128 things happened on 16 December, from AD 533 to 2023. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
1653 · 373 years ago
Oliver Cromwell became Lord Protector, the head of state of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland. He had been a senior commander in Parliament's army during the Civil Wars. After King Charles I was executed in 1649, the country had become a repub…
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK story
Henry VI of England was crowned King of France at Notre-Dame in Paris, during the Hundred Years' War. He had become King of England at just nine months old, after the death of his father, Henry V. Through his mother's family he also claimed the French throne. The Hundred Years' War was a long series of conflicts between England and France.
UK story
Oliver Cromwell became Lord Protector, the head of state of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland. He had been a senior commander in Parliament's army during the Civil Wars. After King Charles I was executed in 1649, the country had become a republic with no king. Cromwell ruled until his death in September 1658, and his son Richard took over.
UK story
The Parliament of England passed the Bill of Rights. This law set out some basic rights and changed the rules about who could inherit the Crown. It is still an important part of English law. It also inspired later documents, including the United States Bill of Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
UK story
Wales played England in the first match of the Home Nations Championship, the rugby union contest now called the Six Nations. Rugby union began at Rugby School in England in the first half of the 1800s. The Welsh Rugby Union had been set up in 1881, the year Wales played their first international against England. The Six Nations is now played by England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales.
UK story
Beatrix Potter printed 250 copies of The Tale of Peter Rabbit herself, after several publishers had turned it down. She had first written the story in 1893 for Noel Moore, a five-year-old boy. The publisher Frederick Warne & Co. brought it out the next year, and it was a great success. Her books have now sold more than 250 million copies.
UK story
Wales played New Zealand at rugby in front of 47,000 people at Cardiff Arms Park. It was billed as the 'Match of the Century' because the world's two top teams were meeting for the first time. Wales won thanks to the game's only try, handing the All Blacks their only defeat in 35 matches on tour. The crowd sang the Welsh national anthem in reply to the haka.
UK story
British East India Company: Muharram Rebellion: Hada and Mada Miah lead the first anti-British uprising in the subcontinent against Robert Lindsay and his contingents in Sylhet Shahi Eidgah.
UK story
Settlers of the Canterbury Association aboard Randolph and Charlotte Jane arrived to establish a colony at Christchurch, New Zealand.
UK story
Outbreak of the First Boer War between the Boer South African Republic and the British Empire.
UK story
The United Kingdom recognizes Bahrain's independence, which is commemorated annually as Bahrain's National Day.
UK story
Amid an outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, the British government banned the sale of beef on the bone for human consumption.
Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama sailed past the Great Fish River, in what is now South Africa. This was the place where an earlier explorer, Bartolomeu Dias, had turned back. Da Gama went on to find the first sea route from Europe to India. His voyage opened up trade between Europe and India.
Mount Fuji, Japan's highest mountain, began its last confirmed eruption, known as the Hōei eruption. It went on until February 1708. The volcano released about 800 million cubic metres of ash, which fell across eastern Japan. Mount Fuji, 3,776 metres high, is still an active volcano.
In Boston, Massachusetts, a group of colonists called the Sons of Liberty threw chests of tea into the harbour. They were protesting against British taxes, which they had been given no say in. The Boston Tea Party raised tensions between Great Britain and the American colonists. Less than two years later, the American Revolutionary War began.
Czech composer Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 9, 'From the New World', was first performed in New York City. Dvořák wrote it while he was working in America as director of the National Conservatory of Music. It has become one of the most popular symphonies of all. Dvořák often used rhythms from the folk music of his homeland in his work.
The Digest, the great collection of all Roman jurists' law, is issued together with a new official law textbook for legal schools, The Institutes.
An Lushan revolts against Chancellor Yang Guozhong at Yanjing, initiating the An Lushan Rebellion during the Tang dynasty of China.
An earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 8.5Mw strikes Valdivia, Chile.
Led by Admiral Yi Sun-sin, the Korean navy were victorious at Battle of Noryang, ending the Japanese invasions of Korea.
Prussian forces, led by Frederick the Great, moved into the Habsburg region of Silesia, starting the First Silesian War.
Seven Years' War: After a four-month siege, Russian forces captured Kolberg, the last major Prussian port on the Baltic Sea.
Virginia becomes the first state to ratify the Articles of Confederation.
The first two in a series of four severe earthquakes struck the Midwestern United States and made the Mississippi River appear to run backward.
Benjamin W. Edwards rides into Mexican-controlled Nacogdoches, Texas, and declares himself ruler of the Republic of Fredonia.
American Civil War: Confederate President Jefferson Davis appoints General Joseph E. Johnston to replace General Braxton Bragg as commander of the Army of Tennessee.
American Civil War: The Battle of Nashville ends as the Union Army of the Cumberland under General George H. Thomas routs and destroys the Confederate Army of Tennessee under General John Bell Hood, ending its effectiveness as a combat unit.
Tonkin Campaign: French forces capture the Sơn Tây citadel.
Thousand Days' War: Columbian Liberal rebels repelled a Conservative government attack at the Battle of Peralonso.
First Balkan War: The Royal Hellenic Navy defeats the Ottoman Navy at the Battle of Elli.
Vincas Mickevičius-Kapsukas declared the formation of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, a puppet state created by Soviet Russia to justify the Lithuanian–Soviet War.
World War II: The Battle of the Bulge begins with the surprise offensive of three German armies through the Ardennes forest.
Second Vatican Council: Official revocation of the Edict of Expulsion of Jews from Spain.
The surrender of Pakistani forces in Dacca, East Pakistan, concluded the Bangladesh Liberation War and the India-Pakistan War.
The Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh is enacted.
Romanian Revolution: Protests break out in Timișoara, Romania, in response to an attempt by the government to evict dissident Hungarian pastor László Tőkés.
"Dennō Senshi Porygon", an episode of the Japanese television series Pokémon, induced epileptic seizures in 685 children.
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
In which year did this happen: “Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector”?
C: 1653. 1653 — that’s 373 years ago. Find it on the page
In which year did this happen: “Beatrix Potter prints her own copies of The Tale of Peter Rabbit”?
C: 1901. 1901 — that’s 125 years ago. Find it on the page
Which of these happened first?
A: Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector. 1653: Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector · 1901: Beatrix Potter prints her own copies of The Tale of Peter Rabbit · 1689: Parliament passes the Bill of Rights Find it on the page
“Parliament passes the Bill of Rights” happened in 1689. How many years ago was that?
C: 337 years. 2026 − 1689 = 337. Find it on the page
Famous people whose birthday is 16 December.
UK story
Jane Austen was an English novelist, born in Steventon, Hampshire. Her novels include Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice and Emma. They were published without her name and were only moderate successes in her lifetime. Her novels are now famous and have been made into many films and television series.
UK story
Catherine of Aragon was a Spanish princess who became Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII. They married in 1509. Before that she had been married to Henry's elder brother, Arthur, Prince of Wales, until his death. Henry's wish to end their marriage led to his break with the Pope, and it was declared invalid in 1533.
Well-known people who died on 16 December.
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 16 December somewhere in the world.
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.
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 “December 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.