What Happened on October 16
Historical Events
- 1813 Battle of Leipzig, largest battle in Europe prior to WWI, Napoleon's forces defeated by Prussia, Austria and Russia
- 1900 Great Britain and Germany sign the Anglo-German Treaty, agreeing to maintain territorial integrity of China and support 'open door' policy called for by US Secretary of State
- 1934 Mao Zedong and 25,000 troops begin their 6,000 mile Long March from the south of China to the north and west
- 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis begins as JFK is shown photos confirming the presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba
- 1978 Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyla elected Pope John Paul II
- 1998 Former Chilean dictator General Augusto Pinochet is arrested in London on a Spanish warrant requesting his extradition on murder charges
- More Historical Events
Oct 16 in Film & TV
- 1923 Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio founded
Oct 16 in Music
- 1912 Arnold Schoenberg's "Pierrot Lunaire," premieres at the Berlin Choralion-Saal sung by Albertine Zehme
Oct 16 in Sport
- 1968 Americans Tommie Smith (gold 19.83 WR) and John Carlos (bronze) famously give the Black Power Salute on the 200m medal podium during the Mexico City Olympics to protest racism and injustice against African-Americans
Did You Know?
Findings published of neutron star collision that occurred two months prior on August 17, the first cosmic event seen in gravitational waves and light. Confirms heavy elements such as gold the result of such collisions
On October 16, 2017
Oscar Wilde
David Ben-Gurion
Michael Collins
Enver Hoxha
Angela Lansbury
Günter GrassFamous Weddings
- 1923 General Francisco Franco (30) marries María del Carmen Polo y Martínez-Valdés (23) at Church of San Juan el Real in Oviedo
- 1965 American singer Leslie Uggams (32) weds her childhood friend and later manager Grahame Pratt in NYC
- 1979 MLB outfielder Tim Raines (20) weds his high school sweetheart Virginia Hilton
Famous Divorces
- 1924 American writer ("Gone with the Wind") Margaret Mitchell divorces 1st husband Berrien "Red" Upshaw
- 1984 Joyce King divorces NBA guard George Gervin (32) after nearly 8 years of marriage
More Weddings & Divorces
Marie Antoinette
Alfred Jodl
Joachim von Ribbentrop
Wilhelm Keitel
George Marshall
Shirley BoothArticles, Photos and Quiz
Lenient Lion Remembered for 375 Years
A lion spared a businessman who prayed on his knees on this day and the event is still being celebrated in an ancient London church three centuries later.
October 16, 1643
Cuban Missile Crisis
Reconnaissance photo of Soviet missiles in Cuba shown to John F. Kennedy on October 16, 1962
October 16, 1962
Black Power Salute
Tommie Smith and John Carlos on the podium at 1968 Olympics
October 16, 1968
Weekly Quiz for October 14 - 20
What island was Napoleon Bonaparte sent to in 1815? How much did America pay Russia to buy Alaska?
