From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
February 16 is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 318 days remaining until the end of the year (319 in leap years).
[edit] Events
- 116 – Emperor Trajan sends laureatae to the Roman Senate at Rome on account of his victories and being conqueror of Parthia.
- 1249 – Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with Mongol Khagan of the Mongol Empire.
- 1646 – Battle of Torrington, Devon – the last major battle of the first English Civil War.
- 1742 – Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington, becomes British Prime Minister.
- 1804 – First Barbary War: Stephen Decatur leads a raid to burn the pirate-held frigate USS Philadelphia.
- 1852 – Studebaker Brothers wagon company, precursor of the automobile manufacturer, is established.
- 1862 – American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant captures Fort Donelson, Tennessee.
- 1866 – Spencer Compton Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington becomes British Secretary of State for War.
- 1899 – Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur Iceland's first football club is founded.
- 1918 – The Council of Lithuania unanimously adopts the Act of Independence, declaring Lithuania an independent state.
- 1923 – Howard Carter unseals the burial chamber of Pharaoh Tutankhamun.
- 1934 – The Austrian Civil War ends with the defeat of the Social Democrats and the Republican Schutzbund.
- 1936 – Elections bring the Popular Front to power in Spain.
- 1937 – Wallace H. Carothers receives a United States patent for nylon.
- 1940 – World War II: Altmark Incident: The German tanker Altmark is boarded by sailors from the British destroyer HMS Cossack. 299 British prisoners are freed.
- 1943 – World War II: Red Army troops re-enter Kharkov.
- 1945 – World War II: American forces land on Corregidor Island in the Philippines.
- 1957 – The "Toddlers' Truce", a controversial television close down between 6.00pm and 7.00pm is abolished in the United Kingdom.
- 1959 – Fidel Castro becomes Premier of Cuba after dictator Fulgencio Batista was overthrown on January 1.
- 1960 – The U.S. Navy submarine USS Triton begins Operation Sandblast, setting sail from New London, Connecticut, to begin the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe.
- 1961 – Explorer program: Explorer 9 (S-56a) is launched.
- 1961 – The DuSable Museum of African American History is chartered.
- 1962 – Flooding in the coastal areas of West Germany kills 315 and destroys the homes of about 60,000 people.
- 1968 – In Haleyville, Alabama, the first 9-1-1 emergency telephone system goes into service.
- 1978 – The first computer bulletin board system is created (CBBS in Chicago, Illinois).
- 1983 – The Ash Wednesday bushfires in Victoria and South Australia kill 75.
- 1985 – Hezbollah is founded.
- 1986 – The Soviet liner MS Mikhail Lermontov runs aground in the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand.
- 1987 – The trial of John Demjanjuk, accused of being a Nazi guard dubbed "Ivan the Terrible" in Treblinka extermination camp, starts in Jerusalem.
- 1991 – Nicaraguan Contras leader Enrique Bermúdez is assassinated in Managua.
- 1998 – China 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.
- 1999 – In Uzbekistan, a bomb explodes and gunfire is heard at the government headquarters in an apparent assassination attempt against President Islom Karimov.
- 1999 – Across Europe, Kurdish rebels take over embassies and hold hostages after Turkey arrests one of their rebel leaders, Abdullah Öcalan.
- 2005 – The Kyoto Protocol comes into force, following its ratification by Russia.
- 2005 – The 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.
- 2006 – The last Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) is decommissioned by the United States Army.
