August 16 is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 137 days remaining until the end of the year.
Events
- 1384 - The Hongwu Emperor of Ming China hears a case of a couple who tore paper money bills while fighting over them—a case considered equal to the act of destroying stamped government documents, which by law necessitated one hundred floggings by a bamboo rod. However, the Hongwu Emperor decided to pardon them, seeing as how their intention was not to tear up the money.
- 1513 - Battle of Guinegate (Battle of the Spurs) - King Henry VIII of England defeats French Forces who were forced to retreat.
- 1780 - American Revolutionary War: Battle of Camden - The British defeat the Americans near Camden, South Carolina.
- 1792 - Maximilien Robespierre presents the petition of the Commune of Paris to the Legislative Assembly, which demanded the formation of a revolutionary tribunal.
- 1812 - War of 1812: American General William Hull surrenders Fort Detroit without a fight to the British Army.
- 1819 - Eleven people die and 400 are injured by cavalry charges at the Peterloo Massacre at a public meeting at St. Peter\'s Field, Manchester, England.
- 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.
- 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 will force a shutdown of the service in a few weeks.
- 1865 - Restoration Day in the Dominican Republic: The Dominican Republic regains its independence after 4 years of fighting against the Spanish Annexation.
- 1868 - Arica, Peru (now Chile) is devastated by a tsunami which followed a magnitude 8.5 earthquake in the Peru-Chile Trench off the coast. The earthquake and tsunami killed an estimated 25,000 people in Arica and perhaps 70,000 people in all.
- 1869 - Battle of Acosta Ñu: A Paraguay battalion made up of children is massacred by the Brazilian Army during the War of the Triple Alliance.
- 1870 - Franco-Prussian War: The Battle of Mars-La-Tour is fought, resulting in a Prussian victory.
- 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.
- 1913 - Tōhoku Imperial University of Japan (modern day Tōhoku University) admits its first female students.
- 1914 - World War I: Battle of Cer begins.
- 1915 - World War I: Should victory be achieved over the Central Powers, the Triple Entente promises the Kingdom of Serbia: the Austro-Hungarian territories of Baranja, Srem, Slavonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina; and the eastern ⅔ of Dalmatia (from the river of Krka to the city of Bar).
- 1920 - Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians is hit in the head by a fastball thrown by Carl Mays of the New York Yankees, and dies early the next day. To date, Chapman is the only player to die from injuries sustained in a Major League Baseball game.
- 1920 - The congress of the Communist Party of Bukhara opens. The congress would call for armed revolution.
- 1930 - The first color sound cartoon, called Fiddlesticks, is made by Ub Iwerks.
- 1940 - World War II: The Communist Party is banned in German-occupied Norway.
- 1942 - World War II: The two-person crew of the U.S. naval blimp L-8 disappears without a trace on a routine anti-submarine patrol over the Pacific Ocean. The blimp drifts without her crew and crash-lands in Daly City, California.
- 1944 - First flight of the Junkers Ju 287.
- 1945 - An assassination attempt was made on Japan\'s prime minister, Kantaro Suzuki.
- 1945 - Puyi, the last Chinese emperor and ruler of Manchukuo, was captured by Soviet troops.
- 1946 - The Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, is established, and Ichirō Ishikawa is appointed its representative.
- 1960 - Cyprus gains its independence from the United Kingdom.
- 1960 - Joseph Kittinger parachutes from a balloon over New Mexico at 102,800 feet (31,330 m), setting three records that still stand today: High-altitude jump, free-fall, and fastest speed by a human without an aircraft.
- 1962 - Pete Best replaced by Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey) as drummer for The Beatles.
- 1964 - Vietnam War: A coup d\'état replaces Duong Van Minh with General Nguyen Khanh as President of South Vietnam. A new constitution is established with aid from the U.S. Embassy.
- 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.
- 1972 - The Royal Moroccan Air Force fires upon, in an unsuccessful coup d\'état attempt, Hassan II of Morocco\'s plane while he is traveling back to Rabat.
- 1987 - A McDonnell Douglas MD-82 carrying Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes on take-off from Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus, Michigan (Detroit), killing 155 passengers and crew. The sole survivor is four-year-old Cecelia Cichan.
- 1992 - In response to an appeal by President Fernando Collor de Mello to wear green and yellow as a way to show support for him, thousands of Brazilians take to the streets dressed in black.
- 1993 - The Debian distribution was first announced by Ian Murdock, then a student at Purdue University. Murdock initially called his system the "Debian Linux Release"
- 2003 - U.S. Representative from South Dakota Bill Janklow hits and kills a motorcyclist with his car at a rural intersection near Trent, South Dakota; he will eventually be convicted of manslaughter and will resign from Congress.
