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On This Day in History — March 16

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Highlights of March 16

2015 — Natalia Kills and Willy Moon were fired as judges on the second series of The X Factor New Zealand, following public backlash over comments they made to a contestant during the first live show. Read more
2003 — American peace activist Rachel Corrie was crushed to death by an Israel Defense Forces armored bulldozer in Rafah while protesting the demolition of a Palestinian house. Read more
2002 — Sofia Gubaidulina's Johannes-Ostern was premiered in Hamburg, together with her Johannes-Passion, by soloists, choirs and orchestras from the Mariinsky Theatre and the NDR. Read more
2001 — A series of bomb blasts in the city of Shijiazhuang, China, killed 108 people. Read more
1988 — Iran–Iraq War: Iraqi forces began attacking the Kurdish town of Halabja with chemical weapons, killing up to 5,000 people. Read more
1988 — Michael Stone, an Ulster loyalist, attacked the funeral of three Provisional IRA members, killing three attendees and injuring at least sixty others. Read more
1984 — William Buckley, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency station chief in Beirut, Lebanon, was kidnapped by Islamic fundamentalists. Read more
1978 — Former Prime Minister of Italy Aldo Moro was kidnapped in Rome by Mario Moretti and the Red Brigades. Read more
1968 — Vietnam War: American soldiers killed hundreds of unarmed civilians in the Sơn Mỹ village in the Sơn Tịnh District of South Vietnam. Read more
1962 — Flying Tiger Line Flight 739, a charter flight carrying U.S. and South Vietnamese soldiers, disappeared without a trace, prompting one of the largest searches in the history of the Pacific. Read more
1960 — African American civil rights activists in Savannah, Georgia, conducted a sit-in, commencing the Savannah Protest Movement. Read more
1941 — World War II: Operation Appearance took place to re-establish British Somaliland in Africa. Read more
1935 — Conscription was re-introduced in Germany by the Nazi regime, and the German military was renamed the Wehrmacht. Read more
1872 — In the inaugural final of the FA Cup Wanderers defeated Royal Engineers 1–0 in London. Read more
1819 — The Bank for Savings in the City of New-York, the first savings bank in New York City, was incorporated. Read more
1802 — Congress passed the Military Peace Establishment Act, authorizing the establishment of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to operate the U.S. Military Academy (pictured) at West Point, New York. Read more
1782 — American Revolutionary War: Spain captured the island of Roatán from England off the coast of what is now Honduras. Read more
1689 — The Royal Welch Fusiliers, one of the oldest line-infantry regiments of the British Army, was founded. Read more
1660 — The Long Parliament, originally called by King Charles I of England in 1640 following the Bishops' Wars, dissolved itself. Read more
1621 — Samoset, a member of the Abenaki tribe, walked into Plymouth Colony and greeted the Pilgrims in English. Read more
1621 — Samoset, a member of the Abenaki tribe, walked into Plymouth Colony and greeted the Pilgrims in English (depicted). Read more
1322 — Despenser War: A royalist army defeated troops loyal to Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, in the Battle of Boroughbridge, which allowed King Edward II of England to hold on to power for another five years. Read more
1190 — Around 150 Jews died inside York Castle, the majority committing mass suicide to avoid being killed by a mob. Read more
934 — Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period: Chinese general Meng Zhixiang proclaimed himself emperor and established Later Shu as a new state independent of Later Tang. Read more
597 BC — Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II captured Jerusalem and installed Zedekiah as King of Judah. Read more