[edit] Births
- 1032 – Emperor Yingzong of China (d. 1067)
- 1222 – Nichiren Daishonin, Japanese founder of Nichiren Buddhism (d. 1282)
- 1497 – Philipp Melanchthon, German humanist and reformer (d. 1560)
- 1519 – Gaspard de Coligny, French Huguenot leader (d. 1572)
- 1543 – Kano Eitoku, Japanese painter (d. 1590)
- 1620 – Friedrich Wilhelm I of Brandenburg, Duke of Prussia (d. 1688)
- 1643 – John Sharp, English Archbishop of York (d. 1714)
- 1698 – Pierre Bouguer, French mathematician (d. 1758)
- 1727 – Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin, Austrian scientist (d. 1817)
- 1761 – Charles Pichegru, French general (d. 1804)
- 1786 – Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia (d. 1859)
- 1802 – Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, American philosopher (d. 1866)
- 1804 – Karl Theodor Ernst von Siebold, German physiologist (d. 1885)
- 1812 – Henry Wilson, American politician 18th Vice President of the United States (d. 1875)
- 1821 – Heinrich Barth, German explorer (d. 1865)
- 1822 – Sir Francis Galton, English explorer and biologist (d. 1911)
- 1824 – Peter Kozler, Slovenian cartographer and geographer (d. 1879)
- 1826 – Julia Grant, First Lady of the United States (d. 1902)
- 1826 – Joseph Victor von Scheffel, German poet (d. 1886)
- 1831 – Nikolai Leskov, Russian writer (d. 1895)
- 1834 – Ernst Haeckel, German zoologist and philosopher (d. 1919)
- 1838 – Henry Adams, American historian and novelist (d. 1918)
- 1845 – George Kennan, American explorer (d. 1924)
- 1847 – Philipp Scharwenka, Polish-German composer (d. 1917)
- 1848 – Hugo de Vries, Dutch botanist (d. 1935)
- 1856 – Rudolph Karstadt, German entrepreneur (d. 1944)
- 1856 – Willem Kes, Dutch conductor (d. 1934)
- 1866 – Billy Hamilton, American baseball player (d. 1940)
- 1866 – Vyacheslav Ivanov, Russian poet (d. 1949)
- 1874 – Marie Gutheil-Schoder, German soprano (d. 1935)
- 1876 – George Macaulay Trevelyan, English historian (d. 1962)
- 1878 – Pamela Colman Smith, British writer and occultist (d. 1951)
- 1880 – Frank Burke, American baseball player (d. 1946)
- 1883 – Elizabeth Craig, British writer (d. 1980)
- 1884 – Robert J. Flaherty, American filmmaker (d. 1951)
- 1886 – Van Wyck Brooks, American historian and critic (d. 1963)
- 1887 – Kathleen Clifford, American actress (d. 1962)
- 1891 – Hans F. K. Günther, German eugenicist (d. 1967)
- 1896 – Eugénie Blanchard, French supercentenarian (d. 2010)
- 1898 – Katharine Cornell, American actress (d. 1974)
- 1901 – Vincent Coleman, American actor (d. 1971)
- 1901 – Wayne King, American musician and orchestra leader (d. 1985)
- 1901 – Chester Morris, American film actor (d. 1970)
- 1903 – Edgar Bergen, American ventriloquist (d. 1978)
- 1903 – George-Henri Lévesque, Quebec priest and sociologist (d. 2000)
- 1904 – Karl-Heinz Bürger, German Nazi figure (d. 1988)
- 1904 – George F. Kennan, American historian and diplomat (d. 2005)
- 1906 – Vera Menchik, British-born Czech chess player (d. 1944)
- 1909 – Hugh Beaumont, American actor (d. 1982)
- 1909 – Jeffrey Lynn, American actor (d. 1995)
- 1909 – Richard McDonald, American fast food entrepreneur (d. 1998)
- 1915 – Jim O'Hora, American college football coach (d. 2005)
- 1915 – Elisabeth Eybers, South African poet (d. 2007)
- 1915 – Michael Relph, British film producer and director (d. 2004)