- 2005 - West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 crashes near Machiques, Venezuela, killing the 160 aboard.
Births
- 1355 - Philippa Plantagenet, Countess of Ulster
- 1378 - Hongxi Emperor of China (d. 1425)
- 1401 - Jacqueline, Countess of Hainaut, dauphine of France (d. 1436)
- 1557 - Agostino Carracci, Italian artist (d. 1602)
- 1573 - Anna of Austria, queen of Poland (d. 1598)
- 1596 - Frederick V, Elector Palatine (d. 1632)
- 1637 - Emilie Juliane of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, German countess and poet (d. 1706)
- 1645 - Jean de La Bruyère, French writer (d. 1696)
- 1650 - Vincenzo Coronelli, Italian cartographer and encylopedist (d. 1718)
- 1682 - Louis, duc de Bourgogne, heir-apparent to the French throne (d. 1712)
- 1761 - Yevstigney Fomin, Russian composer (d. 1800)
- 1815 - John Bosco, Italian priest and educator (d. 1888)
- 1820 - Andrew Rainsford Wetmore, Canadian politician (d. 1892)
- 1831 - John Jones Ross, Quebec politician (d. 1901)
- 1832 - Wilhelm Wundt, German psychologist (d. 1920)
- 1842 - Jakob Rosanes, German mathematician (d. 1922)
- 1845 - Gabriel Lippmann, French physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 1921)
- 1858 - Arthur Achleitner, German writer (d. 1927)
- 1860 - Jules Laforgue, French poet (d. 1887)
- 1862 - Amos Alonzo Stagg, American coach (d. 1965)
- 1868 - Bernarr McFadden, American publisher (d. 1955)
- 1876 - Ivan Bilibin, Russian illustrator (d. 1942)
- 1884 - Hugo Gernsback, Luxembourg-born editor and publisher (d. 1967)
- 1884 - Walther von Reichenau, German field marshal (d. 1942)
- 1888 - T. E. Lawrence, English writer and soldier (d. 1935)
- 1888 - Armand J. Piron, American musician (d. 1943)
- 1892 - Otto Messmer, American cartoonist (d. 1983)
- 1894 - George Meany, American labor union leader (d. 1980)
- 1895 - Albert Cohen, Swiss novelist (d. 1981)
- 1895 - Liane Haid, Austrian actress (d. 2000)
- 1902 - Georgette Heyer, English novelist (d. 1974)
- 1904 - Wendell Meredith Stanley, American chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1971)
- 1908 - William Maxwell, American novelist and editor (d. 2000)
- 1911 - E. F. Schumacher, German economist and statistician (d. 1977)
- 1912 - Ted Drake, English footballer (d. 1995)
- 1913 - Menachem Begin, 6th Prime Minister of Israel, Nobel laureate (d. 1992)
- 1915 - Al Hibbler, American singer (d. 2001)
- 1916 - Iggy Katona, American race car driver (d. 2003)
- 1920 - Charles Bukowski, American poet (d. 1994)
- 1922 - Ernie Freeman, American pianist and arranger (d. 2001)
- 1923 - Millôr Fernandes, Brazilian playwright
- 1924 - Fess Parker, American actor
- 1925 - Willie Jones, American baseball player (d. 1983)
- 1928 - Ann Blyth, American actress
- 1929 - Bill Evans, American jazz pianist (d. 1980)
- 1929 - Helmut Rahn, German footballer (d. 2003)
- 1929 - Fritz Von Erich, American professional wrestler (d. 1997)
- 1930 - Robert Culp, American actor
- 1930 - Frank Gifford, American football player and announcer
- 1930 - Tony Trabert, American former tennis player
- 1931 - Eydie Gormé, American singer
- 1933 - Julie Newmar, American actress
- 1933 - Stuart Roosa, American astronaut (d. 1994)
- 1934 - Diana Wynne Jones, British author
- 1934 - Ketty Lester, American singer
- 1934 - Pierre Richard, French actor
- 1935 - Andreas Stamatiadis, Greek footballer and coach
- 1935 - Cliff Fletcher, Canadian National Hockey League executive
- 1937 - David Anderson, Canadian politician
- 1939 - Sir Trevor Mcdonald, Trinidadian-born British television newsreader
- 1940 - Bruce Beresford, Australian film director
- 1942 - Barbara George, American singer and songwriter (d. 2006)
- 1945 - Suzanne Farrell, ballet dancer
- 1946 - Massoud Barzani, Iraqi Kurdish politician
- 1946 - Lesley Ann Warren, American actress
- 1946 - Dick Murdoch, American professional wrestler (d. 1996)
- 1947 - Carol Moseley Braun, American politician and lawyer
