July 16
July 16 is the 197th day (198th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 168 days remaining.
Events
- 622 - Muhammad begins his Hijra from Mecca to Medina. This marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar.
- 1661 - The first banknotes in Europe are issued by the Bank of Stockholm.
- 1769 - Father Junipero Serra founds Mission San Diego de Alcalá, the first mission in California. The mission later evolves into the city of San Diego.
- 1779 - American Revolutionary War: United States forces led by General Anthony Wayne capture Stony Point, New York from British troops.
- 1782 - First performance of Mozart's opera The Abduction from the Seraglio.
- 1783 - Grants of land in Canada to American United Empire Loyalists are announced.
- 1790 - The signing of the Residence Bill establishes a site along the Potomac River as the District of Columbia (seat of government).
- 1862 - American Civil War: David G. Farragut becomes the first United States Navy rear admiral.
- 1862 - Comet Swift-Tuttle is discovered by Lewis Swift.
- 1880 - Dr. Emily Howard Stowe becomes the first woman licenced to practice medicine in Canada.
- 1915 - Norman Tabor sets the world record for a one mile race at 4 minutes, 12.6 seconds.
- 1930 - Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia signs the first constitution of Ethiopia.
- 1941 - New York Yankees' Joe DiMaggio gets a hit in his 56th consecutive game.
- 1941 - Hitler convened top Nazi leaders at his headquarters in East Prussia to dictate how they would rule the newly occupied eastern territories. Ukraine, the "jewel" in the Nazi empire, would become a German colony.
- 1942 - Holocaust: Rafle du Vel'd'Hiv: The Vichy France government orders French police officers to round up 13,000-20,000 Jews and imprison them in the Winter Velodrome. In 1995, president Jacques Chirac officially recognizes the French police's responsibility.
- 1942 - Adolph Hitler arrives in Vinnytsia, central Ukraine.
- 1945 - Manhattan Project: The Atomic Age begins when the United States successfully detonates a plutonium-based test nuclear weapon at the Trinity site near Alamogordo, New Mexico.
- 1948 - The city of Nazareth, hometown of Jesus Christ, capitulated to Israeli troops during Operation Dekel led by Ben Dunkelman, after little more than token resistance, during 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
- 1951 - The novel Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger published.
- 1951 - King Léopold III of Belgium abdicates in favour of his son, Baudouin I of Belgium.
- 1957 - United States Marine Major John Glenn flies a F8U Crusader supersonic jet from California to New York in 3 hours, 23 minutes and 8 seconds setting a new transcontinental speed record.
- 1965 - The Mont Blanc Tunnel linking France with Italy opens.
- 1969 - Apollo program: Apollo 11 launches from Cape Kennedy, Florida and will become the first manned space mission to land on the moon.
- 1973 - Watergate Scandal: Former White House aide Alexander P. Butterfield informs the United States Senate that President Richard Nixon had secretly recorded potentially-incriminating conversations.
- 1979 - Iraqi President Hasan al-Bakr resigns and is replaced by Saddam Hussein.
- 1983 - Sikorsky S-61 disaster: helicopter crash off the Isles of Scilly, causing 20 fatalities.
- 1990 - In the Philippines, an earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter Scale kills over 1600.
- 1993 - Slackware 1.00 is released.
- 1994 - The planet Jupiter is hit by fragments of the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet.
- 1994 - The civil war in Rwanda ends.
- 1997 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average gains 63.17 to close at 8,038.88, closing above 8,000 for the first time.
- 1999 - John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and sister-in-law Lauren Bessette are killed in a plane crash off the coast of Martha's Vineyard. The Piper Saratoga aircraft was piloted by Kennedy.
- 2001 - The People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation sign the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation.
- 2001 - The FBI arrests Dmitry Sklyarov at a convention in Las Vegas, Nevada for violating a provision of the DMCA.
- 2003 - The Corsicans reject a referendum for increased autonomy from France by a very thin majority: 50.98 percent against, and 49.02 percent for.
- 2004 - Millennium Park, considered the first and most ambitious architectural project in the early 21st century for Chicago, is opened to the public by Mayor Richard M. Daley.
- 2004 - Barclays Bank freezes the bank accounts of the British National Party.
- 2004 - A fire at a private school in Kumbakonam, India kills over 90 children.
- 2005 - The sixth book in the popular Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince by JK Rowling is released to record sales of 287,564 books per hour in its first 24 hours, making it the fastest selling book in history.