- 1916 – Bill Doggett, American jazz and rhythm and blues pianist and organist (d. 1996)
- 1918 – Patty Andrews, American singer (The Andrews Sisters)
- 1920 – Anna Mae Hays, American army general
- 1921 – Jean Behra, French race car driver (d. 1959)
- 1921 – Araucaria, British crossword compiler
- 1921 – Vera-Ellen, American actress (d. 1981)
- 1922 – Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, German night fighter pilot (d. 1950)
- 1925 – Carlos Paredes, Portuguese guitarist (d. 2004)
- 1926 – John Schlesinger, English film director (d. 2003)
- 1926 – Margot Frank, German-born Dutch Jewish holocaust victim (d. 1945)
- 1929 – Peter Porter, Australian poet (d. 2010)
- 1927 – June Brown, British actress
- 1929 – Gerhard Hanappi, Austrian footballer (d. 1980)
- 1931 – George E. Sangmeister, American politician (d. 2007)
- 1931 – Ken Takakura, Japanese actor
- 1932 – Gretchen Wyler, American actress and dancer (d. 2007)
- 1932 – Otis Blackwell, American songwriter and singer (d. 2002)
- 1932 – Harry Goz, American actor (d. 2003)
- 1932 – Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, formerPresident of Sierra Leone
- 1934 – Harold Kalin, American singer (d. 2005)
- 1934 – Herbert Kalin, American singer (d. 2006)
- 1934 – August Coppola, American academic; father of Nicolas Cage (d. 2009)
- 1934 – Marlene Hagge, American professional golfer
- 1935 – Sonny Bono, American entertainer politician (d. 1998)
- 1936 – Jill Kinmont, American skier
- 1937 – Yuri Manin, Russian mathematician
- 1938 – John Corigliano, American composer
- 1938 – Barry Primus, American actor
- 1939 – Czesław Niemen, Polish singer-songwriter and composer (d. 2004)
- 1939 – Adolfo Azcuna, Filipino Supreme Court jurist
- 1941 – Kim Jong-il, North Korean leader
- 1943 – Brig Owens, American football player
- 1944 – Richard Ford, American novelist
- 1944 – António Mascarenhas Monteiro, 2nd President of Cape Verde
- 1945 – Jeremy Bulloch, English actor
- 1946 – Ian Lavender, English actor
- 1950 – Peter Hain, British politician
- 1950 – Kazuki Tomokawa, Japanese acid-folk singer
- 1950 – Roman Tam, Hong Kong singer (d. 2002)
- 1951 – William Katt, American actor
- 1952 – Barry Foote, American baseball player
- 1953 – George Martin, English footballer
- 1953 – Lanny McDonald, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1953 – Roberta Williams, American video game designer
- 1954 – Michael Holding, Jamaican West Indies cricketer
- 1954 – Iain Banks, Scottish author
- 1954 – Margaux Hemingway, American actress and model (d. 1996)
- 1955 – Hunt Block, American actor
- 1956 – James Ingram, American singer
- 1956 – Vincent Ward, New Zealand director and screenwriter
- 1957 – LeVar Burton, American actor
- 1958 – Natalie Angier, American journalist and author
- 1958 – Ice-T, American rapper and actor
- 1958 – Lisa Loring, American actress
- 1958 – Oscar Schmidt, Brazilian basketball player
- 1958 – Herb Williams, American basketball player and coach
- 1958 – Michael W. Burns, American politician
- 1959 – John McEnroe, American tennis player
- 1959 – Kelly Tripucka, American basketball player
- 1960 – Pete Willis, English guitarist (Def Leppard)
- 1960 – Cherie Chung, Hong Kong actress
- 1961 – Andy Taylor, English musician (Duran Duran, The Power Station)