- 1947 - Katharine Hamnett, English fashion designer
- 1947 - Marc Messier, Canadian actor
- 1948 - Mike Jorgensen, American baseball player
- 1948 - Pierre Reid, Canadian politician and teacher
- 1949 - Scott Asheton, American musician (The Stooges)
- 1950 - Hasely Crawford, Trinidadian athlete
- 1950 - Marshall Manesh, Iranian-born American actor
- 1950 - Stockwell Day, Canadian politician
- 1950 - Jeff Thomson, Australian cricketer
- 1951 - Richard Hunt, American puppeteer (d. 1992)
- 1952 - Reginald VelJohnson, American actor
- 1953 - Kathie Lee Gifford, American singer and actress
- 1953 - James "J.T." Taylor, American singer (Kool & The Gang)
- 1954 - James Cameron, Canadian film director
- 1957 - Tim Farriss, Australian musician (INXS)
- 1958 - Angela Bassett, American actress
- 1958 - Madonna, American singer and actress
- 1958 - José Luis Clerc, Argentine tennis player
- 1960 - Timothy Hutton, American actor
- 1961 - Christian Okoye, former American football player
- 1962 - Steve Carell, American actor and comedian
- 1964 - Jimmy Arias, American tennis player
- 1966 - Barry Lather, American choreographer, musician and actor
- 1967 - Ulrika Jonsson, Swedish television personality
- 1967 - Pamela Smart, American convicted murderess
- 1968 - Mateja Svet, Slovenian alpine skier
- 1970 - Bonnie Bernstein, American sportscaster
- 1970 - Fabio Casartelli, Italian cyclist (d. 1995)
- 1970 - Manisha Koirala, Indian actress
- 1970 - Saif Ali Khan, Indian actor
- 1971 - Stefan Klos, German footballer
- 1972 - Stan Lazaridis, Australian footballer
- 1972 - Emily Robison, American country singer, instrumentalist and songwriter (Dixie Chicks)
- 1973 - Damian Jackson, American baseball player
- 1974 - Roger Cedeño, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1974 - Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Guyanese cricketer
- 1974 - Krisztina Egerszegi, Hungarian swimmer
- 1974 - Iván Hurtado, Ecuadorian footballer
- 1975 - Didier Agathe, French footballer
- 1975 - George Stults, American actor
- 1976 - Jonatan Johansson, Finnish footballer
- 1976 - Dave Ockun, American concert producer
- 1978 - Eddie Gill, American basketball player
- 1978 - Fu Mingxia, Chinese female diver
- 1979 - Michael Stahlman, American rower and coach
- 1980 - Vanessa Carlton, American singer/songwriter
- 1980 - Robert Hardy, English bassist (Franz Ferdinand)
- 1981 - Roque Santa Cruz, Paraguayan footballer
- 1981 - Taylor Rain, American pornographic actress
- 1982 - Joleon Lescott, English footballer
- 1983 - Colin Griffiths, English TV presenter and DJ
- 1983 - Nikos Zisis, Greek basketball player
- 1983 - Colt Brennan, University of Hawai\'i Quarterback
- 1985 - Agnes Bruckner, American actress
- 1986 - Shawn Pyfrom, American actor
- 1987 - Kyal Marsh, Australian actor
- 1988 - Kevin Schmidt, American actor
- 1988 - Rumer Willis, American actress
- 1988 - Amandah Wilkinson, Australian musician
- 1991 - Evanna Lynch, Irish actress
- 1991 - Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse, Canadian actress
Deaths
- 1027 - Giorgi I, King of Georgia (b. 998)
- 1297 - John II of Trebizond (b. 1262)
- 1327 - Roch, French saint (b. 1295)
- 1358 - Duke Albert II of Austria (b. 1298)
- 1419 - Wenceslaus, King of the Romans, King of Bohemia (b. 1361)
- 1443 - Ashikaga Yoshikatsu, Japanese shogun (b. 1434)
- 1445 - Margaret of Scotland (Dauphine of France), wife of the future King Louis XI (b. 1424)
- 1518 - Loyset Compère, French composer
- 1532 - John, Elector of Saxony (b. 1468)
- 1661 - Thomas Fuller, English churchman and historian (b. 1608)
- 1678 - Andrew Marvell, English poet (b. 1621)
- 1705 - Jakob Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician and scientist (b. 1654)
- 1733 - Matthew Tindal, English deist (b. 1657)
- 1791 - Charles-François de Broglie, marquis de Ruffec, French soldier and diplomat (b. 1719)
- 1836 - Marc-Antoine Parseval, French mathematician (b. 1755)
- 1855 - Henry Colburn, British publisher (b. ?)
