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, 490,512 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 ‘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

• 1431 –
  Henry VI of England is crowned King of France at Notre Dame in Paris.
• 1497 –
  Vasco da Gama rounds the Cape of Good Hope, the point where Bartolomeu Dias had previously turned back to Portugal.
• 1761 –
  Seven Years’ War: After a four-month siege, the Russians under Pyotr Rumyantsev take the Prussian fortress of Kolobrzeg.
• 1850 –
  History of New Zealand: The Charlotte-Jane and the Randolph bring the first of the Canterbury Pilgrims to Lyttelton, New Zealand.
• 1937 –
  Theodore Cole and Ralph Roe attempt to escape from the American federal prison on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay; neither is ever seen again.
• 1950 –
  U.S. President Harry S. Truman declares a state of emergency, after Chinese troops enter the fight with communist North Korea in the Korean War.
• 1960 –
  1960 New York air disaster: While approaching New York’s Idlewild Airport, a United Airlines Douglas DC-8 collides with a TWA Lockheed Super Constellation in a blinding snowstorm over Staten Island, killing 134.
• 1972 –
  Vietnam War: Henry Kissinger announces that North Vietnam has left private peace negotiations, in Paris.
• 1978 –
  Cleveland, Ohio becomes the first post-Depression era city to default on its loans, owing $14,000,000 to local banks.
• 1998 –
  Iraq disarmament crisis: Operation Desert Fox – The United States and United Kingdom bomb targets in Iraq.

Who were born on December 16?

• 1883 –
  Max Linder, French pioneer of silent film (d. 1925)
• 1917 –
  Sir Arthur C. Clarke, English writer (d. 2008)
• 1943 –
  Steven Bochco, American television producer and writer
• 1955 –
  Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este
• 1960 –
  Pat Van Den Hauwe, Belgian footballer
• 1968 –
  Mark Dean Schwab, American rapist and murderer (d. 2008)
• 1972 –
  Charles Gipson, American baseball player
• 1985 –
  Keita Tachibana, Japanese singer (w-inds.)
• 1987 –
  Beau Dowler, Australian rules footballer
• 1990 –
  Julito McCullum, American actor

Who died on December 16?

• 1898 –
  Pavel Tretyakov, Russian businessman and art collector (b. 1832)
• 1935 –
  Thelma Todd, American actress (b. 1905)
• 1968 –
  Futabayama Sadaji, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 35th Yokozuna (b. 1912)
• 1968 –
  General Muhammad Suheimat, Jordanian military commander and statesman (b.1916)
• 1988 –
  Sylvester James, American singer (b. 1948)
• 1989 –
  Aileen Pringle, American actress (b. 1895)
• 1989 –
  Silvana Mangano, Italian actress (b. 1930)
• 1990 –
  Douglas Campbell, American aviator (b. 1896)
• 1993 –
  Tanaka Kakuei, Japanese politician (b. 1918)
• 2005 –
  Kenneth Bulmer, English author (b. 1921)