- 1961 – Eric Red, American screenwriter and director
- 1961 – LaGaylia Frazier, American-Swedish singer
- 1962 – John Balance, English musician (Coil, Psychic TV) (d. 2004)
- 1963 – Dano Halsall, Swiss swimmer
- 1964 – Bebeto, Brazilian footballer
- 1964 – Christopher Eccleston, English actor
- 1965 – Dave Lombardo, Cuban-born drummer (Slayer)
- 1967 – John Valentin, baseball player
- 1967 – Keith Gretzky, Canadian hockey player
- 1968 – Warren Ellis, British comic writer
- 1969 – David Heath, American professional wrestler
- 1969 – Holly Aird, English actress
- 1970 – Serdar Ortac, Turkish popstar
- 1970 – Angelo Peruzzi, Italian footballer
- 1971 – Amanda Holden, British actress
- 1972 – Jerome Bettis, American football player
- 1972 – Sarah Clarke, American actress
- 1973 – Christian Bassedas, Argentine footballer
- 1973 – Cathy Freeman, Australian athlete
- 1973 – Nikos Kostakis, Greek footballer
- 1973 – Maureen Johnson, American author
- 1974 – Fanis Katergiannakis, Greek footballer
- 1974 – Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, American actor
- 1974 – Johnny Tri Nguyen, Vietnamese-born American stuntman and martial artist
- 1974 – Luis Figueroa, Puerto Rican baseball player
- 1975 – Nanase Aikawa, Japanese singer
- 1975 – Vanina Ickx, Belgian racing driver
- 1975 – Don Jeffcoat, American actor
- 1976 – Eric Byrnes, American baseball player
- 1976 – Kyo, Japanese singer (Dir en grey)
- 1976 – Joe Odagiri, Japanese actor
- 1977 – Brad Walst, American bassist (Three Days Grace)
- 1977 – Paul Brittain, American comedian
- 1977 – Ian Clarke, Irish computer programmer
- 1977 – Ahman Green, American football player
- 1978 – Tia Hellebaut, Belgian athlete
- 1978 – John Tartaglia, Broadway actor and Muppeteer
- 1978 – Wasim Jaffer, Indian cricketer
- 1979 – Valentino Rossi, Italian motorcycle racer
- 1979 – Eric Mun, Korean rapper (Shinhwa)
- 1980 – Agim Kaba, American actor and film producer
- 1980 – Ashley Lelie, American football player
- 1981 – Jay Howard, British racing driver
- 1981 – Jerry Owens, American baseball player
- 1981 – Qyntel Woods, American basketball player
- 1982 – Lupe Fiasco, American hip hop artist
- 1982 – Alemão, Portuguese footballer
- 1983 – Tuomo Ruutu, Finnish ice hockey player
- 1984 – Ous Mellouli, Tunisian swimmer
- 1985 – Zoi Dimoschaki, Greek swimmer
- 1987 – Theresa Goh, Singaporean paralympic swimmer
- 1987 – Hasheem Thabeet, American basketball player
- 1988 – Denílson Pereira Neves, Brazilian footballer
- 1988 – Diego Capel, Spanish footballer
- 1991 – Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg
[edit] Deaths
- 307 – Flavius Valerius Severus, deposed Roman Emperor (murder)
- 1247 – Heinrich Raspe, Landgrave of Thuringia (b. 1204)
- 1279 – King Afonso III of Portugal (b. 1210)
- 1391 – John V Palaeologus, Byzantine Emperor (b. 1332)
- 1531 – Johannes Stöffler, German mathematician and astronomer (b. 1452)
- 1560 – Jean du Bellay, French Catholic cardinal and diplomat
- 1710 – Esprit Fléchier, French writer and Bishop of Nîmes (b. 1632)
- 1721 – James Craggs the Younger, English politician (b. 1686)
- 1754 – Richard Mead, English physician (b. 1673)
- 1820 – Georg Carl von Döbeln, Swedish Lieutenant General and war hero (b. 1758)
- 1844 – Joseph Crosfield, English soap and alkali manufacturer (b. 1792)
