On This Day in History — August 16

Highlights of August 16

• 2015 — Suicide bombers assassinated Pakistani politician Shuja Khanzada and killed at least 21 others at his home in Attock District. Read more
• 2009 — At the World Championships in Athletics in Berlin, Usain Bolt ran the 100 metres in 9.58 seconds, breaking his own record set a year earlier. Read more
• 1986 — Typhoon Wayne formed over the South China Sea, going on to become one of the longest-lived tropical cyclones in the north-western Pacific, lasting 21 days. Read more
• 1977 — American singer and actor Elvis Presley (pictured), often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", was found dead in his home in Memphis, Tennessee. Read more
• 1962 — The English rock band the Beatles fired their drummer Pete Best, replacing him with Ringo Starr (pictured). Read more
• 1946 — Widespread riots between Hindus and Muslims took place in Calcutta following the All-India Muslim League's call for an independent Pakistan. Read more
• 1945 — The Stanley Internment Camp in Hong Kong was liberated following the announcement of the surrender of Japan in World War II. Read more
• 1942 — The Holocaust: During the deportation of Jews from Slovakia, President Jozef Tiso gave a speech describing Jews as "parasites" and "the eternal enemy". Read more
• 1929 — A long-running dispute between Muslims and Jews over access to the Western Wall in Jerusalem escalated into a week-long period of violent riots throughout Palestine. Read more
• 1920 — The Battle of Radzymin, one of the bloodiest and most intense battles of the Polish–Soviet War, concluded with a Polish victory. Read more
• 1920 — In the United Kingdom, the Blind Persons Act received royal assent. Read more
• 1920 — Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians was hit by a pitch and died the following day, becoming the only Major League Baseball player to die directly as a result of injuries sustained during a game. Read more
• 1906 — An earthquake registering approximately 8.2 Mw struck Valparaíso, Chile, killing 3,882 people. Read more
• 1900 — Second Boer War: A 10,000-strong column of soldiers led by Lord Kitchener broke a 13-day siege of a small garrison. Read more
• 1896 — A group including George Carmack and Skookum Jim Mason discovered gold near Dawson City, Canada, setting off the Klondike Gold Rush. Read more
• 1891 — San Sebastian Church (pictured), an all-iron church in Manila, was officially consecrated. Read more
• 1837 — Daaga and two other African soldiers in the British Army's 1st West India Regiment were executed for their role in the St. Joseph Mutiny in Trinidad. Read more
• 1819 — Around 15 people were killed and 400 to 700 others injured when cavalry charged into a crowd demanding the reform of parliamentary representation in Manchester, England. Read more
• 1777 — American Revolutionary War: American forces routed British and German troops at the Battle of Bennington in Walloomsac, New York. Read more
• 1513 — War of the League of Cambrai: English and Imperial forces defeated French cavalry, forcing them to retreat. Read more

