1520
506 years ago
UK story
A revolt of citizens in Toledo, Castile, opposed to the rule of the foreign-born Charles I began when the royal government attempted to unseat radical city councilors.
On this day: 16 April
134 things happened on 16 April, from 1,457 BC to 2024. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
In the UK 5
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
1746
280 years ago
UK story
The Battle of Culloden is fought between the French-supported Jacobites and the British Hanoverian forces commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, in Scotland.
1853
173 years ago
UK story
The Great Indian Peninsula Railway opens the first passenger rail in India, from Bori Bunder to Thane.
1858
168 years ago
UK story
The Wernerian Natural History Society, a former Scottish learned society, is dissolved.
1941
85 years ago
UK story
World War II: The Italian-German Tarigo convoy is attacked and destroyed by British ships.
Around the world 31
1,457 BC
3,482 years ago
Battle of Megiddo: The first battle to have been recorded in what is accepted as relatively reliable detail.
AD 73
1,953 years ago
Masada, a Jewish fortress, falls to the Romans after several months of siege, ending the First Jewish–Roman War.
AD 556
1,470 years ago
Emperor Justinian I approved and consecrated Pope Pelagius I.
AD 682
1,344 years ago
Pope Leo II is elected head of the Catholic Church, although he will not be consecrated until 17 August.
1346
680 years ago
Stefan Dušan, "the Mighty", is crowned Emperor of the Serbs at Skopje, his empire occupying much of the Balkans.
1582
444 years ago
Spanish conquistador Hernando de Lerma founds the settlement of Salta, Argentina.
1780
246 years ago
Franz Friedrich Wilhelm von Fürstenberg founds the University of Münster.
1799
227 years ago
French Revolutionary Wars: Severely outnumbered French forces repulsed an Ottoman attack at the Battle of Mount Tabor in present-day Israel.
1818
208 years ago
The United States Senate ratifies the Rush–Bagot Treaty, limiting naval armaments on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain.
1838
188 years ago
The French Army captures Veracruz in the Pastry War.
1862
164 years ago
American Civil War: Battle at Lee's Mills in Virginia.
1862
164 years ago
Slavery in Washington, D.C., ended when the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act became law.
1863
163 years ago
American Civil War: During the Vicksburg Campaign, gunboats commanded by acting Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter run downriver past Confederate artillery batteries at Vicksburg.
1878
148 years ago
The Senate of the Grand Duchy of Finland issues a declaration establishing a city of Kotka on the southern part islands from the old Kymi parish.
1908
118 years ago
Natural Bridges National Monument is established in Utah.
1910
116 years ago
The oldest indoor ice hockey arena used for the sport in the 21st century, Boston Arena, opens for the first time.
1912
114 years ago
American pilot Harriet Quimby (pictured) became the first woman to fly across the English Channel.
1917
109 years ago
Russian Revolution: Vladimir Lenin returns to Petrograd, Russia, from exile in Switzerland.
1917
109 years ago
World War I: Several French army corps began a massive assault against the German-occupied Chemin des Dames ridge, south of Laon, France.
1919
107 years ago
Polish–Soviet War: The Polish army launched the Vilna offensive to capture Vilnius (now in Lithuania) from the Red Army.
1922
104 years ago
The Treaty of Rapallo, pursuant to which Germany and the Soviet Union re-establish diplomatic relations, is signed.
1945
81 years ago
World War II: The Red Army begins the final assault on German forces around Berlin, with nearly one million troops fighting in the Battle of the Seelow Heights.
1947
79 years ago
American financier and presidential adviser Bernard Baruch first described the post–World War II tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States as a "cold war".
1948
78 years ago
The Organisation for European Economic Co-operation, headquartered in Paris, was founded.
1961
65 years ago
In a nationally broadcast speech, Cuban leader Fidel Castro declares that he is a Marxist–Leninist and that Cuba is going to adopt Communism.
1963
63 years ago
In response to an open letter written by white clergymen, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the Letter from Birmingham Jail in defence of the strategy of nonviolent resistance against racism.
1972
54 years ago
Apollo program: The launch of Apollo 16 from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
2001
25 years ago
India and Bangladesh began a six-day conflict over their disputed border, which ended in a stalemate.
2003
23 years ago
The Treaty of Accession is signed in Athens admitting ten new member states to the European Union.
2012
14 years ago
The Pulitzer Prize winners are announced. It was the first time since 1977 that no book won the Fiction Prize.
2024
2 years ago
The historic Børsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, is severely damaged by a fire.