- 1898 – Thomas Bracken, New Zealand poet (b. 1843)
- 1899 – Félix Faure, President of France (b. 1841)
- 1907 – Giosuè Carducci, Italian writer, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1835)
- 1912 – St. Nikolai of Japan, Eastern Orthodox priest (b. 1836)
- 1917 – Octave Mirbeau, French writer (b. 1848)
- 1919 – Vera Kholodnaya, Russian film star (b. 1893)
- 1928 – Eddie Foy, American singer and dancer (b. 1856)
- 1932 – Ferdinand Buisson, French pacifist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1841)
- 1932 – Sir Edgar Speyer, American-born British financier and philanthropist (b. 1862)
- 1944 – Henri Nathansen, Danish writer and stage director (b. 1868)
- 1961 – Dazzy Vance, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (b. 1891)
- 1967 – Antonio Moreno, Spanish-born actor (b. 1887)
- 1967 – Smiley Burnette, American actor, singer and songwriter (b. 1911)
- 1974 – John Garand, Canadian rifle engineer and manufacturer (b. 1888)
- 1975 – Morgan Taylor, American athlete (b. 1903)
- 1975 – Norman Treigle, American bass-baritone (b. 1927)
- 1977 – Carlos Pellicer, Mexican poet (b. 1897)
- 1978 – E. Roland Harriman, American financier (b. 1895)
- 1979 – Nematollah Nassiri, executed Iran general/head of SAVAK (b. 1911)
- 1980 – Erich Hückel, German physicist (b. 1895)
- 1984 – M.A.G. Osmani, Supreme Commander of Bangladesh Forces during the Bangladesh Liberation War (b. 1918)
- 1986 – Howard Da Silva, American actor (b. 1909)
- 1988 – Jean Carignan, French Canadian fiddler (b. 1916)
- 1990 – Keith Haring, American artist (b. 1958)
- 1991 – Enrique Bermúdez, Nicaraguan Contra leader (b. 1932)
- 1992 – Angela Carter, English writer (b. 1940)
- 1992 – Jânio Quadros, Brazilian politician (b. 1917)
- 1992 – Herman Wold, Swedish statistician (b. 1908)
- 1996 – Roger Bowen, American actor (b. 1932)
- 1996 – Edmund G. Brown, Governor of California (b. 1905)
- 1996 – Brownie McGhee, American singer (b. 1915)
- 1997 – Chien-Shiung Wu, Chinese-American physicist (b. 1912)
- 1999 – Michael Larson, Press Your Luck Big-winning contestant (b. 1949)
- 2000 – Marceline Day, American actress (b. 1908)
- 2000 – Karsten Solheim, Norwegian-born engineer and inventor (b. 1911)
- 2000 – Lila Kedrova, Russian-born actress (b. 1918)
- 2001 – Bob Buhl, baseball player (b. 1928)
- 2001 – Howard W. Koch, American film director (b. 1916)
- 2001 – William Masters, American gynecologist and sexologist (b. 1915)
- 2002 – Walter Winterbottom, England football manager (b. 1913)
- 2003 – Rusty Magee, American composer (b. 1955)
- 2003 – Eleanor "Sis" Daley, wife of Chicago mayor Richard J. Daley (b. 1907)
- 2004 – Shirley Strickland, Australian athlete (b. 1925)
- 2004 – Doris Troy, American singer (b. 1937)
- 2005 – Nicole DeHuff, American actress (pneumonia) (b. 1975)
- 2005 – Queen Narriman, second and last wife of King Farouk and mother of their only child King Fuad II (b. 1933)
- 2006 – Johnny Grunge, American professional wrestler (b. 1966)
- 2006 – Ernie Stautner, German-born American football player (b. 1925)
- 2009 – Stephen Kim Sou-hwan, Korean Cardinal, Protopriest of the Holy Roman Church (b. 1921)
- 2010 – Wan Chi Keung, Hong Kong soccer player and actor. (b. 1956)
- 2011 – Justinas Marcinkevičius, Lithuanian poet and playwright (b. 1930)
[edit] Holidays and observances
[edit] External links
