On This Day in History for February 16
Events in History
- 374 9th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet
- 600 Pope Gregory the Great decrees saying "God bless You" is the correct response to a sneeze
- 1249 Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khan of the Mongols
- 1486 Maximilian I is elected King of the Romans at Frankfurt
- 1512 Battle at Valeggio: French troops beat Venetianen
- 1559 Pope Paul IV calls for deposition of sovereigns supporting heresy
- 1641 English king Charles I accepts Triennial Act requiring that Parliament meet for at least a fifty-day session once every three years
- 1646 Battle of Great Torrington, Devon - the last major battle of the first English Civil War
- More Events in History
Hua Guofeng
Kim Jong-il
Carl Icahn
Keith Haring
Boutros Boutros-GhaliWeddings in History
- 1655 Grand Pensionary of Holland Johan de Witt marries Wendela Bicker
- 1734 Jurist William Allen (29) weds Margaret Hamilton
- 1784 American Revolutionary War patriot Ethan Allen (46) weds second wife Frances Montresor Brush Buchanan
More Weddings & Divorces in History
February in History
A Deadly Bite, Or King Tut's Revenge?
It was one of the most spectacular archaeological finds – but was the disturbed Tutankhamun a sleeping tiger?
February 16, 1923
Tutankhamun's Burial Chamber Found
A photo of British archaeologist Howard Carter at the sarcophagus of Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun
February 16, 1923
Britain Joins the European Community
British MPs voted on this day to join the European Communities, as it was then known. It was to be a thorny issue, finally leading to ‘Brexit’ in 2020.
February 17, 1972
The General, The Schoolgirl, And The Famous One-Word Despatch
A magazine hailed General Charles Napier’s battlefield despatch as the finest since Roman times, but it was in fact the work of a clever schoolgirl.
February 17, 1843