On This Day in History for August 16
Events in History
- 1384 Hongwu Emperor of Ming China, Emperor Dong, hears case of couple who tore money bills while fighting over them (equal to act of destroying stamped government documents - law necessitated 100 floggings). Hongwu Emperor decides to pardon them.
- 1501 Michelangelo awarded the contract to create his Statue of David at Florence Cathedral by the Overseers of the Office of Works (the Operai) of the Duomo
- 1513 Battle of the Spurs at Guinegate (now Eguinegatte): Henry VIII of England and Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I beat France
- 1570 King of Hungary John Sigismund Zápolyai signs secret treaty with Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II
- 1625 Earnest Casimir of Nassau-Dietz appointed viceroy of Drenthe
- 1691 Yorktown, Virginia founded
- 1717 Prince Eugenius of Savoye occupies Belgrade
- 1748 "Geldermalsen" sails to East-Indies
- More Events in History
T. E. Lawrence
Menachem BeginWeddings in History
- 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
- 2011 Fashion designer Michael Kors (51) weds Lance LePere in Southampton, New York
More Weddings & Divorces in History
John Pemberton
Robert Bunsen
Margaret Mitchell
Idi Amin
Alfredo Stroessner
Atal Bihari VajpayeeAugust in History
First Faltering Steps of Jane Eyre
With hope, pride – and some subterfuge – Charlotte Brontë sent her hefty manuscript of Jane Eyre to publishers in London on this day, then crossed her fingers.
August 15, 1847
A Kiss For Adolf Hitler
A woman spectator leaned over and kissed Adolf Hitler at the Berlin Olympic Games on this day. Hitler pretended to be amused, but his guards were to suffer.
August 15, 1936
Omagh Bombing
A man and a child (who both survived) stand next to the car bomb in Omagh, Northern Ireland, that exploded shortly after, killing 29 people. The photographer did not survive.
August 15, 1998
Why The King Became a Party Pooper
A man who tried to impress his king on this day with one of the most lavish and extravagant parties of all time, ended up spending the rest of his life in jail.
August 17, 1661