Births
- 1194 - Clare of Assisi, Italian follower of Francis of Assisi (d. 1253)
- 1486 - Andrea del Sarto, Italian painter (d. 1530)
- 1611 - Archduchess Cecilia Renata of Austria, Queen of Poland
- 1714 - Marc René, marquis de Montalembert, French military engineer (d. 1800)
- 1722 - Joseph Wilton, English sculptor (d. 1803)
- 1723 - Joshua Reynolds, English painter (d. 1792)
- 1731 - Samuel Huntington, Continental Congress president (d. 1796)
- 1796 - Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, French painter (d. 1875)
- 1821 - Mary Baker Eddy, American religious leader (d. 1910)
- 1858 - Eugène Ysaÿe, Belgian violinist (d. 1931)
- 1862 - Ida B. Wells, American journalist (d. 1931)
- 1870 - Lambert McKenna, Irish scholar (d. 1956)
- 1872 - Roald Amundsen, Norwegian explorer (d. 1928)
- 1884 - Anna Vyrubova, Russian memoirist (d. 1964)
- 1888 - Percy Kilbride, American actor (d. 1964)
- 1888 - Frits Zernike, Dutch physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 1966)
- 1889 - Shoeless Joe Jackson, American baseball player (d. 1951)
- 1889 - Larry Semon, comedian (d. 1928)
- 1896 - Trygve Lie, first United Nations Secretary General (d. 1968)
- 1896 - Evelyn Preer, American actress (d. 1932)
- 1902 - Alexander Luria, Russian psychologist (d. 1977)
- 1903 - Carmen Lombardo, Canadian musician (d. 1971)
- 1903 - Mary Philbin, American actress (d. 1993)
- 1906 - Vincent Sherman, American director (d. 2006)
- 1907 - Orville Redenbacher, American farmer and businessman (d. 1995)
- 1907 - Barbara Stanwyck, American actress (d. 1990)
- 1911 - Ginger Rogers, American actress and dancer (d. 1995)
- 1911 - Sonny Tufts, American actor (d. 1970)
- 1912 - Milt Bocek, Oldest Living Chicago White Sox Player
- 1915 - Barnard Hughes, American actor (d. 2006)
- 1919 - Choi Kyuha, President of South Korea (d. 2006)
- 1924 - Bess Myerson, American beauty queen
- 1925 - Cal Tjader, American musician (d. 1982)
- 1926 - Irwin Rose, American biologist, Nobel laureate
- 1932 - Richard Thornburgh, American politician
- 1936 - Buddy Merrill, American musician (The Lawrence Welk Show)
- 1939 - Mariele Ventre, Italian choir director (d. 1995)
- 1941 - Desmond Dekker, Jamaican musician (d. 2006)
- 1942 - Margaret Smith Court, Australian tennis player
- 1943 - Reinaldo Arenas, Cuban poet (d. 1990)
- 1945 - Victor Sloan, Irish visual artist
- 1946 - Ron Yary, American football player
- 1947 - Assata Shakur, American activist
- 1948 - Rubén Blades, Panamanian actor
- 1948 - Pinchas Zukerman, Israeli violinist
- 1952 - Stewart Copeland, American musician
- 1954 - Jeanette Mott Oxford, American politician
- 1956 - Tony Kushner, American playwright
- 1957 - Alexandra Marinina, Russian writer
- 1958 - Pierre Roland Renoir, Canadian artist
- 1959 - Gary Anderson, American football player
- 1963 - Phoebe Cates, American actress
- 1963 - Srečko Katanec, Slovenian footballer and coach
- 1963 - Fatboy Slim, English musician
- 1964 - Phil Hellmuth, American poker player
- 1964 - Miguel Indurain, Spanish cyclist
- 1967 - Will Ferrell, American comedian
- 1967 - Christopher Rocancourt, French con artist
- 1968 - Dhanraj Pillay, Indian field hockey player
- 1968 - Barry Sanders, American football player
- 1968 - Larry Sanger, American co-founder of Wikipedia
- 1970 - Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thai film director
- 1971 - Edward Kowalczyk, American musician (LIVE)
- 1971 - Corey Feldman, American actor
- 1973 - Stefano Garzelli, Italian cyclist
- 1973 - Shaun Pollock, South African cricket player
- 1974 - Chris Pontius, American actor and Jackass cast member
- 1975 - Bas Leinders, Belgian racing car driver
- 1976 - Anna Smashnova, Israeli tennis player
- 1976 - Franklin Lashley, American professional wrestler
- 1979 - Christijan Albers, Dutch race car driver
- 1980 - Adam Scott, Australian golfer
- 1982 - Michael Umaña, Costa Rican footballer
Deaths
- 1324 - Emperor Go-Uda of Japan (b. 1267)