- 1886 - Sri Ramakrishna, Bengali saint, guru of Swami Vivekananda (b. 1836)
- 1888 - John Pemberton, American druggist and inventor of Coca-Cola (b. 1831)
- 1893 - Jean-Martin Charcot, French neurologist (b. 1825)
- 1899 - Robert Wilhelm Bunsen, German chemist (b. 1811)
- 1900 - Eça de Queirós, Portuguese writer (b. 1845)
- 1907 - James Hector, Scottish geologist (b. 1834)
- 1921 - King Peter I of Serbia (b. 1844)
- 1938 - Robert Johnson, American blues singer and guitarist (b. 1911)
- 1938 - Andrej Hlinka, Slovak politician and priest (b. 1864)
- 1948 - Babe Ruth, American baseball player (b. 1895)
- 1949 - Margaret Mitchell, American novelist (b. 1900)
- 1951 - Louis Jouvet, French actor and producer (b. 1887)
- 1952 - Lydia Field Emmet, American painter (b. 1866)
- 1956 - Bela Lugosi, Hungarian actor (b. 1882)
- 1957 - Irving Langmuir, American chemist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1881)
- 1959 - Wanda Landowska, Polish harpsichordist (b. 1879)
- 1961 - Maulvi Abdul Haq, Father of Modern Urdu (b. 1870)
- 1971 - Spyros Skouras, Greek-American movie executive, chairman of the Twentieth Century Fox (b. 1893)
- 1972 - Pierre Brasseur, French actor (b. 1905)
- 1973 - Selman Waksman, Ukrainian-born biochemist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1888)
- 1975 - Vladimir Kuts, Ukrainian-born runner (b. 1927)
- 1977 - Elvis Presley, American singer and actor (b. 1935)
- 1978 - Alidius Warmoldus Lambertus Tjarda van Starkenborgh Stachouwer, Dutch lawyer and politician (b. 1888)
- 1979 - John Diefenbaker, 13th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1895)
- 1983 - Earl Averill, American baseball player (b. 1902)
- 1986 - Jaime Saenz, Bolivian poet, novelist, and short story writer (b. 1921)
- 1989 - Amanda Blake, American actress (b. 1929)
- 1990 - Pat O\'Connor, New Zealand professional wrestler (b. 1925)
- 1991 - Shamu, One of the famous whales that star at SeaWorld (b. 1975)
- 1991 - Luigi Zampa, Italian film director (b. 1905)
- 1993 - Stewart Granger, British film actor (b. 1913)
- 1995 - J.P. McCarthy, American radio personality (b. 1933)
- 1997 - Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Pakistani musician (b. 1948)
- 1997 - Gerard McLarnon, Irish playwright and actor (b. 1915)
- 1999 - Pee Wee King, American country musician and songwriter (b. 1914)
- 2002 - Jeff Corey, American actor (b. 1914)
- 2002 - Abu Nidal, Palestinian political leader (b. 1937)
- 2002 - John Roseboro, American baseball player and coach (b. 1933)
- 2003 - Idi Amin, Ugandan dictator (b. 1928)
- 2004 - Ivan Hlinka, Czech ice hockey coach (b. 1950)
- 2004 - Carl Mydans, American photographer (b. 1907)
- 2004 - Robert Quiroga, American boxer (b. 1969)
- 2005 - Joe Ranft, American animator (b. 1960)
- 2005 - Frère Roger, Swiss monk and mystic (b. 1915)
- 2005 - Vassar Clements, American musician (b. 1928)
- 2005 - William Corlett, English children\'s writer(b. 1938)
- 2005 - Vicky Moscholiou, Greek singer (b. 1943)
- 2006 - Alex Buzo, Australian playwright and author (b. 1944)
- 2006 - Herschel Green, American pilot (b. 1920)
- 2006 - Jon Nödtveidt, Swedish musician (b. 1975)
- 2006 - Alfredo Stroessner, President of Paraguay (b. 1912)
- 2007 - Max Roach, American percussionist, drummer, and composer (b. 1924)
- 2007 - Bahaedin Adab, Iranian MP (b. 1945)
- 2007 - The Missing Link, professional wrestler
Holidays and observances
RC saints:
External links
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