Home › Almanac › On This Day
On This Day in History — October 16
‹ October 15The AlmanacOctober 17 ›
Highlights of October 16
- 2017 — The Maltese journalist and anti-corruption activist Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed in a car bomb attack in Bidnija. Read more
- 2013 — In Laos's deadliest air accident, Lao Airlines Flight 301 crashed into the Mekong River, resulting in the deaths of all 49 people aboard. Read more
- 1991 — A man drove his vehicle through the window of a Luby's Cafeteria in Killeen, Texas, and opened fire, killing 23 people before fatally shooting himself. Read more
- 1973 — The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced that the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize would be jointly awarded to Henry Kissinger and Lê Đức Thọ, sparking international controversy. Read more
- 1964 — With the success of Project 596, China became the world's fifth nuclear power. Read more
- 1950 — The first novel of the The Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, was published in the United Kingdom. Read more
- 1944 — A four-day air battle over Taiwan ended with a decisive American victory, destroying hundreds of Japanese aircraft and military facilities. Read more
- 1943 — The Holocaust: The Gestapo conducted a raid on the Roman Ghetto, capturing 1,259 members of the Jewish community, most of whom were sent to Auschwitz. Read more
- 1926 — Háry János (poster pictured), a Hungarian folk opera by Zoltán Kodály, was premiered at the Royal Hungarian Opera House in Budapest. Read more
- 1923 — Roy and Walt Disney (pictured) founded the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio in Hollywood, which eventually grew to become one of the largest media and entertainment corporations in the world. Read more
- 1916 — Margaret Sanger (pictured) established the United States' first family planning clinic in Brooklyn, New York. Read more
- 1905 — Authorities of the British Raj partitioned the Bengal Presidency, separating the largely Muslim eastern areas from the largely Hindu western areas. Read more
- 1875 — Brigham Young University was founded in Provo, Utah, United States. Read more
- 1841 — The Church of Scotland established Queen's College in Kingston, Ontario, in Canada. Read more
- 1834 — Most of the Palace of Westminster in London was destroyed in a fire caused by the burning of wooden tally sticks. Read more
- 1813 — The Sixth Coalition attacked French forces led by Napoleon in the Battle of Leipzig, the largest conflict in the Napoleonic Wars, with over 500,000 troops involved. Read more
- 1793 — War of the First Coalition: The two-day Battle of Wattignies concluded with Jean-Baptiste Jourdan leading French forces to victory over Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Read more
- 1384 — Jadwiga was officially crowned as "King of Poland" instead of "Queen" to reflect the fact that she was a sovereign in her own right. Read more
Events
- 2017 — Storm Ophelia strikes the U.K. and Ireland causing major damage and power loss. Read more
- 2013 — Lao Airlines Flight 301 crashes on approach to Pakse International Airport in Laos, killing 49 people. Read more
- 2002 — The Bibliotheca Alexandrina opens in Egypt, commemorating the ancient library of Alexandria. Read more
- 1999 — The magnitude 7.1 Hector Mine earthquake strikes Southern California Read more
- 1998 — Former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet is arrested in London on a murder extradition warrant. Read more
- 1996 — Eighty-four football fans die and 180 are injured in a massive crush at a match in Guatemala City. Read more
- 1995 — The Million Man March takes place in Washington, D.C. About 837,000 attend. Read more
- 1995 — The Skye Bridge in Scotland is opened. Read more
- 1991 — George Hennard runs amok in Killeen, Texas, killing 23 and wounding 20. Read more
- 1984 — Desmond Tutu is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Read more
- 1978 — Cardinal Karol Wojtyła is elected to the papacy as Pope John Paul II, he becomes the first non-Italian pontiff since 1523. Read more
- 1975 — Indonesian troops kill the Balibo Five, a group of Australian journalists, in Portuguese Timor. Read more