- 1342 - King Charles I of Hungary
- 1546 - Anne Askew, English protestant (burned at the stake) (b. 1521)
- 1557 - Anne of Cleves, fourth wife of Henry VIII of England (b. 1515)
- 1594 - Thomas Kyd, author of The Spanish Tragedy (b. 1558)
- 1630 - Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy (b. 1562)
- 1647 - Masaniello, Italian rebel (b. 1622)
- 1664 - Andreas Gryphius, German writer (b. 1616)
- 1686 - John Pearson, English theologian (b. 1612)
- 1691 - François-Michel le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois, French war minister (b. 1641)
- 1729 - Johann David Heinichen, German composer (b. 1683)
- 1770 - Francis Cotes, English painter (b. 1726)
- 1831 - Louis Alexandre Andrault de Langeron, Russian general (b. 1763)
- 1796 - George Howard, British field marshal (b. 1718)
- 1882 - Mary Todd Lincoln, First Lady of the United States (b. 1818)
- 1916 - Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov, Russian microbiologist, Nobel laureate (b. 1845)
- 1917 - Philipp Scharwenka, Polish-German composer (b. 1847)
- 1918 - Czar Nicholas the Second
- 1949 - Vyacheslav Ivanov, Russian poet (b. 1866)
- 1953 - Hilaire Belloc, French writer (b. 1870)
- 1960 - Albert Kesselring, German field marshal (b. 1881)
- 1960 - John P. Marquand, American novelist (b. 1893)
- 1979 - Alfred Deller, English countertenor (b. 1912)
- 1981 - Harry Chapin, American musician (b. 1942)
- 1985 - Heinrich Böll, German writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1917)
- 1989 - Herbert von Karajan, Austrian conductor (b. 1908)
- 1990 - Sidney Torch, British Composer, Conductor and Organist (b. 1908)
- 1991 - Robert Motherwell, American painter (b. 1915)
- 1991 - Frank Rizzo, American politican (b. 1920)
- 1994 - Julian Schwinger, American physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1918)
- 1995 - Stephen Spender, British poet (b. 1909)
- 1996 - John Panozzo, American musician (STYX) (b. 1948)
- 1996 - Adolf von Thadden, German politician, (b. 1921)
- 1998 - John Henrik Clarke, American historian and scholar (b. 1915)
- 1999 - Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, wife of John F. Kennedy Jr. (b. 1966)
- 1999 - John F. Kennedy Jr., American publisher (b. 1960)
- 2001 - Maurice De Bevere, Belgian cartoonist (b. 1923)
- 2001 - Terry Gordy, Professional wrestler (b. 1961)
- 2002 - John Cocke, American computer scientist (b. 1925)
- 2003 - Celia Cruz, Cuban musician (b. 1924)
- 2003 - Carol Shields, Canadian author (b. 1935)
- 2005 - Pietro Consagra, Italian sculptor (b. 1920)
- 2005 - Prince Gu of Korea (b. 1931)
- 2005 - Camillo Felgen - Luxembourgish singer, lyricist, and entertainer (b. 1920)
- 2006 - Bob Orton, Sr., American wrestler (b. 1929)
Holidays and observances
Liturgical feasts
Roman Catholic
- Our Lady of Mount Carmel [common]
- Saint Alexius [Paris]
- Saint Andrew and Benedict, martyrs [Gnesen, Agram]
- Saint Anthony, bishop of Carpentras [Rodez]
- Translation of Saint Bertin, abbot, confessor [Tournai]
- Saint Domninus, martyr [Puy]
- Saint Eustace, bishop, confessor [Arles, Autun]
- Saint Eustathius, bishop of Antioch, confessor
- Saint Generosus, confessor [Poitiers, Luçon]
- Saints Gondulf and Monulf, bishops, confessors [Liège]
- Saint Helier (Elier, Helerius), hermit, martyr [Coutances]
- Saint Hilary, bishop
- Saint Hilarinus, martyr (sometimes confessor) [Magdeburg, Ratzeburg, Gnesen, Amiens, Arras, Beauvais]
- Saint Justinian, confessor [Limoges]
- Saint Milo
- Saints Monulph and Gondulph, bishops of Tongres, confessors [Liège; Bruges, without Gondulph]
- Translation of Osmund, bishop of Salisbury, confessor [Salisbury]
- Translation of Saint Swithun, bishop of Winchester, confessor [Norway, Orden]
- Saint Tenenanus, bishop (of Léon), confessor [St. Pol de Léon]
- Saint Valentine, bishop (of Trier), martyr [Trier]
- Saint Elvira
- Saint Reinhilde of Kontich
External links
July 15 - July 17 - June 16 - August 16 -- listing of all days
Categories
July