurist
- 1939Czesław Niemen, Polish singer-songwriter and composer (d. 2004)
- 1941Kim Jong-il, North Korean leader (d. 2011)
- 1942Richard Williams, father of Venus Williams and Serena Williams
- 1943Brig Owens, American football player
- 1944António Mascarenhas Monteiro, 2nd President of Cape Verde
- 1944Richard Ford, American novelist
- 1945Jeremy Bulloch, English actor
- 1946Ian Lavender, English actor
- 1949Bob Didier, American baseball player
- 1950Kazuki Tomokawa, Japanese acid-folk singer
- 1950Peter Hain, British politician
- 1950Roman Tam, Hong Kong singer (d. 2002)
- 1951William Katt, American actor
- 1952Barry Foote, American baseball player
- 1953George Martin, English footballer
- 1953Lanny McDonald, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1953Roberta Williams, American video game designer
- 1954Iain Banks, Scottish author
- 1954Margaux Hemingway, American actress and model (d. 1996)
- 1954Michael Holding, Jamaican West Indies cricketer
- 1955Hunt Block, American actor
- 1956James Ingram, American singer
- 1956Vincent Ward, New Zealand director and screenwriter
- 1957LeVar Burton, American actor
- 1958Herb Williams, American basketball player and coach
- 1958Ice-T, American rapper and actor
- 1958Lisa Loring, American actress
- 1958Michael W. Burns, American politician
- 1958Natalie Angier, American journalist and author
- 1958Oscar Schmidt, Brazilian basketball player
- 1959John McEnroe, American tennis player
- 1959Kelly Tripucka, American basketball player
- 1960Cherie Chung, Hong Kong actress
- 1960Pete Willis, English guitarist (Def Leppard)
- 1961Andy Taylor, English musician (Duran Duran, The Power Station)
- 1961Eric Red, American screenwriter and director
- 1961LaGaylia Frazier, American-Swedish singer
- 1962John Balance, English musician (Coil, Psychic TV) (d. 2004)
- 1963Dano Halsall, Swiss swimmer
- 1964Bebeto, Brazilian footballer
- 1964Christopher Eccleston, English actor
- 1965Dave Lombardo, Cuban-born drummer (Slayer)
- 1967John Valentin, baseball player
- 1967Keith Gretzky, Canadian hockey player
- 1968Warren Ellis, British comic writer
- 1969David Heath, American professional wrestler
- 1969Holly Aird, English actress
- 1970Angelo Peruzzi, Italian footballer
- 1970Serdar Ortac, Turkish popstar
- 1971Amanda Holden, British actress
- 1972Jerome Bettis, American football player
- 1972Sarah Clarke, American actress
- 1973Cathy Freeman, Australian athlete
- 1973Christian Bassedas, Argentine footballer
- 1973Maureen Johnson, American author
- 1973Nikos Kostakis, Greek footballer
- 1974Fanis Katergiannakis, Greek footballer
- 1974Johnny Tri Nguyen, Vietnamese-born American stuntman and martial artist
- 1974Luis Figueroa, Puerto Rican baseball player
- 1974Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, American actor
- 1975Don Jeffcoat, American actor
- 1975Nanase Aikawa, Japanese singer
- 1975Vanina Ickx, Belgian racing driver
- 1976Eric Byrnes, American baseball player
- 1976Joe Odagiri, Japanese actor
- 1976Kyo, Japanese singer (Dir en grey)
- 1977Ahman Green, American football player
- 1977Brad Walst, American bassist (Three Days Grace)
- 1977Ian Clarke, Irish computer programmer
- 1977Paul Brittain, American comedian
- 1978John Tartaglia, Broadway actor and Muppeteer
- 1978Tia Hellebaut, Belgian athlete
- 1978Wasim Jaffer, Indian cricketer
- 1979Eric Mun, Korean rapper (Shinhwa)
- 1979Valentino Rossi, Italian motorcycle racer
- 1980Agim Kaba, American actor and film producer
- 1980Ashley Lelie, American football player
- 1981Jay Howard, British racing driver
- 1981Jerry Owens, American baseball player
- 1981Qyntel Woods, American basketball player
- 1982Alemão, Portuguese footballer
- 1982Lupe Fiasco, American hip hop artist
- 1983Agyness Deyn, British model
- 1983Tuomo Ruutu, Finnish ice hockey player
- 1984Ous Mellouli, Tunisian swimmer
- 1986Zoi Dimoschaki, Indian batsman
- 1987Hasheem Thabeet, American basketball player
- 1987Theresa Goh, Singaporean paralympic swimmer
- 1988Denílson Pereira Neves, Brazilian footballer
- 1988Diego Capel, Spanish footballer
- 1991Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg
- 1991Sergio Canales, Spanish footballer
- 1992Nicolai Boilesen, Danish footballer
- 1993Mike Weinberg, American former child actor
Who Died On February 16?
