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

December 16: Facts & Myths About This Day

December 16 is the 350^th day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 15 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Tuesday.

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

When this day started, 29,430,720 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 ‘trihectapentacontagon’ day.

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

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 63 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 4,743 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

December 16 Historical Events

• 755 –
  An Lushan revolts against Chancellor Yang Guozhong at Fanyang, initiating the An Shi Rebellion during the Tang Dynasty of China.
• 1497 –
  Vasco da Gama rounds the Cape of Good Hope, the point where Bartolomeu Dias had previously turned back to Portugal.
• 1653 –
  English Interregnum: The Protectorate – Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland.
• 1761 –
  Seven Years’ War: After a four-month siege, the Russians under Pyotr Rumyantsev take the Prussian fortress of Kolobrzeg.
• 1914 –
  World War I: German battleships under Franz von Hipper bombard the English ports of Hartlepool and Scarborough.
• 1930 –
  Bank robber Herman Lamm and members of his crew are killed by a posse of 200, following a botched bank robbery in Clinton, Indiana.
• 1944 –
  World War II: The Battle of the Bulge begins with the surprise offensive of three German armies through the Ardennes forest.
• 1978 –
  Cleveland, Ohio becomes the first post-Depression era city to default on its loans, owing $14,000,000 to local banks.
• 1986 –
  Revolt in Kazakhstan against Communist Party of Kazakhstan, known as Zheltoksan, which becomes the first sign of ethnic strife during Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev’s tenure
• 1998 –
  Iraq disarmament crisis: Operation Desert Fox – The United States and United Kingdom bomb targets in Iraq.

Who were born on December 16?

• 1742 –
  Gebhard Fürst Blücher von Wahlstatt, German Field Marshal (d. 1819)
• 1787 –
  Mary Russell Mitford, English writer (d. 1855)
• 1882 –
  Sir Jack Hobbs, English cricketer (d. 1963)
• 1899 –
  Sir Noel Coward, English playwright, actor and composer (d. 1973)
• 1916 –
  Birgitta Valberg, Swedish actress
• 1920 –
  Frederick Rotimi Williams, Nigerian politician and jurist (d. 2005)
• 1927 –
  Randall Garrett, American writer (d. 1987)
• 1947 –
  Vincent Matthews, American sprinter
• 1961 –
  Bill Hicks, American comedian (d. 1994)
• 1967 –
  Donovan Bailey, Jamaican/Canadian sprinter,

Who died on December 16?

• 1598 –
  Yi Sun-sin, Korean admiral (b. 1545)
• 1898 –
  Pavel Tretyakov, Russian businessman and art collector (b. 1832)
• 1922 –
  Gabriel Narutowicz, Polish politician (b. 1865)
• 1935 –
  Thelma Todd, American actress (b. 1905)
• 1940 –
  Billy Hamilton, American baseball player (b. 1866)
• 1977 –
  Risto Jarva, Finnish filmmaker (b. 1934)
• 1983 –
  Debs Garms, American baseball player (b. 1907)
• 1989 –
  Lee Van Cleef, American actor (b. 1925)
• 2004 –
  Ted Abernathy, American baseball player (b. 1933)
• 2005 –
  Kenneth Bulmer, English author (b. 1921)