What are the important events that happened on April 16? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

April 16: Facts & Myths About This Day

April 16 is the 106^th day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 259 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Wednesday.

Under the Julian calendar, this day is April 3, 2025 – a Wednesday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?

When this day started, 29,079,360 minutes 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 ‘hectahexagon’ day.

Aries is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Diamond is the modern birthstone for this month. Opal is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 307 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 4,499 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

April 16 Historical Events

• 1780 –
  The University of Münster in Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany is founded.
• 1863 –
  American Civil War: The Siege of Vicksburg – ships led by Union Admiral David Dixon Porter move through heavy Confederate artillery fire on approach to Vicksburg, Mississippi.
• 1881 –
  In Dodge City, Kansas, Bat Masterson fights his last gun battle.
• 1941 –
  Bob Feller of the Cleveland Indians throws the only Opening Day no-hitter in the history of Major League Baseball, beating the Chicago White Sox 1-0.
• 1941 –
  World War II: The Italian convoy Duisburg, directed to Tunisia, is attacked and destroyed by British ships.
• 1947 –
  Bernard Baruch coins the term “Cold War” to describe the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union.
• 1962 –
  Walter Cronkite takes over as the lead news anchor of the CBS Evening News, during which time he would become “the most trusted man in America”.
• 1963 –
  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. pens his Letter from Birmingham Jail while incarcerated in Birmingham, Alabama for protesting against segregation.
• 2001 –
  India and Bangladesh begin a five-day border conflict, but are unable to resolve the disputes about their border.
• 2007 –
  Virginia Tech massacre: The deadliest spree killing in modern American history. Seung-Hui Cho, kills 32 and injures 23 before committing suicide.

Who were born on April 16?

• 1755 –
  Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, French painter (d. 1842)
• 1910 –
  Berton Roueché, American medical writer (d. 1994)
• 1929 –
  Roy Hamilton, American singer (d. 1969)
• 1947 –
  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, American basketball player
• 1971 –
  Moses Chan, Hong Kong actor
• 1971 –
  Selena, American Tejano singer (d. 1995)
• 1982 –
  Gina Carano, American Mixed Martial Arts fighter
• 1982 –
  Jonathan Vilma, American football player
• 1984 –
  Tucker Fredricks, American speed skater
• 1985 –
  Benjamín Rojas, Argentine actor and singer

Who died on April 16?

• 1118 –
  Adelaide del Vasto, wife of Roger II of Sicily
• 1828 –
  Francisco Goya, Spanish painter (b. 1746)
• 1859 –
  Alexis de Tocqueville, French historian (b. 1805)
• 1915 –
  Nelson W. Aldrich, American politician (b. 1841)
• 1928 –
  Henry Birks, Canadian businessman, founder of Henri Birks and Sons (b. 1840)
• 1968 –
  Fay Bainter, American actress (b. 1893)
• 1973 –
  Nino Bravo, Spanish singer (b. 1944)
• 1985 –
  Scott Brady, American actor (b. 1924)
• 1997 –
  Doris Angleton, American socialite (b. 1951)
• 2002 –
  Ruth Fertel, American restaurateur (b. 1927)