- 1247Heinrich Raspe, Landgrave of Thuringia (b. 1204)
- 1279King Afonso III of Portugal (b. 1210)
- 1391John V Palaeologus, Byzantine Emperor (b. 1332)
- 1531Johannes Stöffler, German mathematician and astronomer (b. 1452)
- 1560Jean du Bellay, French Catholic cardinal and diplomat
- 1645Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, (b. 1585)
- 1710Esprit Fléchier, French writer and Bishop of Nîmes (b. 1632)
- 1721James Craggs the Younger, English politician (b. 1686)
- 1754Richard Mead, English physician (b. 1673)
- 1820Georg Carl von Döbeln, Swedish Lieutenant General and war hero (b. 1758)
- 1844Joseph Crosfield, English soap and alkali manufacturer (b. 1792)
- 1898Thomas Bracken, New Zealand poet (b. 1843)
- 1899Félix Faure, President of France (b. 1841)
- 1907Giosuè Carducci, Italian writer, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1835)
- 1912St. Nikolai of Japan, Eastern Orthodox priest (b. 1836)
- 1917Octave Mirbeau, French writer (b. 1848)
- 1919Vera Kholodnaya, Russian film star (b. 1893)
- 1928Eddie Foy, American singer and dancer (b. 1856)
- 1932Ferdinand Buisson, French pacifist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1841)
- 1932Sir Edgar Speyer, American-born British financier and philanthropist (b. 1862)
- 1944Henri Nathansen, Danish writer and stage director (b. 1868)
- 1961Dazzy Vance, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (b. 1891)
- 1967Antonio Moreno, Spanish-born actor (b. 1887)
- 1967Smiley Burnette, American actor, singer and songwriter (b. 1911)
- 1974John Garand, Canadian rifle engineer and manufacturer (b. 1888)
- 1975Morgan Taylor, American athlete (b. 1903)
- 1975Norman Treigle, American bass-baritone (b. 1927)
- 1977Carlos Pellicer, Mexican poet (b. 1897)
- 1978E. Roland Harriman, American financier (b. 1895)
- 1979Nematollah Nassiri, executed Iran general/head of SAVAK (b. 1911)
- 1980Erich Hückel, German physicist (b. 1895)
- 1984M.A.G. Osmani, Supreme Commander of Bangladesh Forces during the Bangladesh Liberation War (b. 1918)
- 1986kumar shiv shankar, Indian Batsman (b. 1909)
- 1988Jean Carignan, French Canadian fiddler (b. 1916)
- 1990Keith Haring, American artist (b. 1958)
- 1991Enrique Bermúdez, Nicaraguan Contra leader (b. 1932)
- 1992Angela Carter, English writer (b. 1940)
- 1992Herman Wold, Swedish statistician (b. 1908)
- 1992Jânio Quadros, Brazilian politician (b. 1917)
- 1996Brownie McGhee, American singer (b. 1915)
- 1996Edmund G. “Pat” Brown, Governor of California (b. 1905)
- 1996Roger Bowen, American actor (b. 1932)
- 1997Chien-Shiung Wu, Chinese-American physicist (b. 1912)
- 1999Michael Larson, Press Your Luck Big-winning contestant (b. 1949)
- 2000Karsten Solheim, Norwegian-born engineer and inventor (b. 1911)
- 2000Lila Kedrova, Russian-born actress (b. 1918)
- 2000Marceline Day, American actress (b. 1908)
- 2001Bob Buhl, baseball player (b. 1928)
- 2001Howard W. Koch, American film director (b. 1916)
- 2001William Masters, American gynecologist and sexologist (b. 1915)
- 2002Walter Winterbottom, England football manager (b. 1913)
- 2003Eleanor “Sis” Daley, wife of Chicago mayor Richard J. Daley (b. 1907)
- 2003Rusty Magee, American composer (b. 1955)
- 2004Doris Troy, American singer (b. 1937)
- 2005Nicole DeHuff, American actress (pneumonia) (b. 1975)
- 2005Queen Narriman, second and last wife of King Farouk
- 2006Ernie Stautner, German-born American football player (b. 1925)
- 2006Johnny Grunge, American professional wrestler (b. 1966)
- 2009Stephen Kim Sou-hwan, Korean Cardinal, Protopriest of the Holy Roman Church (b. 1921)
- 2010Wan Chi Keung, Hong Kong soccer player and actor. (b. 1956)
- 2011Justinas Marcinkevičius, Lithuanian poet and playwright (b. 1930)
- 2011Len Lesser, American actor (b. 1922)
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