On This Day — February 16

🕰️ Notable Events on February 16

• 2013 — A bomb blast at a market in Hazara Town, Quetta, Pakistan kills more than 80 people and injures 190 others. Wikipedia ↗
• 2006 — The last Mobile army surgical hospital (MASH) is decommissioned by the United States Army. Wikipedia ↗
• 2005 — The Kyoto Protocol comes into force, following its ratification by Russia. Wikipedia ↗
• 2005 — The National Hockey League cancels the entire 2004-05 regular season and playoffs. Wikipedia ↗
• 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 seven more on the ground. Wikipedia ↗
• 1996 — A Chicago-bound Amtrak train, the Capitol Limited, collides with a MARC commuter train bound for Washington, D.C., killing 11 people. Wikipedia ↗
• 1991 — Nicaraguan Contras leader Enrique Bermúdez is assassinated in Managua. Wikipedia ↗
• 1987 — The trial of John Demjanjuk, accused of being a Nazi guard dubbed "Ivan the Terrible" in Treblinka extermination camp, starts in Jerusalem. Wikipedia ↗
• 1986 — The Soviet liner MS Mikhail Lermontov runs aground in the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand. Wikipedia ↗
• 1985 — Hezbollah is founded. Wikipedia ↗
• 1983 — The Ash Wednesday bushfires in Victoria and South Australia kill 75. Wikipedia ↗
• 1978 — The first computer bulletin board system is created (CBBS in Chicago). Wikipedia ↗
• 1968 — In Haleyville, Alabama, the first 9-1-1 emergency telephone system goes into service. Wikipedia ↗
• 1962 — Flooding in the coastal areas of West Germany kills 315 and destroys the homes of about 60,000 people. Wikipedia ↗
• 1961 — Explorer program: Explorer 9 (S-56a) is launched. Wikipedia ↗
• 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. Wikipedia ↗
• 1959 — Fidel Castro becomes Premier of Cuba after dictator Fulgencio Batista was overthrown on January 1. Wikipedia ↗
• 1945 — World War II: American forces land on Corregidor Island in the Philippines. Wikipedia ↗
• 1943 — World War II: In the early phases of the Third Battle of Kharkov, Red Army troops re-enter the city. Wikipedia ↗
• 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. Wikipedia ↗
• 1937 — Wallace H. Carothers receives a United States patent for nylon. Wikipedia ↗
• 1936 — Elections bring the Popular Front to power in Spain. Wikipedia ↗
• 1934 — The Austrian Civil War ends with the defeat of the Social Democrats and the Republikanischer Schutzbund. Wikipedia ↗
• 1933 — The Blaine Act ends Prohibition in the United States. Wikipedia ↗
• 1930 — The Romanian Football Federation joins FIFA. Wikipedia ↗
• 1923 — Howard Carter unseals the burial chamber of Pharaoh Tutankhamun. Wikipedia ↗
• 1918 — The Council of Lithuania unanimously adopts the Act of Independence, declaring Lithuania an independent state. Wikipedia ↗
• 1899 — Iceland's first football club, Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur, is founded. Wikipedia ↗
• 1881 — The Canadian Pacific Railway is incorporated by Act of Parliament at Ottawa (44th Vic., c.1). Wikipedia ↗
• 1874 — Silver Dollar becomes legal US tender. Wikipedia ↗
• 1866 — Spencer Compton Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington becomes British Secretary of State for War. Wikipedia ↗
• 1862 — American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant captures Fort Donelson, Tennessee. Wikipedia ↗
• 1852 — Studebaker Brothers wagon company, precursor of the automobile manufacturer, is established. Wikipedia ↗
• 1804 — First Barbary War: Stephen Decatur leads a raid to burn the pirate-held frigate USS Philadelphia. Wikipedia ↗
• 1742 — Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington, becomes British Prime Minister. Wikipedia ↗
• 1699 — First Leopoldine Diploma is issued by the Holy Roman Emperor, recognizing the Greek Catholic clergy enjoyed the same privileges as Roman Catholic priests in the Principality of Transylvania. Wikipedia ↗
• 1646 — Battle of Torrington, Devon: The last major battle of the first English Civil War. Wikipedia ↗
• 1630 — Dutch forces led by Hendrick Lonck capture Olinda in what was to become part of Dutch Brazil. Wikipedia ↗
• 1270 — Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeats the Livonian Order in the Battle of Karuse. Wikipedia ↗
• 1249 — Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khagan of the Mongol Empire. Wikipedia ↗
• 116 — Emperor Trajan sends laureatae to the Roman Senate at Rome on account of his victories and being conqueror of Parthia. Wikipedia ↗