- 1975 — Three-year-old Rahima Banu, from Bangladesh, is the last known case of naturally occurring smallpox. Read more
- 1975 — The Australian Coalition sparks a constitutional crisis when they vote to defer funding for the government's annual budget. Read more
- 1973 — Henry Kissinger and Lê Đức Thọ are awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Read more
- 1970 — Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau invokes the War Measures Act during the October Crisis. Read more
- 1968 — Tommie Smith and John Carlos are ejected from the US Olympic team for participating in the Olympics Black Power salute. Read more
- 1968 — Kingston, Jamaica is rocked by the Rodney riots, inspired by the barring of Walter Rodney from the country. Read more
- 1968 — Yasunari Kawabata becomes the first Japanese person to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Read more
- 1964 — China detonates its first nuclear weapon. Read more
- 1964 — Leonid Brezhnev becomes leader of the Soviet Communist Party, while Alexei Kosygin becomes the head of government. Read more
- 1962 — Cuban Missile Crisis begins: U.S. President John F. Kennedy is informed of photos taken on October 14 by a U-2 showing nuclear missiles (the crisis will last for 13 days starting from this point). Read more
- 1953 — Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro delivers his "History Will Absolve Me" speech, and is sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment by the Fulgencio Batista government for leading an attack on the Moncada Barracks. Read more
- 1951 — The first Prime Minister of Pakistan, Liaquat Ali Khan, is assassinated in Rawalpindi. Read more
- 1949 — The Greek Communist Party announces a "temporary cease-fire", thus ending the Greek Civil War. Read more
- 1947 — The Philippines takes over the administration of the Turtle Islands and the Mangsee Islands from the United Kingdom. Read more
- 1946 — Nuremberg trials: Ten defendants found guilty by the International Military Tribunal are executed by hanging. Read more
- 1943 — Holocaust in Italy: Raid on the Roman Ghetto. Read more
- 1940 — Holocaust in Poland: The Warsaw Ghetto is established. Read more
- 1939 — World War II: No. 603 Squadron RAF intercepts the first Luftwaffe raid on Britain. Read more
- 1934 — Chinese Communists begin the Long March to escape Nationalist encirclement. Read more
- 1926 — Háry János, a Hungarian folk opera by Zoltán Kodály is premiered at the Royal Hungarian Opera House in Budapest. Read more
- 1923 — Walt Disney and his brother, Roy, found the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, today known as The Walt Disney Company. Read more
- 1919 — Adolf Hitler delivers his first public address at a meeting of the German Workers' Party. Read more
- 1916 — Margaret Sanger opens the first family planning clinic in the United States. Read more
- 1909 — William Howard Taft and Porfirio Díaz hold the first summit between a U.S. and a Mexican president. They narrowly escape assassination. Read more
- 1905 — The Partition of Bengal in India takes place. Read more
- 1891 — A diplomatic incident between the United States and Chile occurred after U.S. sailors were attacked in Valparaíso, nearly leading to war. Read more
- 1882 — The Nickel Plate Railroad opens for business. Read more
- 1875 — Brigham Young University is founded in Provo, Utah. Read more
- 1869 — The Cardiff Giant, one of the most famous American hoaxes, is "discovered". Read more
- 1869 — Girton College, Cambridge is founded, becoming England's first residential college for women. Read more
- 1859 — Origins of the American Civil War: Abolitionist John Brown and his supporters launch a raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia). Read more
- 1846 — William T. G. Morton administers ether anesthesia during a surgical operation. Read more
- 1843 — William Rowan Hamilton invents quaternions, a three-dimensional system of complex numbers. Read more
- 1841 — Queen's University is founded in the Province of Canada. Read more
- 1836 — Great Trek: Afrikaner voortrekkers repulse a Matabele attack, but lose their livestock. Read more
