Today in History – August 16 in History
What happened on this day in history – August 16 in History around the world
1513 | Henry VIII of England and Emperor Maximilian defeat the French at Guinegatte, France, in the Battle of the Spurs. | |
1777 | France declares a state of bankruptcy. | |
1780 | American troops are badly defeated by the British at the Battle of Camden, South Carolina. | |
1812 | American General William Hull surrenders Detroit without resistance to a smaller British force under General Issac Brock. | |
1858 | U.S. President James Buchanan and Britain’s Queen Victoria exchange messages inaugurating the first transatlantic telegraph line. | |
1861 | Union and Confederate forces clash near Fredericktown and Kirkville, Missouri. | |
1863 | Union General William S. Rosecrans moves his army south from Tullahoma, Tennessee to attack Confederate forces in Chattanooga. | |
1896 | Gold is discovered in the Klondike of Canada’s Yukon Territory, setting off the Klondike Gold Rush. | |
1914 | Liege, Belgium, falls to the German army. | |
1945 | Lieutenant General Jonathan Wainwright, who was taken prisoner by the Japanese on Corregidor on May 6, 1942, is released from a POW camp in Manchuria by U.S. troops. | |
1965 | The Watts riots end in south-central Los Angeles after six days. | |
1977 | Elvis Presley dies of a heart attack in the upstairs bedroom suite area of his Graceland Mansion in Memphis, Tennessee. | |
1984 | The safe of the sunken ocean liner Andrea Doria is opened on TV after three decades, revealing cash and certificates but no other valuables. | |
1986 | Sudanese rebels shoot down a Sudanese Airways plane, killing 57 people. | |
1987 | Astrological alignment of sun, moon and six planets marks what believers maintain is the dawning of a New Age. | |
1988 | IBM introduces artificial intelligence software. | |
1990 | Iraq orders 2,500 Americans and 4,000 British nationals in Kuwait to Iraq, in the aftermath of Iraq’s invasion of that country. | |
2012 | In South Africa police fire on striking mine workers, killing at least 34. | |
Born on August 16 | ||
1645 | Jean de la Bruyere, French writer and moralist famous for his work Characters of Theophratus. | |
1868 | Bernard McFadden, publisher responsible for the magazine True Story. | |
1913 | Menachem Begin, Israeli statesman and Nobel Peace Prize recipient. | |
1920 | Charles Bukowski, poet and novelist. | |
1929 | Bill Evans, jazz pianist. | |
1930 | Ted Hughes, English poet. | |
1940 | Bruce Beresford, Australian film director whose films include Breaker Morant and Driving Miss Daisy. | |
1945 | Suzanne Farrel, ballerina. | |
1958 | Madonna [Louise Veronica Ciccone], entertainer and singer. | |
1960 | Timothy Hutton, youngest actor ever to receive an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor (Ordinary People). | |
1962 | Steve Carell, actor and comedian (The Daily Show with John Stewart, The Office, Evan Almighty). | |
1967 | Ulrika Jonsson, Swedish-born actress, model and UK television personality. | |
1972 | Emily Robison, singer, musician, songwriter, member of the bestselling Country group Dixie Chicks. |