🎂 Notable Births on February 16

• 1997 — Pardeep Narwal, Indian Kabaddi athlete Wikipedia ↗
• 1995 — Katy Dunne, English tennis player Wikipedia ↗
• 1995 — Carina Witthöft, German tennis player Wikipedia ↗
• 1994 — Annika Beck, German tennis player Wikipedia ↗
• 1994 — Federico Bernardeschi, Italian footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1992 — Nicolai Boilesen, Danish footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1992 — Zsófia Susányi, Hungarian tennis player Wikipedia ↗
• 1991 — Sergio Canales, Spanish footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1990 — Dunamis Lui, Australian-Samoan rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
• 1990 — The Weeknd, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer Wikipedia ↗
• 1989 — Elizabeth Olsen, American actress Wikipedia ↗
• 1988 — Diego Capel, Spanish footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1988 — Zhang Jike, Chinese table tennis player Wikipedia ↗
• 1988 — Denílson Pereira Neves, Brazilian footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1988 — Andrea Ranocchia, Italian footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1988 — Kim Soo-hyun, South Korean actor and singer Wikipedia ↗
• 1987 — Luc Bourdon, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2008) Wikipedia ↗
• 1987 — Theresa Goh, Singaporean swimmer Wikipedia ↗
• 1987 — Hasheem Thabeet, Tanzanian basketball player Wikipedia ↗
• 1985 — Simon Francis, English footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1985 — Stacy Lewis, American golfer Wikipedia ↗
• 1985 — Ron Vlaar, Dutch footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1984 — Sofia Arvidsson, Swedish tennis player Wikipedia ↗
• 1984 — Oussama Mellouli, Tunisian swimmer Wikipedia ↗
• 1983 — Agyness Deyn, English model, actress, and singer Wikipedia ↗
• 1982 — Aleksandr Dmitrijev, Estonian footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1982 — Rickie Lambert, English footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1982 — Lupe Fiasco, American rapper Wikipedia ↗
• 1981 — Jay Howard, English race car driver Wikipedia ↗
• 1981 — Jerry Owens, American baseball player Wikipedia ↗
• 1981 — Qyntel Woods, American basketball player Wikipedia ↗
• 1980 — Longineu W. Parsons III, French-American drummer Wikipedia ↗
• 1979 — Eric Mun, American-South Korean singer and actor Wikipedia ↗
• 1979 — Valentino Rossi, Italian motorcycle racer Wikipedia ↗
• 1978 — Tia Hellebaut, Belgian high jumper and chemist Wikipedia ↗
• 1978 — Wasim Jaffer, Indian cricketer Wikipedia ↗
• 1978 — John Tartaglia, American actor, singer, and puppeteer Wikipedia ↗
• 1977 — Ian Clarke, Irish-American computer scientist, founded Freenet Wikipedia ↗
• 1977 — Ahman Green, American football player Wikipedia ↗
• 1976 — Eric Byrnes, American baseball player and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
• 1976 — Kyo, Japanese singer-songwriter and producer Wikipedia ↗
• 1974 — Mahershala Ali, actor Wikipedia ↗
• 1973 — Cathy Freeman, Australian sprinter Wikipedia ↗
• 1972 — Jerome Bettis, American football player and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
• 1972 — Zoran Čampara, Bosnian football player Wikipedia ↗
• 1972 — Sarah Clarke, American actress Wikipedia ↗
• 1972 — Naomi Nishida, Japanese actress Wikipedia ↗
• 1972 — Darrell Trindall, Australian rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
• 1971 — Craig Laundy, Australian politician Wikipedia ↗
• 1968 — Warren Ellis, English author and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
• 1967 — Keith Gretzky, Canadian ice hockey player and coach Wikipedia ↗
• 1965 — Dave Lombardo, Cuban American drummer Wikipedia ↗
• 1964 — Bebeto, Brazilian footballer and manager Wikipedia ↗
• 1964 — Christopher Eccleston, English actor Wikipedia ↗
• 1962 — John Balance, English singer-songwriter (d. 2004) Wikipedia ↗
• 1961 — Des Hasler, Australian rugby league player and coach Wikipedia ↗
• 1961 — Liu Kang, Chinese footballer and manager (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
• 1961 — Andy Taylor, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer Wikipedia ↗
• 1960 — Pete Willis, English guitarist and songwriter Wikipedia ↗
• 1959 — John McEnroe, German-American tennis player and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
• 1959 — Kelly Tripucka, American basketball player and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