- 1834 — Much of the ancient structure of the Palace of Westminster in London burns to the ground. Read more
- 1817 — Italian explorer and archaeologist Giovanni Belzoni, uncovered the Tomb of Seti I in the Valley of the Kings. Read more
- 1817 — Simón Bolívar sentences Manuel Piar to death for challenging the racial-caste in Venezuela. Read more
- 1813 — The Sixth Coalition attacks Napoleon in the four-day Battle of Leipzig. Read more
- 1805 — War of the Third Coalition: Napoleon surrounds the Austrian army at Ulm. Read more
- 1793 — French Revolution: Queen Marie Antoinette is executed. Read more
- 1793 — War of the First Coalition: French victory at the Battle of Wattignies forces Austria to raise the siege of Maubeuge. Read more
- 1780 — American Revolutionary War: The British-led Royalton raid is the last Native American raid on New England. Read more
- 1780 — The Great Hurricane of 1780 finishes after its sixth day, killing between 20,000 and 24,000 residents of the Lesser Antilles. Read more
- 1736 — Mathematician William Whiston's predicted comet fails to strike the Earth. Read more
- 1590 — Prince Gesualdo of Venosa murders his wife and her lover. Read more
- 1384 — Jadwiga is crowned King of Poland, although she is a woman. Read more
- 1367 — Pope Urban V enters Rome, the first pope to do so in more than fifty years since the beginning of the Avignon Papacy. Read more
Born on October 16
- 2005 — Ruby Rose Turner, American actress Read more
- 2003 — Scott Ogden, British motorcycle racer Read more
- 2001 — Willian Pacho, Ecuadorian footballer Read more
- 1999 — Aaron Nesmith, American basketball player Read more
- 1999 — Nicolò Bulega, Italian motorcycle racer Read more
- 1997 — Aliou Dieng, Malian footballer Read more
- 1997 — Charles Leclerc, Monégasque racing driver Read more
- 1997 — Naomi Osaka, Japanese tennis player Read more
- 1996 — Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, Turkish motorcycle racer Read more
- 1996 — Andrea Locatelli, Italian motorcycle racer Read more
- 1994 — Adam Elliott, Australian rugby league player Read more
- 1994 — Halimah Nakaayi, Ugandan middle-distance runner Read more
- 1993 — Jovit Baldivino, Filipino singer and actor (died 2022) Read more
- 1993 — Caroline Garcia, French tennis player Read more
- 1992 — Kostas Fortounis, Greek footballer Read more
- 1992 — Viktorija Golubic, Swiss tennis player Read more
- 1992 — Bryce Harper, American baseball player Read more
- 1991 — Jonathan Schoop, Curaçaoan baseball player Read more
- 1991 — Shardul Thakur, Indian cricketer Read more
- 1989 — Dan Biggar, Welsh rugby player Read more
- 1988 — Zoltán Stieber, Hungarian footballer Read more
- 1986 — Nicky Adams, English-Welsh footballer Read more
- 1986 — Franco Armani, Argentine footballer Read more
- 1986 — Derk Boerrigter, Dutch footballer Read more
- 1986 — Inna, Romanian singer Read more
- 1985 — Jay Beagle, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
- 1985 — Alexis Hornbuckle, American basketball player Read more
- 1985 — Verena Sailer, German sprinter Read more
- 1985 — Casey Stoner, Australian motorcycle racer Read more
- 1985 — Peter Wallace, Australian rugby league player Read more
- 1984 — François Pervis, French track cyclist Read more
- 1984 — Rachel Reilly, American talk show host and actress Read more
- 1983 — Philipp Kohlschreiber, German tennis player Read more
- 1983 — Loreen, Swedish singer Read more
- 1983 — Kenny Omega, Canadian wrestler Read more
- 1982 — Alan Anderson, American basketball player Read more
- 1982 — Frédéric Michalak, French rugby player Read more
- 1982 — Cristian Riveros, Paraguayan footballer Read more
- 1982 — Prithviraj Sukumaran, Indian actor, singer, and producer Read more
- 1981 — Brea Grant, American actress and writer Read more
Died on October 16
- 2024 — Ollie Olsen, Australian musician, composer and sound designer (born 1958) Read more
- 2024 — Liam Payne, English singer-songwriter from One Direction (born 1993) Read more
- 2024 — Yahya Sinwar, leader of Hamas (born 1962) Read more
- 2023 — Martti Ahtisaari, former President of Finland and Nobel Prize laureate (born 1937) Read more
