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

August 16: Facts & Myths About This Day

August 16 is the 228^th day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 137 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Saturday.

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

When this day started, 29,255,040 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 ‘dihectaicosaoctagon’ day.

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

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 185 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 4,621 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

August 16 Historical Events

• 1328 –
  The House of Gonzaga seizes power in the Duchy of Mantua, and will rule until 1708.
• 1780 –
  American Revolutionary War: Battle of Camden – The British defeat the Americans near Camden, South Carolina.
• 1792 –
  Maximilien Robespierre presents the petition of the Commune of Paris to the Legislative Assembly, which demanded the formation of a revolutionary tribunal.
• 1891 –
  The Basilica of San Sebastian in Manila, the first all-steel church in Asia, is officially inaugurated and blessed.
• 1913 –
  Completion of the Royal Navy battlecruiser HMS Queen Mary.
• 1914 –
  World War I: Battle of Cer begins.
• 1945 –
  Puyi, the last Chinese emperor and ruler of Manchukuo, is captured by Soviet troops.
• 1964 –
  Vietnam War: A coup d'état replaces Duong Van Minh with General Nguyen Khanh as President of South Vietnam. A new constitution is established with aid from the U.S. Embassy.
• 1972 –
  In an unsuccessful coup d'état attempt, the Royal Moroccan Air Force fires upon Hassan II of Morocco’s plane while he is traveling back to Rabat.
• 1989 –
  A solar flare from the Sun creates a geomagnetic storm that affects micro chips, leading to a halt of all trading on Toronto’s stock market.

Who were born on August 16?

• 1682 –
  Louis, duc de Bourgogne, dauphin of France (d. 1712)
• 1842 –
  Jakob Rosanes, German mathematician (d. 1922)
• 1860 –
  Martin Hawke, 7th Baron Hawke, England cricketer (d. 1938)
• 1888 –
  T. E. Lawrence, English writer and soldier (d. 1935)
• 1933 –
  Stuart Roosa, American astronaut (d. 1994)
• 1943 –
  Sharon Baird, American actress and tap dancer
• 1951 –
  Umaru Yar'Adua, Nigerian politician (d. 2010)
• 1958 –
  Michael Harkin, American anthropologist
• 1959 –
  Laura Innes, American actress
• 1975 –
  Pantelis Konstantinidis, Greek footballer

Who died on August 16?

• 1443 –
  Ashikaga Yoshikatsu, Japanese shogun (b. 1434)
• 1445 –
  Margaret of Scotland, consort of Louis XI (b. 1424)
• 1661 –
  Thomas Fuller, English churchman and historian (b. 1608)
• 1886 –
  Sri Ramakrishna, Bengali saint, guru of Swami Vivekananda (b. 1836)
• 1911 –
  Patrick Francis Moran, Irish-Australian cardinal (b. 1830)
• 1983 –
  Earl Averill, American baseball player (b. 1902)
• 2004 –
  Robert Quiroga, American boxer (b. 1969)
• 2005 –
  William Corlett, English children’s author (b. 1938)
• 2007 –
  Max Roach, American percussionist, drummer, and composer (b. 1924)
• 2010 –
  Bobby Thomson, American baseball player (b. 1923)