Quick quiz
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
-
In which year did this happen: “A revolt of citizens in Toledo, Castile, opposed to the rule of the”?
- 1520
- 1746
- 1921
Show the answer
A: 1520. 1520 — that’s 506 years ago. Find it on the page
-
In which year was Charlie Chaplin born?
- 1889
- 1987
- 1984
Show the answer
A: 1889. 1889 — that’s 137 years ago. Find it on the page
-
Which of these happened first?
- A revolt of citizens in Toledo, Castile, opposed to the rule of the
- The Battle of Culloden is fought between the French-supported Jacobites and
- The Great Indian Peninsula Railway opens the first passenger rail in India
Show the answer
A: A revolt of citizens in Toledo, Castile, opposed to the rule of the. 1520: A revolt of citizens in Toledo, Castile, opposed to the rule of the · 1746: The Battle of Culloden is fought between the French-supported Jacobites and · 1853: The Great Indian Peninsula Railway opens the first passenger rail in India Find it on the page
-
“The Battle of Culloden is fought between the French-supported Jacobites and” happened in 1746. How many years ago was that?
- 280 years
- 270 years
- 290 years
Show the answer
A: 280 years. 2026 − 1746 = 280. Find it on the page
Born on this day 39
Famous people whose birthday is 16 April.
- 1889 Charlie Chaplin — English actor, director, producer, screenwriter, and composer (died 1977) UK Read more about Charlie Chaplin on Wikipedia
- 1927 Pope Benedict XVI Read more about Pope Benedict XVI on Wikipedia
- 1844 Anatole France — French journalist, novelist, and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1924) Read more about Anatole France on Wikipedia
- 1921 Peter Ustinov — English actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2004) UK Read more about Peter Ustinov on Wikipedia
- 1971 Selena — American singer-songwriter, actress, and fashion designer (died 1995) Read more about Selena on Wikipedia
- 1867 Wilbur Wright — American inventor (died 1912) Read more about Wilbur Wright on Wikipedia
- 1940 Margrethe II Read more about Margrethe II on Wikipedia
- 1996 Anya Taylor-Joy — Argentine-British actress UK Read more about Anya Taylor-Joy on Wikipedia
- 1728 Joseph Black — French-Scottish physician and chemist (died 1799) UK Read more about Joseph Black on Wikipedia
- 1922 Kingsley Amis — English novelist, poet, and critic (died 1995) UK Read more about Kingsley Amis on Wikipedia
- 1871 John Millington Synge — Irish author, poet, and playwright (died 1909) UK Read more about John Millington Synge on Wikipedia
- 1984 Claire Foy — English actress UK Read more about Claire Foy on Wikipedia
- 1987 Aaron Lennon — English international footballer UK Read more about Aaron Lennon on Wikipedia
- 1939 Dusty Springfield — English singer and record producer (died 1999) UK Read more about Dusty Springfield on Wikipedia
- 1973 Akon — Senegalese-American singer, rapper and songwriter Read more about Akon on Wikipedia
- 1786 John Franklin — English admiral and politician, fourth Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen's Land (died 1847) UK Read more about John Franklin on Wikipedia
- 1947 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — American basketball player and coach Read more about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Wikipedia
- 1947 Gerry Rafferty — Scottish singer-songwriter (died 2011) UK Read more about Gerry Rafferty on Wikipedia
- 1660 Hans Sloane — Irish-English physician and academic (died 1753) UK Read more about Hans Sloane on Wikipedia
- 1821 Ford Madox Brown — French-English soldier and painter (died 1893) UK Read more about Ford Madox Brown on Wikipedia
- 1985 Luol Deng — Sudanese-English basketball player UK Read more about Luol Deng on Wikipedia
- 1942 Sir Frank Williams — English businessman, founded the Williams F1 Racing Team (died 2021) UK Read more about Sir Frank Williams on Wikipedia
- 1918 Spike Milligan — Indian-Irish actor, comedian, and writer (died 2002) UK Read more about Spike Milligan on Wikipedia
- 1955 Henri — Grand Duke of Luxembourg Read more about Henri on Wikipedia
- 1911 Guy Burgess — English-Russian spy (died 1963) UK Read more about Guy Burgess on Wikipedia
- 1755 Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun — French painter (died 1842) Read more about Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun on Wikipedia
- 1965 Martin Lawrence — German-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter Read more about Martin Lawrence on Wikipedia
- 1986 Shinji Okazaki — Japanese footballer Read more about Shinji Okazaki on Wikipedia
- 1730 Henry Clinton — English general and politician (died 1795) UK Read more about Henry Clinton on Wikipedia
