What are the important events that happened on February 16? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.
February 16: Facts & Myths About This Day
February 16 is the 47th day of the year 2024 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 319 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Friday.
Under the Julian calendar, this day is February 3, 2024 – a Friday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?
When this day started, 1,708,041,600 seconds has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.
Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘tetracontaheptagon’ day.
Aquarius is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Amethyst is the modern birthstone for this month. Bloodstone is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.
According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 348 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.
The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,074 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.
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February 16 Historical Events
- 1852 –Studebaker Brothers wagon company, precursor of the automobile manufacturer, is established.
- 1866 –Spencer Compton Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington becomes British Secretary of State for War.
- 1923 –New Year’s Day in Chinese calendar. Start of the year of the Water Pig in Chinese astrology.
- 1936 –Elections bring the Popular Front to power in Spain.
- 1940 –World War II: Altmark Incident: The German tanker Altmark is boarded by sailors from the British destroyer HMS Cossack. 299 British prisoners are freed.
- 1960 –The U.S. Navy submarine USS Triton begins Operation Sandblast, setting sail from New London, Connecticut, to begin the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe.
- 1961 –The DuSable Museum of African American History is chartered.
- 1962 –Flooding in the coastal areas of West Germany kills 315 and destroys the homes of about 60,000 people.
- 1978 –The first computer bulletin board system is created (CBBS in Chicago, Illinois).
- 1987 –The trial of John Demjanjuk, accused of being a Nazi guard dubbed “Ivan the Terrible” in Treblinka extermination camp, starts in Jerusalem.
Who were born on February 16?
- 1812 –Henry Wilson, American politician 18th Vice President of the United States (d. 1875)
- 1821 –Heinrich Barth, German explorer (d. 1865)
- 1831 –Nikolai Leskov, Russian writer (d. 1895)
- 1856 –Rudolph Karstadt, German entrepreneur (d. 1944)
- 1934 –Marlene Hagge, American professional golfer
- 1955 –Hunt Block, American actor
- 1976 –Joe Odagiri, Japanese actor
- 1977 –Brad Walst, American bassist (Three Days Grace)
- 1979 –Eric Mun, Korean rapper (Shinhwa)
- 1980 –Ashley Lelie, American football player
Who died on February 16?
- 1279 –King Afonso III of Portugal (b. 1210)
- 1912 –St. Nikolai of Japan, Eastern Orthodox priest (b. 1836)
- 1928 –Eddie Foy, American singer and dancer (b. 1856)
- 1932 –Ferdinand Buisson, French pacifist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1841)
- 1932 –Sir Edgar Speyer, American-born British financier and philanthropist (b. 1862)
- 1980 –Erich Hückel, German physicist (b. 1895)
- 1990 –Keith Haring, American artist (b. 1958)
- 2001 –William Masters, American gynecologist and sexologist (b. 1915)
- 2005 –Nicole DeHuff, American actress (pneumonia) (b. 1975)
- 2009 –Stephen Kim Sou-hwan, Korean Cardinal, Protopriest of the Holy Roman Church (b. 1921)
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