Events

2026 — A series of Boko Haram bombings leave 26 dead and 146 injured in Maiduguri, Nigeria. Read more
2025 — A fire breaks out in a nightclub in Kočani, North Macedonia, killing at least 59 people and injuring 155 others. Read more
2022 — A 7.4-magnitude earthquake occurs off the coast of Fukushima, Japan, killing 4 people and injuring 225. Read more
2022 — Mariupol theatre airstrike during the siege of Mariupol. Read more
2021 — Atlanta spa shootings: Eight people are killed and one is injured in a trio of shootings at spas in and near Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. A suspect is arrested the same day. Read more
2020 — The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls by 2,997.10, the single largest point drop in history and the second-largest percentage drop ever at 12.93%, an even greater crash than Black Monday (1929). This follows the U.S. Federal Reserve announcing that it will cut its target interest rate to 0–0.25%. Read more
2016 — A bomb detonates in a bus carrying government employees in Peshawar, Pakistan, killing 15 and injuring at least 30. Read more
2016 — Two suicide bombers detonate their explosives at a mosque during morning prayer on the outskirts of Maiduguri, Nigeria, killing 24 and injuring 18. Read more
2014 — Crimea votes in a controversial referendum to secede from Ukraine to join Russia. Read more
2012 — Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar becomes the first batter in history to score 100 centuries in international cricket. Read more
2010 — The Kasubi Tombs, Uganda's only cultural World Heritage Site, are destroyed in a fire. Read more
2005 — Israel officially hands over Jericho to Palestinian control. Read more
2003 — American activist Rachel Corrie is killed in Rafah by being run over by an Israel Defense Forces bulldozer while trying to obstruct the demolition of a home. Read more
2002 — Sofia Gubaidulina's Johannes-Ostern is premiered, together with her earlier Johannes-Passion, at Hamburg's Michaeliskirche, performed by soloists, choir and orchestra from the Mariinsky Theatre combined with NDR choir and orchestra, conducted by Valery Gergiev. Read more
2001 — A series of bomb blasts in the city of Shijiazhuang, China kill 108 people and injure 38 others, the biggest mass murder in China in decades. Read more
1995 — Mississippi formally ratifies the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, becoming the last state to approve the abolition of slavery. The Thirteenth Amendment was officially ratified in 1865. Read more
1988 — Iran–Contra affair: Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North and Vice Admiral John Poindexter are indicted on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States. Read more
1988 — Halabja chemical attack: The Kurdish town of Halabja in Iraq is attacked with a mix of poison gas and nerve agents on the orders of Saddam Hussein, killing 5,000 people and injuring about 10,000 people. Read more
1988 — The Troubles: Ulster loyalist militant Michael Stone attacks a Provisional IRA funeral in Belfast with pistols and grenades. Three persons, one of them a member of PIRA, are killed, and more than 60 others are wounded. Read more
1985 — Associated Press newsman Terry Anderson is taken hostage in Beirut; he is not released until December 1991. Read more
1984 — William Buckley, the CIA station chief in Lebanon, is kidnapped by Hezbollah; he later dies in captivity. Read more
1979 — Sino-Vietnamese War: The People's Liberation Army crosses the border back into China, ending the war. Read more
1978 — Former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro is kidnapped; he is later murdered by his captors. Read more
1978 — A Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Tupolev Tu-134 crashes near Gabare, Bulgaria, killing 73. Read more
1978 — Supertanker Amoco Cadiz splits in two after running aground on the Portsall Rocks, three miles off the coast of Brittany, resulting in the largest oil spill in history at that time. Read more
1977 — Assassination of Kamal Jumblatt, the main leader of the anti-government forces in the Lebanese Civil War. Read more
1969 — A Viasa McDonnell Douglas DC-9 crashes in Maracaibo, Venezuela, killing 155. Read more
1968 — Vietnam War: My Lai massacre occurs; between 347 and 500 Vietnamese villagers are killed by American troops. Read more
1966 — Launch of Gemini 8 with astronauts Neil Armstrong and David Scott. It would perform the first docking of two spacecraft in orbit. Read more
1962 — Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 disappears in the western Pacific Ocean with all 107 aboard missing and presumed dead. Read more
1945 — World War II: The Battle of Iwo Jima ends, but small pockets of Japanese resistance persist. Read more
1945 — World War II: Ninety percent of Würzburg, Germany is destroyed in only 20 minutes by British bombers, resulting in at least 4,000 deaths. Read more
1941 — Operation Appearance takes place to re-establish British Somaliland. Read more
1939 — From Prague Castle, Hitler proclaims Bohemia and Moravia a German protectorate. Read more
1936 — Warmer-than-normal temperatures rapidly melt snow and ice on the upper Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, leading to a major flood in Pittsburgh. Read more
1935 — Adolf Hitler orders Germany to rearm itself in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Conscription is reintroduced to form the Wehrmacht. Read more
1926 — History of rocketry: Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket, at Auburn, Massachusetts. Read more
1925 — An earthquake (measuring around 7.0 magnitude) occurs in Dali, China, killing an estimated 5,000 people. Read more
1924 — In accordance with the Treaty of Rome, Fiume becomes annexed as part of Italy. Read more
1918 — Finnish Civil War: Battle of Länkipohja is infamous for its bloody aftermath as the Whites execute 70–100 capitulated Reds. Read more
1916 — The 7th and 10th US cavalry regiments under John J. Pershing cross the US–Mexico border to join the hunt for Pancho Villa. Read more
1898 — In Melbourne, the representatives of five colonies adopt a constitution, which would become the basis of the Commonwealth of Australia.[page needed] Read more
1872 — The Wanderers F.C. win the first FA Cup, the oldest football competition in the world, beating Royal Engineers A.F.C. 1–0 at The Oval in Kennington, London. Read more
1815 — Prince Willem proclaims himself King of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, the first constitutional monarch in the Netherlands. Read more
1802 — The Army Corps of Engineers is established to found and operate the United States Military Academy at West Point. Read more
1792 — King Gustav III of Sweden is shot; he dies on March 29. Read more
1696 — The Dutch bombard Givet during the Nine Years' War. Read more
1660 — The Long Parliament of England is dissolved so as to prepare for the new Convention Parliament. Read more
1621 — Samoset, an Abenaki, visits the settlers of Plymouth Colony and greets them, "Welcome, Englishmen! My name is Samoset." Read more
1355 — Amidst the Red Turban Rebellions, Han Lin'er, a claimed descendant of Emperor Huizong of Song, is proclaimed emperor of the restored Song dynasty in Bozhou. Read more
1244 — Over 200 Cathars who refuse to recant are burnt to death after the Fall of Montségur. Read more
1190 — Massacre of Jews at Clifford's Tower, York. Read more
445 — Western Roman Emperor Valentinian III is assassinated while practising on the Campus Martius on behalf of Petronius Maximus. Read more
597 BC — The first siege of Jerusalem by the Neo-Babylonian Empire ends with the city surrendering to king Nebuchadnezzar II. Read more