- 1977 Freddie Ljungberg — Swedish footballer Read more about Freddie Ljungberg on Wikipedia
- 1682 John Hadley — English mathematician, invented the octant (died 1744) UK Read more about John Hadley on Wikipedia
- 1960 Rafael Benítez — Spanish footballer and manager Read more about Rafael Benítez on Wikipedia
- 2002 Sadie Sink — American actress Read more about Sadie Sink on Wikipedia
- 1800 George Bingham — 3rd Earl of Lucan, English field marshal and politician (died 1888) UK Read more about George Bingham on Wikipedia
- 1895 Ove Arup — English-Danish engineer and businessman, founded Arup (died 1988) UK Read more about Ove Arup on Wikipedia
- 1924 Henry Mancini — American composer and conductor (died 1994) Read more about Henry Mancini on Wikipedia
- 1661 Charles Montagu — 1st Earl of Halifax, English poet and politician, First Lord of the Treasury (died 1715) UK Read more about Charles Montagu on Wikipedia
- 1959 Alison Ramsay — English-Scottish field hockey player and lawyer UK Read more about Alison Ramsay on Wikipedia
- 1569 John Davies — English poet and lawyer (died 1626) UK Read more about John Davies on Wikipedia
Remembering 20
Well-known people who died on 16 April.
- 1828 Francisco Goya — Spanish-French painter and illustrator (born 1746) Read more about Francisco Goya on Wikipedia
- 1958 Rosalind Franklin — English biophysicist and academic (born 1920) UK Read more about Rosalind Franklin on Wikipedia
- AD 69 Otho — Roman emperor (born AD 32) Read more about Otho on Wikipedia
- 1972 Yasunari Kawabata — Japanese novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1899) Read more about Yasunari Kawabata on Wikipedia
- 1689 Aphra Behn — English author and playwright (born 1640) UK Read more about Aphra Behn on Wikipedia
- 1859 Alexis de Tocqueville — French historian and philosopher, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (born 1805) Read more about Alexis de Tocqueville on Wikipedia
- 1991 David Lean — English director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1908) UK Read more about David Lean on Wikipedia
- 1850 Marie Tussaud — French-English sculptor, founded the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum (born 1761) UK Read more about Marie Tussaud on Wikipedia
- 1904 Samuel Smiles — Scottish-English author (born 1812) UK Read more about Samuel Smiles on Wikipedia
- 2021 Helen McCrory — British actress (born 1968) UK Read more about Helen McCrory on Wikipedia
- 1788 Georges-Louis Leclerc — Comte de Buffon, French mathematician, cosmologist, and author (born 1707) Read more about Georges-Louis Leclerc on Wikipedia
- 1938 Steve Bloomer — English footballer and manager (born 1874) UK Read more about Steve Bloomer on Wikipedia
- 1965 Sydney Chaplin — English actor, comedian, brother of Charlie Chaplin (born 1885) UK Read more about Sydney Chaplin on Wikipedia
- 1496 Charles II — Duke of Savoy (born 1489) UK Read more about Charles II on Wikipedia
- 1879 Bernadette Soubirous — French nun and saint (born 1844) Read more about Bernadette Soubirous on Wikipedia
- 1998 Fred Davis — English snooker player (born 1913) UK Read more about Fred Davis on Wikipedia
- 1687 George Villiers — 2nd Duke of Buckingham, English poet and politician, Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire (born 1628) UK Read more about George Villiers on Wikipedia
- 2005 Kay Walsh — English actress, singer, and dancer (born 1911) UK Read more about Kay Walsh on Wikipedia
- 1645 Tobias Hume — Scottish soldier, viol player, and composer (born 1569) UK Read more about Tobias Hume on Wikipedia
- 1994 Ralph Ellison — American novelist and critic (born 1913) Read more about Ralph Ellison on Wikipedia
Special days 15
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 16 April somewhere in the world.
- Flag Day (Jordan) Read more about Flag Day on Wikipedia
- Remembrance of Chemical Attack on Balisan and Sheikh Wasan (Iraqi Kurdistan) Read more about Public holidays in Iraq on Wikipedia
- Birthday of Queen Margrethe II (Denmark) Read more about Public holidays in Denmark on Wikipedia
- World Voice Day Read more about World Voice Day on Wikipedia
- National Healthcare Decisions Day (United States) Read more about Lists of holidays on Wikipedia
- Emancipation Day (Washington, D.C., United States) Read more about Emancipation Day on Wikipedia
- Birthday of José de Diego (Puerto Rico, United States) Read more about Public holidays in Puerto Rico on Wikipedia
- Christian saints’ and feast days: Isabella Gilmore (Church of England), Bernadette Soubirous, Benedict Joseph Labre, Fructuosus of Braga, Turibius of Astorga, Drogo, Molly Brant (Konwatsijayenni) (Anglican Church of Canada, Episcopal Church), April 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics).
