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AUGUST 16



Contents
Events
Births
Deaths
Holidays and observances
Liturgical feasts
External links

Events



1513 - Battle of Guinegate (Battle of the Spurs) - King Henry VIII of England defeats French Forces who beat a hasty 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.

1928 - Murderer Carl Panzram is arrested in Washington, DC after killing 20 people.

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.

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.

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.

1969 - Police raid on Spahn Ranch; Charles Manson 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.

1975 - Serial killer Ted Bundy originally arrested for suspicion of burglary, only to later escape twice.

★ 1975 - Peter Gabriel leaves the band Genesis. Over 400 people auditioned to be the new vocalist of Genesis, but the band eventually chose Phil Collins, the drummer, as vocalist.

1984 - Carmaker John De Lorean is acquitted of all eight counts of possessing and distributing cocaine.

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)

1557 - Agostino Carracci, Italian artist (d. 1602)

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)

1815 - John Bosco, Italian priest and educator (d. 1888)

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, Quebec actor

1948 - Mike Jorgensen, American baseball player

★ 1948 - Pierre Reid, Quebec 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

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 - Saif Ali Khan, Indian actor

1971 - Stefan Klos, German footballer

1972 - Stan Lazaridis, Australian soccer player

★ 1972 - Emily Robison, American country singer, instrumentalist and songwriter (Dixie Chicks)

1973 - Damian Jackson, American baseball player

1974 - Krisztina Egerszegi, Hungarian swimmer

★ 1974 - Iván Hurtado, Ecuadorian footballer

★ 1974 - Roger Cedeño, Venezuelan baseball player

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

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

1991 - Evanna Lynch, Irish actress

★ 1991 - Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse, Canadian actress

2006 - Princess Luisa of Savoy

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 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 - 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)

Holidays and observances



Palio dell'Assunta in Siena (on the day after the Assumption of Mary)

Bennington Battle Day: legal holiday in Vermont, USA, for the Battle of Bennington in 1777 (which actually took place in the state of New York)

Roman Empire - Portunalia in honor of Portunes.
Liturgical feasts


Eastern Orthodox: commemoration of the translation of the Acheiropoietos icon which means "Not made by hands", (also known as the ''Mandelion''; now lost) from Edessa to Constantinople on 16 August 944
RC saints:

Saint Arnulph, bishop of Metz, Soissons, confessor [common]

Saint Balsemius, martyr [Troyes]

★ Translation ('vorheving') of Saint Bernward, bishop of Hildesheim, (deposition alse he starff) [Hildesheim]

★ Translation of Saint Brinolph, bishop of Skara [Skara]

Saint Eonius, bishop of Arles [Arles]

Saint Frambald, abbot, confessor [Senlis]

Saint Hyacinth, confessor [Dominicans]

★ Translation of Saint Maurilius, bishop of Angers, confessor [Angers]

Saint Audomar, bishop of Thérouanne [Paris]

Saint Roch, confessor (helps against plague and skin diseases), patron saint of pilgrims, plague victims, and dogs

Saint Simplician, bishop

Saint Stephen I of Hungary

Saint Anne, Mother of Mary [Münster, Osnabrück]

External links



BBC: On This Day



On This Day in Canada
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