Born on March 16

2001 — Kyle Hamilton, American football player Read more
2000 — Jalen Smith, American basketball player Read more
1999 — Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Canadian baseball player Read more
1997 — Dominic Calvert-Lewin, English footballer Read more
1997 — Florian Neuhaus, German footballer Read more
1997 — Tyrel Jackson Williams, American actor Read more
1996 — Ajiona Alexus, American actress and singer Read more
1996 — Ivan Toney, English footballer Read more
1996 — Tim David, Singaporean-born Australian cricketer Read more
1995 — Inga Janulevičiūtė, Lithuanian figure skater Read more
1994 — Camilo, Colombian singer Read more
1994 — Joel Embiid, Cameroonian basketball player Read more
1994 — Sierra McClain, American actress Read more
1993 — George Ford, English rugby union player Read more
1993 — Marine Lorphelin, French model and beauty queen, Miss France 2013 Read more
1992 — Tim Hardaway Jr., American basketball player Read more
1992 — Brett Davern, American actor Read more
1991 — Chris Boswell, American football player Read more
1991 — Reggie Bullock, American basketball player Read more
1991 — Admir Mehmedi, Swiss footballer Read more
1991 — Wolfgang Van Halen, American bassist Read more
1990 — Josh Johnson, American comedian and writer Read more
1990 — Andre Young, American basketball player Read more
1989 — Blake Griffin, American basketball player Read more
1989 — Jung So-min, South Korean actress Read more
1989 — Magalie Pottier, French racing cyclist Read more
1989 — Theo Walcott, English footballer Read more
1988 — Jhené Aiko, American singer-songwriter and rapper Read more
1988 — Jessica Gregg, Canadian speed skater Read more
1988 — Patrick Herrmann, German footballer Read more
1988 — Agustín Marchesín, Argentinian footballer Read more
1988 — Jiří Tlustý, Czech ice hockey player Read more
1987 — Fabien Lemoine, French football player Read more
1986 — Alexandra Daddario, American actress Read more
1986 — Toney Douglas, American basketball player Read more
1986 — Kenny Dykstra, American wrestler Read more
1986 — T. J. Jordan, American basketball player Read more
1986 — Boaz Solossa, Indonesian footballer Read more
1986 — Daisuke Takahashi, Japanese figure skater Read more
1985 — Teddy Atine-Venel, French athlete Read more