Events

• 2020 — The August Complex fire in California burns more than one million acres of land. Read more
• 2015 — More 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. Read more
• 2015 — Trigana Air Flight 267, an ATR 42, crashes in Oksibil, Bintang Mountains Regency, killing all 54 people on board. Read more
• 2013 — The ferry St. Thomas Aquinas collides with a cargo ship and sinks at Cebu, Philippines, killing 61 people with 59 others missing. Read more
• 2012 — South African police fatally shoot 34 miners and wound 78 more during an industrial dispute at Marikana near Rustenburg. Read more
• 2010 — AIRES Flight 8250 crashes at Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport in San Andrés, San Andrés y Providencia, Colombia, killing two people. Read more
• 2008 — The 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. Read more
• 2005 — West Caribbean Airways Flight 708, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, crashes in Machiques, Venezuela, killing all 160 people on board. Read more
• 1991 — Indian Airlines Flight 257, a Boeing 737-200, crashes during approach to Imphal Airport, killing all 69 people on board. Read more
• 1989 — A solar particle event affects computers at the Toronto Stock Exchange, forcing a halt to trading. Read more
• 1987 — Northwest 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. Read more
• 1986 — A Sudan Airways Fokker F27 Friendship is shot down near Malakal in present day South Sudan, killing 60. Read more
• 1975 — Australian 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. Read more
• 1972 — In 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. Read more
• 1966 — Vietnam 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. Read more
• 1964 — Vietnam 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. Read more
• 1960 — Cyprus gains its independence from the United Kingdom. Read more
• 1960 — Joseph 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. Read more
• 1954 — The first issue of Sports Illustrated is published. Read more
• 1946 — Mass riots in Kolkata begin; more than 4,000 people would be killed in 72 hours. Read more
• 1946 — The All Hyderabad Trade Union Congress is founded in Secunderabad. Read more
• 1945 — The National Representatives' Congress, the precursor of the current National Assembly of Vietnam, convenes in Sơn Dương. Read more
• 1944 — First flight of a jet with forward-swept wings, the Junkers Ju 287. Read more
• 1943 — World War II: 317 Greek civilians are murdered by soldiers of the German 1st Mountain Division in the village of Kommeno, Greece. Read more
• 1942 — World 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. Read more
• 1933 — Christie Pits riot takes place in Toronto, Ontario. Read more
• 1930 — The first color sound cartoon, Fiddlesticks, is released by Ub Iwerks. Read more
• 1930 — The first British Empire Games are opened in Hamilton, Ontario, by the Governor General of Canada, the Viscount Willingdon. Read more
• 1929 — The 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. Read more
• 1927 — The Dole Air Race begins from Oakland, California, to Honolulu, Hawaii, during which six out of the eight participating planes crash or disappear. Read more
• 1923 — The 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. Read more
• 1920 — Ray 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. Read more
• 1920 — The congress of the Communist Party of Bukhara opens. The congress would call for armed revolution. Read more
• 1920 — Polish–Soviet War: The Battle of Radzymin concludes; the Soviet Red Army is forced to turn away from Warsaw. Read more
• 1918 — The Battle of Lake Baikal is fought between the Czechoslovak Legion and the Red Army. Read more
• 1916 — The Migratory Bird Treaty between Canada and the United States is signed. Read more
• 1914 — German 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. Read more
• 1913 — Tōhoku Imperial University of Japan (modern day Tohoku University) becomes the first university in Japan to admit female students. Read more
• 1913 — Completion of the Royal Navy battlecruiser HMS Queen Mary. Read more
• 1906 — The 8.2 Mw Valparaíso earthquake hits central Chile, killing 3,882 people. Read more
• 1900 — The 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. Read more
• 1896 — Skookum Jim Mason, George Carmack and Dawson Charlie discover gold in a tributary of the Klondike River in Canada, setting off the Klondike Gold Rush. Read more
• 1891 — The Basilica of San Sebastian, Manila, the first all-steel church in Asia, is officially inaugurated and blessed. Read more
• 1876 — Richard Wagner's Siegfried, the penultimate opera in his Ring cycle, is premiered at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus. Read more
• 1870 — Franco-Prussian War: The Battle of Mars-la-Tour is fought, resulting in a Prussian victory. Read more
• 1869 — Battle of Acosta Ñu: A Paraguayan battalion largely made up of children is massacred by the Brazilian Army during the Paraguayan War. Read more
• 1863 — The Dominican Restoration War begins when Gregorio Luperón raises the Dominican flag in Santo Domingo after Spain had recolonized the country. Read more
• 1859 — The Grand Duchy of Tuscany formally deposes the exiled House of Lorraine. Read more
• 1858 — U.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. Read more
• 1844 — Governor-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. Read more
• 1841 — U.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. Read more
• 1837 — Three 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. Read more
• 1819 — Peterloo Massacre: Seventeen people die and over 600 are injured in cavalry charges at a public meeting at St. Peter's Field, Manchester, England. Read more
• 1812 — War of 1812: American General William Hull surrenders Fort Detroit without a fight to the British Army. Read more
• 1793 — French Revolution: A levée en masse is decreed by the National Convention. Read more
• 1792 — Maximilien Robespierre presents the petition of the Commune of Paris to the Legislative Assembly, which demanded the formation of a revolutionary tribunal. Read more
• 1780 — American Revolutionary War: Battle of Camden: The British defeat the Americans near Camden, South Carolina. Read more
• 1777 — American 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. Read more
• 1717 — Austro-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. Read more
• 1685 — Great Turkish War: An imperial coalition army under Charles of Lorraine defeats the Ottoman army that had been besieging Esztergom. Read more

Born on August 16

• 2001 — Jannik Sinner, Italian tennis player Read more
• 1999 — Karen Chen, American figure skater Read more
• 1997 — Greyson Chance, American musician Read more
• 1996 — Sophie Cunningham, American basketball player Read more
• 1996 — Caeleb Dressel, American swimmer Read more
• 1993 — Cameron Monaghan, American actor and model Read more
• 1992 — Diego Schwartzman, Argentinian tennis player Read more
• 1991 — José Eduardo de Araújo, Brazilian footballer Read more
• 1991 — Evanna Lynch, Irish actress Read more
• 1991 — Young Thug, American rapper, singer and songwriter Read more
• 1990 — Godfrey Oboabona, Nigerian footballer Read more
• 1989 — Cedric Alexander, American wrestler Read more
• 1989 — Wang Hao, Chinese race walker Read more
• 1989 — Moussa Sissoko, French footballer Read more
• 1988 — Ismaïl Aissati, Moroccan footballer Read more
• 1988 — Ryan Kerrigan, American football player Read more
• 1988 — Rumer Willis, American actress Read more
• 1987 — Carey Price, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
• 1987 — Eri Kitamura, Japanese voice actress and singer. Read more
• 1986 — Yu Darvish, Japanese baseball player Read more
• 1986 — Martín Maldonado, Puerto Rican baseball player Read more
• 1986 — Shawn Pyfrom, American actor Read more
• 1986 — Kany Diabaté Ahn, French dancer and choreographer Read more
• 1985 — Cristin Milioti, American actress Read more
• 1984 — Matteo Anesi, Italian speed skater Read more
• 1984 — Candice Dupree, American basketball player Read more
• 1984 — Konstantin Vassiljev, Estonian footballer Read more
• 1983 — Nikolaos Zisis, Greek basketball player Read more
• 1982 — Cam Gigandet, American actor Read more
• 1982 — Joleon Lescott, English footballer Read more
• 1981 — Roque Santa Cruz, Paraguayan footballer Read more
• 1980 — Vanessa Carlton, American singer-songwriter Read more
• 1980 — Emerson Ramos Borges, Brazilian footballer Read more
• 1979 — Paul Gallacher, Scottish footballer Read more
• 1979 — Ian Moran, Australian cricketer Read more
• 1975 — Didier Agathe, French footballer Read more
• 1975 — Jonatan Johansson, Finnish footballer, coach, and manager Read more
• 1975 — George Stults, American actor Read more
• 1975 — Taika Waititi, New Zealand director, screenwriter and actor Read more
• 1974 — Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Guyanese cricketer Read more