For older readers 24 Show stories about war, disasters, crime and other difficult history
Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.
- 1919 Mohandas Gandhi organizes a day of "prayer and fasting" in response to the killing of Indian protesters in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre by the British colonial troops three days earlier. Read more about Mahatma Gandhi on Wikipedia
- 1945 Second World War: British and Canadian forces concluded the Liberation of Arnhem in the Netherlands from German occupation. Read more about Liberation of Arnhem on Wikipedia
- 1797 The Spithead mutiny begins, immobilising the Channel fleet. Read more about Spithead and Nore mutinies on Wikipedia
- 1847 Shooting of a Māori by an English sailor results in the opening of the Wanganui Campaign of the New Zealand Wars. Read more about Whanganui campaign on Wikipedia
- AD 69 After defeat by Vitellius' troops at Bedriacum, Roman emperor Otho killed himself. Read more about AD 69 on Wikipedia
- 1925 During the Communist St Nedelya Church assault in Sofia, Bulgaria, 150 are killed and 500 are wounded. Read more about Communism on Wikipedia
- 2007 In one of the deadliest shooting incidents in United States history, a gunman killed 32 people and wounded over 20 more before committing suicide at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia. Read more about Virginia Tech shooting on Wikipedia
- 2018 The New York Times and The New Yorker win the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for breaking news of the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse scandal. Read more about The New York Times on Wikipedia
- 2014 The ferry MV Sewol capsized and sank off Donggeochado, South Korea, killing 306 people, mainly students from Danwon High School. Read more about MV Sewol on Wikipedia
- 2008 The U.S. Supreme Court rules in the Baze v. Rees decision that execution by lethal injection does not violate the Eighth Amendment ban against cruel and unusual punishment. Read more about Supreme Court of the United States on Wikipedia
- 1945 World War II: The United States Army liberates Nazi Sonderlager (high security) prisoner-of-war camp Oflag IV-C (better known as Colditz). Read more about United States Army on Wikipedia
- 1943 Albert Hofmann accidentally discovers the hallucinogenic effects of the research drug LSD. He intentionally takes the drug three days later on April 19. Read more about Albert Hofmann on Wikipedia
- 1941 World War II: The Nazi-affiliated Ustaše is put in charge of the Independent State of Croatia by the Axis powers after Operation 25 is effected. Read more about Ustaše on Wikipedia
- 2013 A 7.8-magnitude earthquake strikes Sistan and Balochistan province, Iran, killing at least 35 people and injuring 117 others. Read more about Moment magnitude scale on Wikipedia
- 2016 Ecuador's worst earthquake in nearly 40 years kills 676 and injures more than 230,000. Read more about 2016 Ecuador earthquake on Wikipedia
- 1945 World War II: More than 7,000 die when the German transport ship Goya is sunk by a Soviet submarine. Read more about MV Goya on Wikipedia
- 1947 An explosion on board a freighter in port causes Texas City in the state of Texas, United States, to catch fire, killing almost 600 people. Read more about Texas City disaster on Wikipedia
- 1881 In Dodge City, Kansas, Bat Masterson fights his last gun battle. Read more about Bat Masterson on Wikipedia
- 2013 The 2013 Baga massacre is started when Boko Haram militants engage government soldiers in Baga. Read more about 2013 Baga massacre on Wikipedia
- 1944 World War II: Allied forces start bombing Belgrade, killing about 1,100 people. This bombing fell on the Orthodox Christian Easter. Read more about Allied bombing of Yugoslavia in World War II on Wikipedia
- 2012 The trial for Anders Behring Breivik, the perpetrator of the 2011 Norway attacks, begins in Oslo, Norway. Read more about Trial of Anders Behring Breivik on Wikipedia
- — Christian feast day: Engratia Read more about Engratia on Wikipedia
- — Christian feast day: Martyrs of Zaragoza Read more about Engratia on Wikipedia
- — Memorial Day for the Victims of the Holocaust (Hungary) Read more about Public holidays in Hungary on Wikipedia
Where these facts come from
Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “April 16” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.