Died on March 16

2025 — Émilie Dequenne, Belgian actress (born 1981) Read more
2025 — Jesse Colin Young, American singer and songwriter (born 1941) Read more
2019 — Dick Dale, American surf-rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter (born 1937) Read more
2018 — Louise Slaughter, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York (born 1929) Read more
2017 — Lewis Rowland, American neurologist (born 1925) Read more
2016 — Alexander Esenin-Volpin, Russian-American mathematician and poet (born 1924) Read more
2016 — Frank Sinatra Jr., American singer and actor (born 1944) Read more
2015 — Jack Haley, American basketball player and sportscaster (born 1964) Read more
2015 — Don Robertson, American pianist and composer (born 1922) Read more
2014 — Gary Bettenhausen, American race car driver (born 1941) Read more
2014 — Donald Crothers, American chemist and academic (born 1937) Read more
2014 — Yulisa Pat Amadu Maddy, Sierra Leonean author, poet, and playwright (born 1936) Read more
2014 — Steve Moore, English author and illustrator (born 1949) Read more
2014 — Alexander Pochinok, Russian economist and politician (born 1958) Read more
2013 — Jamal Nazrul Islam, Bangladeshi physicist and cosmologist (born 1939) Read more
2013 — José Alfredo Martínez de Hoz, Argentinian economist and politician, Minister of Economy of Argentina (born 1925) Read more
2013 — Yadier Pedroso, Cuban pitcher (born 1986) Read more
2013 — Ruchoma Shain, American-born teacher and author (born 1914) Read more
2013 — Marina Solodkin, Russian-Israeli academic and politician (born 1952) Read more
2013 — Frank Thornton, English actor (born 1921) Read more
2012 — Donald E. Hillman, American colonel and pilot (born 1918) Read more
2012 — Takaaki Yoshimoto, Japanese poet, philosopher, and critic (born 1924) Read more
2011 — Richard Wirthlin, American religious leader (born 1931) Read more
2010 — Ksenija Pajčin, Serbian singer, dancer and model (born 1977) Read more
2008 — Bill Brown, Australian cricketer and soldier (born 1912) Read more
2008 — Ivan Dixon, American actor, director, and producer (born 1931) Read more
2008 — Gary Hart, American wrestler and manager (born 1942) Read more
2007 — Manjural Islam Rana, Bangladeshi cricketer (born 1984) Read more
2005 — Todd Bell, American football player (born 1958) Read more
2005 — Ralph Erskine, English architect, designed The London Ark (born 1914) Read more
2005 — Dick Radatz, American baseball player (born 1937) Read more
2004 — Vilém Tauský, Czech conductor and composer (born 1910) Read more
2003 — Rachel Corrie, American activist (born 1979) Read more
2003 — Ronald Ferguson, English captain, polo player, and manager (born 1931) Read more
2001 — Bob Wollek, French race car driver (born 1943) Read more
2000 — Thomas Ferebee, American colonel and pilot (born 1918) Read more
2000 — Pavel Prudnikau, Belarusian poet and author (born 1911) Read more
2000 — Michael Starr, Canadian judge and politician, 16th Canadian Minister of Labour (born 1910) Read more
2000 — Carlos Velázquez, Puerto Rican pitcher (born 1948) Read more
1999 — Gratien Gélinas, Canadian actor, director, and playwright (born 1909) Read more

Holidays & observances

Christian feast day: Eusebia of Hamage; Christian feast day: Finian Lobhar (Finian the Leper); Christian feast day: Heribert of Cologne; Christian feast day: Hilarius of Aquileia; Christian feast day: Jean de Brébeuf; Christian feast day: Blessed John Amias and Robert Dalby; Christian feast day: Julian of Antioch; Christian feast day: March 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Day of the Book Smugglers (Lithuania); Remembrance day of the Latvian legionnaires (Latvia); Saint Urho's Day (Finnish Americans and Finnish Canadians)

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Events, births and deaths from Wikipedia contributors, “March 16”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Lists are selections; the full record lives at the source.