Died on August 16

• 2026 — Hayden Panettiere, American actress and singer (born 1989) Read more
• 2023 — Howard S. Becker, American sociologist (born 1928) Read more
• 2021 — Sean Lock, English comedian and actor (born 1963) Read more
• 2019 — Peter Fonda, American actor, director, and screenwriter. (born 1940) Read more
• 2019 — Richard Williams, Canadian-British animator (born 1933) Read more
• 2018 — Aretha Franklin, American singer-songwriter (born 1942) Read more
• 2018 — Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Indian poet and 12th Prime Minister of India (born 1924) Read more
• 2018 — Wakako Yamauchi, American-Japanese writer (born 1924) Read more
• 2016 — João Havelange, Brazilian water polo player, lawyer, and businessman (born 1916) Read more
• 2016 — John McLaughlin, American television personality (born 1927) Read more
• 2015 — Jacob Bekenstein, Mexican-American physicist, astronomer, and academic (born 1947) Read more
• 2015 — Anna Kashfi, British actress (born 1934) Read more
• 2015 — Shuja Khanzada, Pakistani colonel and politician (born 1943) Read more
• 2015 — Mile Mrkšić, Serb general (born 1947) Read more
• 2014 — Patrick Aziza, Nigerian general and politician, Governor of Kebbi State (born 1947) Read more
• 2014 — Vsevolod Nestayko, Ukrainian author (born 1930) Read more
• 2014 — Mario Oriani-Ambrosini, Italian-South African lawyer and politician (born 1960) Read more
• 2014 — Peter Scholl-Latour, German journalist, author, and academic (born 1924) Read more
• 2013 — David Rees, Welsh mathematician and academic (born 1918) Read more
• 2012 — Princess Lalla Amina of Morocco (born 1954) Read more
• 2012 — Martine Franck, Belgian photographer and director (born 1938) Read more
• 2012 — Abune Paulos, Ethiopian patriarch (born 1935) Read more
• 2012 — William Windom, American actor (born 1923) Read more
• 2011 — Mihri Belli, Turkish activist and politician (born 1916) Read more
• 2010 — Dimitrios Ioannidis, Greek general (born 1923) Read more
• 2008 — Dorival Caymmi, Brazilian singer-songwriter and actor (born 1914) Read more
• 2008 — Ronnie Drew, Irish musician, folk singer and actor (born 1934) Read more
• 2008 — Masanobu Fukuoka, Japanese farmer and author (born 1913) Read more
• 2007 — Bahaedin Adab, Iranian engineer and politician (born 1945) Read more
• 2006 — Alfredo Stroessner, Paraguayan general and dictator; 46th President of Paraguay (born 1912) Read more
• 2005 — Vassar Clements, American fiddler (born 1928) Read more
• 2005 — Tonino Delli Colli, Italian cinematographer (born 1922) Read more
• 2005 — William Corlett, English novelist and playwright (born 1938) Read more
• 2005 — Frère Roger, Swiss monk and mystic (born 1915) Read more
• 2004 — Ivan Hlinka, Czech ice hockey player and coach (born 1950) Read more
• 2004 — Balanadarajah Iyer, Sri Lankan journalist and poet (born 1957) Read more
• 2004 — Carl Mydans, American photographer and journalist (born 1907) Read more
• 2004 — Robert Quiroga, American boxer (born 1969) Read more
• 2003 — Idi Amin, Ugandan field marshal and politician, 3rd President of Uganda (born 1928) Read more
• 2002 — Abu Nidal, Palestinian terrorist leader (born 1937) Read more

Holidays & observances

Bennington Battle Day (Vermont, United States); Children's Day (Paraguay); Christian feast day: Ana Petra Pérez Florido; Christian feast day: Armel (Armagillus); Christian feast day: Diomedes of Tarsus; Christian feast day: Roch; Christian feast day: Stephen I of Hungary; Christian feast day: Translation of the Acheiropoietos icon from Edessa to Constantinople. (Eastern Orthodox Church); Christian feast day: August 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Gozan no Okuribi (Kyoto, Japan); National Airborne Day (United States); Restoration Day (Dominican Republic); The first day of the Independence Days, celebrates the independence of Gabon from France in 1960.; Xicolatada (Palau-de-Cerdagne, France)

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