• 1958 — Natalie Angier, American author Wikipedia ↗
• 1958 — Ice-T, American rapper and actor Wikipedia ↗
• 1958 — Oscar Schmidt, Brazilian basketball player Wikipedia ↗
• 1958 — Herb Williams, American basketball player and coach Wikipedia ↗
• 1957 — LeVar Burton, German-American actor, director, and producer Wikipedia ↗
• 1956 — Vincent Ward, New Zealand director and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
• 1954 — Iain Banks, Scottish author and playwright (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
• 1954 — Margaux Hemingway, American model and actress (d. 1996) Wikipedia ↗
• 1954 — Michael Holding, Jamaican cricketer and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
• 1953 — John Bradbury, English drummer, songwriter, and producer (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
• 1953 — Lanny McDonald, Canadian ice hockey player and manager Wikipedia ↗
• 1953 — Roberta Williams, American video game designer, co-founded Sierra Entertainment Wikipedia ↗
• 1952 — William Katt, American actor, director, and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
• 1952 — James Ingram, American singer-songwriter and producer Wikipedia ↗
• 1951 — Barry Foote, American baseball player and coach Wikipedia ↗
• 1950 — Peter Hain, Kenyan-Welsh politician, Secretary of State for Wales Wikipedia ↗
• 1949 — Bob O'Reilly, Australian rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
• 1948 — Kaiketsu Masateru, Japanese sumo wrestler and coach (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
• 1944 — Glyn Davies, Welsh farmer and politician Wikipedia ↗
• 1944 — Richard Ford, American novelist and short story writer Wikipedia ↗
• 1944 — António Mascarenhas Monteiro, Cape Verdean politician, 2nd President of Cape Verde (d. 2016) Wikipedia ↗
• 1942 — Richard Williams, American tennis player and coach Wikipedia ↗
• 1941 — Kim Jong-il, North Korean commander and politician, 2nd Supreme Leader of North Korea (d. 2011) Wikipedia ↗
• 1940 — Hannelore Schmatz, German mountaineer (d. 1979) Wikipedia ↗
• 1939 — Adolfo Azcuna, Filipino lawyer and judge Wikipedia ↗
• 1938 — John Corigliano, American composer and academic Wikipedia ↗
• 1937 — Paul Bailey, British novelist, critic, and biographer Wikipedia ↗
• 1937 — Yuri Manin, Russian-German mathematician and academic Wikipedia ↗
• 1935 — Kenneth Price, American painter and sculptor (d. 2012) Wikipedia ↗
• 1935 — Brian Bedford, English-American actor and director (d. 2016) Wikipedia ↗
• 1935 — Sonny Bono, American actor, singer, and politician (d. 1998) Wikipedia ↗
• 1935 — Stephen Gaskin, American activist, co-founded The Farm (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
• 1935 — Bradford Parkinson, American colonel and engineer Wikipedia ↗
• 1934 — August Coppola, American author and academic (d. 2009) Wikipedia ↗
• 1934 — Marlene Hagge, American golfer Wikipedia ↗
• 1932 — Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, Sierra Leonean economist, lawyer, and politician, 3rd President of Sierra Leone (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
• 1932 — Gretchen Wyler, American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2007) Wikipedia ↗
• 1931 — Otis Blackwell, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2002) Wikipedia ↗
• 1931 — Ken Takakura, Japanese actor and singer (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
• 1929 — Gerhard Hanappi, Austrian footballer and architect (d. 1980) Wikipedia ↗
• 1929 — Peter Porter, Australian-English poet and educator (d. 2010) Wikipedia ↗
• 1927 — June Brown, English actress Wikipedia ↗
• 1926 — Margot Frank, German-Dutch holocaust victim (d. 1945) Wikipedia ↗
• 1926 — John Schlesinger, English actor and director (d. 2003) Wikipedia ↗
• 1923 — Samuel Willenberg, Polish-Israeli sculptor and painter (d. 2016) Wikipedia ↗
• 1922 — Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, German soldier and pilot (d. 1950) Wikipedia ↗
• 1921 — Vera-Ellen, German-American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 1981) Wikipedia ↗
• 1921 — Jean Behra, French race car driver (d. 1959) Wikipedia ↗
• 1921 — John Galbraith Graham, English priest and academic (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
• 1920 — Anna Mae Hays, American general Wikipedia ↗
• 1919 — Georges Ulmer, Danish-French actor and composer (d. 1989) Wikipedia ↗
