October 16 is the 289th day of the year (290th in Leap years ). There are 76 days remaining.
Events
400-1899 456 - Magister militum Ricimer defeats the Roman Emperor Avitus at Piacenza and becomes master of the western Roman Empire 1775 - Portland, Maine burned by the British 1781 - George Washington captures Yorktown, Virginia 1793 - Marie Antoinette , daughter of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria , and wife of Louis XVI and hence Queen Consort of France , was guillotined at the height of the French Revolution . 1793 - Battle of Wattignies 1813 - The Sixth Coalition attacked Napoleon Bonaparte in the Battle of Leipzig , on their way to an invasion of France to restore the House of Bourbon to the French throne . 1834 - Much of the ancient structures of the Palace of Westminster in London is burnt down 1859 - John Brown leads raid on Harper's Ferry, West Virginia 1869 - Cardiff Giant , one of the most famous American hoaxes, discovered. 1869 - England 's first residential college for women, Girton College , is founded in Cambridge . 1882 - The Nickel Plate Railroad opens for business.
1900-1999 1906 - The Captain of Köpenick fools the city hall of Köpenick and several soldiers by impersonating a Prussian officer. 1912 - Bulgarian pilots Radul Minkov and Prodan Toprakchiev perform the first bombing with an airplane in history at the railway station of Karaagac near Edirne against Turkey . 1934 - Chinese Communists under Mao Zedong begin their Long March 1940 - Benjamin O. Davis Sr. named first African American general in the United States Army 1940 - Warsaw ghetto was established 1946 - Ten war criminals of the Second World War , condemned in the Nuremberg trials were hanged. 1949 - Nikos Zakhiariadis, leader of the Communist Party of Greece , announced a "temporary cease-fire to prevent the complete annihilation of Greece", effectively marking the end of the Greek Civil War . 1951 - The first Prime Minister of Pakistan , Liaquat Ali Khan , is assassinated in Rawalpindi 1964 - People's Republic of China detonates its first nuclear weapon 1968 - US-American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos are kicked out of the USA's team for performing a raised-fist Black Power salute during the 200m dash medal ceremony. 1968 - Kingston, Jamaica is rocked by the Rodney Riots , inspired by the barring of Walter Rodney from the country. 1970 - Anwar Sadat elected President of Egypt 1970 - Canada - In response to the October Crisis terrorist kidnapping, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau invoked the War Measures Act imposing martial law . 1973 - Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 1975 - The Balibo Five , a group of Australian television journalists based in the town of Balibo in the then Portuguese Timor (now East Timor ), were killed by Indonesian troops. 1978 - Karol Józef Wojtyła becomes Pope John Paul II 1984 - Desmond Tutu awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 1991 - George Hennard runs amok in Killeen , Texas , killing 23 and wounding 19 in Luby's Cafeteria. 1992 - Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson files a 1.4 million USD lawsuit against French tabloids for running topless photos taken of her on the French Riviera , including some of Texas millionaire John Bryan suckling on her toes. 1995 - The Million Man March occurs in Washington, DC . 1996 - 84 are killed and more than 180 injured as 47,000 soccer fans attempt to squeeze into the 36,000-seat Mateo Flores Stadium in Guatemala City .
2000-2099
Births
1400-1899 1430 - James II of Scotland (d. 1460 ) 1483 - Gasparo Contarini , Italian diplomat and cardinal (d. 1542 ) 1535 - Niwa Nagahide , Japanese retainer, samurai, and daimyo (d. 1585 ) 1663 - Eugene of Savoy , general of the Austrian army. 1714 - Giovanni Arduino , geologist (d. 1795 ) 1758 - Noah Webster , American lexicographer 1815 - Francis Lubbock , Governor of Texas (d. 1905 ) 1840 - Kuroda Kiyotaka , Japanese politician and prime minister (d. 1900 ) 1854 - Oscar Wilde , Irish writer (d. 1900 ) 1861 - J. B. Bury , historian (d. 1927 ) 1878 - Maxey Long , American athlete 1886 - David Ben-Gurion , first Prime Minister of Israel (d. 1973 ) 1888 - Eugene O'Neill , American playwright (d. 1953 ) 1890 - Michael Collins , Irish patriot (d. 1922 ) 1890 - Paul Strand , photographer 1898 - William O. Douglas , justice of the United States Supreme Court (d. 1980 )
1900-1999 1900 - Primo Conti , Futurist painter 1914 - Zahir Shah , King of Afghanistan 1925 - Angela Lansbury , actress 1927 - Günter Grass , German novelist 1931 - Charles Colson , Watergate scandal conspirator 1936 - Andrei Chikatilo , Russian serial killer 1940 - Barry Corbin , actor 1940 - Dave DeBusschere , NBA basketball player (d. 2003 ) 1941 - Tim McCarver , baseball star, commentator 1946 - Suzanne Somers , actress 1947 - Bob Weir , musician (The Grateful Dead ) 1947 - Terry Griffiths , Welsh snooker player 1952 - Boogie Mosson , musician (P Funk ) 1952 - Ron Taylor , American actor (d. 2002 ) 1958 - Tim Robbins , American actor, director, writer 1959 - Gary Kemp , musician, actor 1962 - Flea , bassist (Red Hot Chili Peppers ) 1965 - Steve Lamacq , journalist and BBC radio DJ 1974 - Paul Kariya , hockey star 1977 - John Mayer , musician 1980 - Sue Bird , WNBA basketball star
Deaths
1500-1899
1900-1999 1946 - Hans Frank , German war criminal 1946 - Wilhelm Frick , German war criminal 1946 - Alfred Jodl , German military officer 1946 - Ernst Kaltenbrunner , Austrian SS officer 1946 - Wilhelm Keitel , German military officer 1946 - Joachim von Ribbentrop , German politician 1946 - Alfred Rosenberg , Nazi ideologist 1946 - Fritz Sauckel , German war criminal 1946 - Arthur Seyss-Inquart , Austrian Nazi leader, governor of The Netherlands during the German occupation (1940-1945). 1946 - Julius Streicher , German propagandist 1951 - Liaquat Ali Khan , first Prime Minister of Pakistan 1959 - George C. Marshall , general, United States Secretary of State 1972 - Hale Boggs , Congressman from Louisiana 1972 - Leo G. Carroll , actor 1973 - Gene Krupa , musician 1978 - Dan Dailey , actor 1981 - Moshe Dayan , Israeli general 1983 - Jakov Gotovac , Croatian composer 1986 - Arthur Grumiaux , Belgian violinist (b. 1921 ) 1989 - Cornel Wilde , actor 1990 - Art Blakey , jazz drummer 1992 - Shirley Booth , actress 1997 - James Michener , American writer 1998 - Jon Postel , American Internet pioneer 1999 - Jean Shepherd , writer, actor
2000-2099
Holidays
Links to dates and months October 15 - October 17 - September 16 - November 16 - more historical anniversaries