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 229th day of the year 2024 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 137 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Friday.
Under the Julian calendar, this day is August 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, 478,824 hours 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 ‘dihectaicosaenneagon’ 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 166 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 4,256 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.
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August 16 Historical Events
- 1328 –The House of Gonzaga seizes power in the Duchy of Mantua, and will rule until 1708.
- 1513 –Battle of Guinegate (Battle of the Spurs) – King Henry VIII of England defeats French Forces who are then forced to retreat.
- 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.
- 1863 –The Dominican Restoration War begins when Gregorio Luperón raises the Dominican flag in Santo Domingo after Spain had recolonized the country.
- 1906 –An estimated 8.2 MW earthquake hits Valparaíso, Chile, killing 3,886 people.
- 1920 –Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians is hit on the head by a fastball thrown by Carl Mays of the New York Yankees, and dies early the next day. Chapman was the second player to die from injuries sustained in a Major League Baseball game, the first being Doc Powers in 1909.
- 1927 –The Dole Air Race begins from Oakland, California, to Honolulu, Hawaii, during which six out of the eight participating planes crash or disappear.
- 1945 –Puyi, the last Chinese emperor and ruler of Manchukuo, is captured by Soviet troops.
- 1946 –Mass riots in Kolkata begin, in which more than 4,000 would be killed in 72 hours.
Who were born on August 16?
- 1929 –Fritz Von Erich, American professional wrestler (d. 1997)
- 1930 –Robert Culp, American actor (d. 2010)
- 1934 –Pierre Richard, French actor
- 1958 –Angela Bassett, American actress
- 1974 –Krisztina Egerszegi, Hungarian swimmer
- 1977 –Tamer Hosny, Egyptian singer/actor
- 1980 –Vanessa Carlton, American singer/songwriter
- 1981 –Taylor Rain, American pornographic actress
- 1982 –Cam Gigandet, American actor
- 1986 –Kim Oh-Sung, South Korean footballer
Who died on August 16?
- 1327 –Roch, French saint (b. 1295)
- 1678 –Andrew Marvell, English poet (b. 1621)
- 1791 –Charles-François de Broglie, marquis de Ruffec, French soldier and diplomat (b. 1719)
- 1855 –Henry Colburn, British publisher (b. ?)
- 1956 –Bela Lugosi, Hungarian actor (b. 1882)
- 1978 –Jean Acker, American silent film actress (b. 1893)
- 1986 –Jaime Saenz, Bolivian poet and novelist, and short story writer (b. 1921)
- 2002 –Jeff Corey, American actor (b. 1914)
- 2005 –William Corlett, English children’s author (b. 1938)
- 2006 –Alex Buzo, Australian playwright and author (b. 1944)
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