- 2017 — Daphne Caruana Galizia, Maltese journalist and blogger (born 1964) Read more
- 2017 — Roy Dotrice, British actor (born 1923) Read more
- 2017 — John Dunsworth, Canadian actor (born 1946) Read more
- 2017 — Sean Hughes, British-born Irish stand-up comedian (born 1965) Read more
- 2016 — Calvin Carl "Kelly" Gotlieb, Canadian professor and computer scientist (born 1921) Read more
- 2015 — Richard J. Cardamone, American lawyer and judge (born 1925) Read more
- 2015 — James W. Fowler, American psychologist and academic (born 1940) Read more
- 2015 — William James, Australian general and physician (born 1930) Read more
- 2015 — Vera Williams, American author and illustrator (born 1927) Read more
- 2015 — Memduh Ün, Turkish film producer, director, actor and screenwriter (born 1920) Read more
- 2014 — Ioannis Charalambopoulos, Greek colonel and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Greece (born 1919) Read more
- 2014 — Allen Forte, American musicologist and theorist (born 1926) Read more
- 2014 — Seppo Kuusela, Finnish basketball player and coach (born 1934) Read more
- 2014 — John Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough, English businessman (born 1926) Read more
- 2013 — Govind Purushottam Deshpande, Indian playwright and academic (born 1938) Read more
- 2013 — George Hourmouziadis, Greek archaeologist and academic (born 1932) Read more
- 2013 — Ed Lauter, American actor (born 1938) Read more
- 2013 — Laurel Martyn, Australian ballerina and choreographer (born 1916) Read more
- 2013 — Robert B. Rheault, American colonel (born 1925) Read more
- 2013 — Saggy Tahir, Pakistani-American lawyer and politician (born 1944) Read more
- 2012 — Frank Moore Cross, American scholar and academic (born 1921) Read more
- 2012 — John A. Durkin, American lawyer and politician (born 1936) Read more
- 2012 — Mario Gallegos, Jr., American firefighter and politician (born 1950) Read more
- 2012 — Bódog Török, Hungarian handball player and coach (born 1923) Read more
- 2012 — Eddie Yost, American baseball player and coach (born 1926) Read more
- 2011 — Dan Wheldon, English race car driver (born 1978) Read more
- 2010 — Eyedea, American rapper and producer (born 1981) Read more
- 2010 — Barbara Billingsley, American actress (born 1915) Read more
- 2008 — Dagmar Normet, Estonian author and translator (born 1921) Read more
- 2007 — Deborah Kerr, Scottish actress (born 1921) Read more
- 2007 — Toše Proeski, Macedonian singer-songwriter (born 1981) Read more
- 2006 — John Victor Murra, Ukrainian-American anthropologist and academic (born 1916) Read more
- 2006 — Valentín Paniagua, Peruvian lawyer and politician, 91st President of Peru (born 1936) Read more
- 2004 — Pierre Salinger, American journalist and politician, 11th White House Press Secretary (born 1925) Read more
- 2003 — Avni Arbaş, Turkish painter (born 1919) Read more
- 2003 — Stu Hart, Canadian wrestler and trainer (born 1915) Read more
Holidays & observances
Air Force Day (Bulgaria); Boss's Day (United States); Christian feast day:
Balderic (Baudry) of Monfaucon; Christian feast day:
Bertrand of Comminges; Christian feast day:
Colmán of Kilroot (Colman mac Cathbaid); Christian feast day:
Eliphius; Christian feast day:
Fortunatus of Casei; Christian feast day:
Gall; Christian feast day:
Gerard Majella; Christian feast day:
Hedwig of Silesia; Christian feast day:
Hugh Latimer (Anglicanism); Christian feast day:
Junian (of Saint-Junien); Christian feast day:
Lullus; Christian feast day:
Marguerite Marie Alacoque; Christian feast day:
Marie-Marguerite d'Youville; Christian feast day:
Nicholas Ridley (Anglicanism); Christian feast day:
Silvanus of Ahun; Christian feast day:
Blessed Thevarparampil Kunjachan (Syro-Malabar Catholic Church / Catholic Church); Christian feast day:
October 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Pope John Paul II Day (Poland); Death anniversary of Liaquat Ali Khan (Pakistan); Teachers' Day (Chile); World Food Day (International); Bu-Ma Democratic Protests Commemoration Day (South Korea)
Events, births and deaths from Wikipedia contributors, “October 16”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Lists are selections; the full record lives at the source.