• 1916 — Bill Doggett, African-American pianist and composer (d. 1996) Wikipedia ↗
• 1914 — Jimmy Wakely, American country music singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1982) Wikipedia ↗
• 1909 — Hugh Beaumont, American actor and director (d. 1982) Wikipedia ↗
• 1909 — Jeffrey Lynn, American actor (d. 1995) Wikipedia ↗
• 1909 — Richard McDonald, Irish-American businessman, co-founded McDonald's (d. 1998) Wikipedia ↗
• 1906 — Vera Menchik, Russian-English chess player (d. 1944) Wikipedia ↗
• 1904 — James Baskett, African-American actor and singer (d. 1948) Wikipedia ↗
• 1904 — George F. Kennan, Scotch-Irish American historian and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union (d. 2005) Wikipedia ↗
• 1903 — Edgar Bergen, Swedish-American ventriloquist and actor (d. 1978) Wikipedia ↗
• 1902 — Cyril Vincent, South African cricketer (d. 1968) Wikipedia ↗
• 1901 — Wayne King, American singer-songwriter and conductor (d. 1985) Wikipedia ↗
• 1901 — Chester Morris, American actor (d. 1970) Wikipedia ↗
• 1898 — Katharine Cornell, American actress and producer (d. 1974) Wikipedia ↗
• 1896 — Eugénie Blanchard, French super-centenarian (d. 2010) Wikipedia ↗
• 1891 — Hans F. K. Günther, German eugenicist and academic (d. 1967) Wikipedia ↗
• 1887 — Kathleen Clifford, American actress (d. 1962) Wikipedia ↗
• 1884 — Robert J. Flaherty, German-Irish American director and producer (d. 1951) Wikipedia ↗
• 1878 — Pamela Colman Smith, English occultist and illustrator (d. 1951) Wikipedia ↗
• 1878 — James Colosimo, Italian-American mob boss (d. 1920) Wikipedia ↗
• 1876 — G. M. Trevelyan, English historian and academic (d. 1962) Wikipedia ↗
• 1873 — Radoje Domanović, Serbian journalist and author (d. 1908) Wikipedia ↗
• 1868 — Edward S. Curtis, American ethnologist and photographer (d. 1952) Wikipedia ↗
• 1866 — Billy Hamilton, American baseball player and manager (d. 1940) Wikipedia ↗
• 1856 — Ossian Everett Mills, American academic, founded Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (d. 1920) Wikipedia ↗
• 1848 — Hugo de Vries, Dutch botanist, geneticist, and academic (d. 1935) Wikipedia ↗
• 1848 — Octave Mirbeau, French journalist, novelist, and playwright (d. 1917) Wikipedia ↗
• 1845 — George Kennan, American journalist and explorer (d. 1924) Wikipedia ↗
• 1843 — Henry M. Leland, American engineer and businessman, founded Cadillac and Lincoln (d. 1932) Wikipedia ↗
• 1838 — Henry Adams, American journalist, historian, and author (d. 1918) Wikipedia ↗
• 1834 — Ernst Haeckel, German biologist, physician, and philosopher (d. 1919) Wikipedia ↗
• 1831 — Nikolai Leskov, Russian author, playwright, and journalist (d. 1895) Wikipedia ↗
• 1826 — Joseph Victor von Scheffel, German poet and author (d. 1886) Wikipedia ↗
• 1824 — Peter Kosler, Slovenian lawyer, geographer, and cartographer (d. 1879) Wikipedia ↗
• 1822 — Francis Galton, English biologist and statistician (d. 1911) Wikipedia ↗
• 1821 — Heinrich Barth, German explorer and scholar (d. 1865) Wikipedia ↗
• 1812 — Henry Wilson, American colonel and politician, 18th Vice President of the United States (d. 1875) Wikipedia ↗
• 1804 — Karl Theodor Ernst von Siebold, German physiologist and zoologist (d. 1885) Wikipedia ↗
• 1802 — Phineas Quimby, American mystic and philosopher (d. 1866) Wikipedia ↗
• 1786 — Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia (d. 1859) Wikipedia ↗
• 1774 — Pierre Rode, French violinist and composer (d. 1830) Wikipedia ↗
• 1761 — Jean-Charles Pichegru, French general (d. 1804) Wikipedia ↗
• 1740 — Giambattista Bodoni, Italian publisher and engraver (d. 1813) Wikipedia ↗
• 1727 — Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin, Austrian botanist, chemist, and mycologist (d. 1817) Wikipedia ↗
• 1698 — Pierre Bouguer, French mathematician, geophysicist, and astronomer (d. 1758) Wikipedia ↗
• 1643 — John Sharp, English archbishop (d. 1714) Wikipedia ↗
• 1620 — Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg (d. 1688) Wikipedia ↗
• 1543 — Kanō Eitoku, Japanese painter and educator (d. 1590) Wikipedia ↗

📅 National Days on February 16 (Calendar.cx)

Also observed on February 16

🏛️ Public Holidays

US: Washington's Birthday, US: Presidents Day Also in: Carnival (AR,BR,VE) · Lunes de Carnaval (AR,VE) · Family Day (CA) · Giao thừa Tết Nguyên Đán (VN) · Heritage Day (CA) · Islander Day (CA) · Louis Riel Day (CA) · Lunar New Year (KR) · 农历除夕 (CN) · 農曆除夕 (TW)