Historical Events
- 1896 Gold first discovered in Klondike, found at Bonanza Creek in the Yukon, Canada by George Carmack
- 1930 I British Empire Games open in Hamilton, Canada
- 1945 Puyi, the last Chinese Emperor and ruler of Manchukuo is captured by Soviet troops
- 1946 Direct Action Day: Widespread riots erupt in Calcutta between Muslims and Hindus over whether Pakistan should be a separate state, killing over 4,000 and leaving 100,000 homeless
- 2012 Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange is granted political asylum by Ecuador
- More Historical Events
Aug 16 in Film & TV
- 1930 The first color sound cartoon "Fiddlesticks" by Ub Iwerks (ex Walt Disney studio) is released
Aug 16 in Music
Aug 16 in Sport
- 1743 Champion of England titleholder Jack Broughton publishes 'Rules of the Ring' - earliest boxing code
- 2008 Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt sets new world record of 9.69 seconds to win the coveted 100m gold medal at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics
Did You Know?
A solar flare from the Sun creates a geomagnetic storm that affects micro chips, leading to a halt of all trading on Toronto's stock market.
On August 16, 1989
T. E. Lawrence
Menachem Begin
Tony Trabert
James Cameron
Madonna
Steve CarellFamous Weddings
- 1290 Charles of Valois, son of King Philip III of France weds Margaret of Anjou, daughter of King Charles II of Naples
- 1477 Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, weds Mary of Burgundy, the heiress to the Duchy of Burgundy in Ghent, Belgium
- 1846 Italian "The Barber of Seville" opera composer Gioachino Rossini (54) marries 2nd wife, French model Olympe Pélissier (47) in Paris, France
Famous Divorces
- 1968 Singer and actor Frank Sinatra and 3rd wife actress Mia Farrow divorce after 2 years of marriage
More Weddings & Divorces
Babe Ruth
Margaret Mitchell
Bela Lugosi
Elvis Presley
Idi Amin
Aretha Franklin
