16th December, on this day

0882 John VIII ends his reign as Catholic Pope
0882 Marinus I begins his reign as Catholic Pope
1431 King Henry VI of England crowned king of France
1538 King François I orders renewed pursuit of Protestants
1577 Danzig surrenders to troops of Polish king István Báthory
1617 Spanish viceroy Hernando Arias de Saavedra founds provinces Río de la Plata (Argentina)/Guaira (Paraguay)
1631 Mount Vesuvius, Italy erupts, destroys 6 villages and kills 4,000
1653 Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of England, Scotland & Ireland
1659 General Monck demands free parliamentary election in Scotland
1689 English Parliament adopts Bill of Rights after Glorious Revolution
1707 Last recorded eruption of Mount Fuji in Japan.
1740 Prussian Libya falls to Silezie
1761 Seven Years' War: After four-month siege, the Russians under Pyotr Rumyantsev take the Prussian fortress of Kolberg
1773 The infamous Boston Tea Party - in which 150 'Sons of Liberty' - American colonists dressed as Red Indians - protest against British imposed taxes by throwing fully-laden tea chests into the harbour at Boston
1809 Napoleon Bonaparte divorces Empress Josephine by the French Senate
1811 Most violent and prolonged quakes in US begins in Midwest region; 8.0 earthquake shakes New Madrid MO
1817 Leaders of Molukkas uprising hanged in Ambon
1835 Fire consumes over 600 buildings in New York, NY
1838 Battle of Blood River: Boers beat Zulu chieftain Dingaan in South Africa
1850 The first immigrant ship, the 'Charlotte Jane', arrives at Lyttelton in New Zealand
1857 Earthquake in Naples, Italy
1862 Battle of White Hall : Foster fights indecisive battle with Beverly Robertson
1862 Kingdom of Nepal accepts its constitution
1864 Battle of Nashville ends after 4400 casualities
1877 Anton Bruckner's 3rd Symphony in D, premieres
1880 Republic of South-Africa forms
1884 Great Britain recognizes Congo Free State
1892 Commencement of 1st Sheffield Shield cricket game, South Africa vs New South Wales
1893 In Britain, the completion of the Manchester Ship Canal
1893 Anton Dvorak's "New World Symphony" premieres
1897 1st submarine with an internal combustion engine demonstrated
1900 Boer army under General Kritzinger take Cape colony
1903 Majestic Theater, New York NY, becomes 1st in US to employ women ushers
1905 "Variety", covering all phases of show business, 1st published
1907 Great White Fleet sails from Hampton Downs on its World Cruise
1907 In a deliberate show of strength, an American fleet of 16 battleships departs on a round-the-world tour
1907 Eugene H Farrar is 1st to sing on radio (Brooklyn Navy Yard, NY)
1908 1st credit union in US forms (Mancheste,r NH)
1912 Austria-Hungary engage in conflict with Serbia
1913 Charlie Chaplin began his film career at Keystone for $150 a week
1914 French offensive in Artois (Pétain)
1915 Albert Einstein publishes his "General Theory of Relativity"
1918 Jack Dempsey KOs Carl Morris in 14 seconds
1920 Over 180,000 die when 8.6 earthquake destroys 15,000² miles (Kansu, China)
1922 President of Poland Gabriel Narutowicz is assassinated by Eligiusz Niewiadomski at the Zacheta Gallery in Warsaw.
1924 Noel Coward's "Vortex" premieres in London
1926 Darius Milhaud's opera "Le Pauvre Matelot" premieres in Paris
1929 First all-talking feature film is made in Britain: 'The Clue of the New Pin.' starring a young actor, John Gielgud, as the villain
1931 German SPD begins Eiserne Front against fascism
1932 Heavy earthquake ravages Kansu, China, 70,000 killed
1937 First performance in London of Noel Gay's 'Me And My Girl ' which introduces the world to the "Lambeth Walk"
1940 British air raid on Mannheim
1940 Joe Louis KOs Al McCoy in 6 for heavyweight boxing title in Chicago
1941 Sarawak occupied by the Japanese
1941 Rommel orders a withdrawal all the way to El Agheila, where he had begun in. He awaits reinforcements of men and tanks.
1941 Japan invades Borneo.
1941 The German offensive around Moscow is now at a complete halt.
1942 Hitler orders combat against partisans in Russia and Balkan
1943 "Tamiami Champion" trains collide, kills 73 andinjures 200
1944 In World War II, the start of what becomes known as the Battle of the Bulge. In a last attempt to avoid defeat, the Germans launch a surprise counter-offensive in the Ardennes. After its initial successes the attack falters
1944 General Eisenhower's clerk Rickey marries corporal Pearlie
1944 German V-2 strikes Antwerp bioscope (638 killed)
1944 US 2nd Infantry division occupies "Heartbreak Crossroads" Wahlerscheid
1949 Sukarno becomes President of Indonesia, Mokammed Hatta premier
1950 Truman proclaims state of emergency against "Communist imperialism"
1953 1st White House Press Conference (President Eisenhower & 161 reporters)
1955 In London, the officially opening of a new international airport at Heathrow
1958 Bogotá warehouse fire kills 82
1958 Abdallah Ibrahim forms government of Morocco
1959 Snow falling in Lowarai Pass West Pakistan kills 48
1960 134 die as United DC-8 and TWA Super Constellation collide over Staten Island, New York NY
1962 Constitutional Monarchical Hindu State of Nepál adopts new constitution
1962 David Lean's "Lawrence of Arabia" premieres
1964 US performs nuclear test at Pacific Ocean
1965 Gemini 6 returns to Earth
1965 Pioneer 6 launched into solar orbit
1965 Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, becomes King of Tonga
1966 Beatles release "Everywhere it's Christmas" in the UK
1966 Jimi Hendrix Experience releases its 1st single, "Hey Joe", in the UK
1969 "War is Over! If You Want It, Happy Christmas from John and Yoko" posters begin appearing
1969 British House of Commons votes 343-185 abolishing the death penalty
1970 1st successful landing on Venus (USSR)
1970 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1971 Bangladesh (East Pakistan) declares independence from Pakistan
1971 Don McLean's 8+ minute version of "American Pie" released
1973 US kidnap victim Paul Getty III freed
1974 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1974 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk USSR
1976 Government halts swine flu vaccination program following reports of paralysis
1976 Liberian tanker stranded at Nantucket, 180,000 barrels oil in sea
1978 Ronald Reagan denounces President Jimmy Carter's recognition of China People's Republic
1980 President-elect Reagan announces Alexander Haig as Secretary of State
1983 Riverside CA judge denies cerebral palsy victim Elizabeth Bouviato request to starve herself to death in a county hospital
1983 Spokesperson for "The Who" announces the group is disbanding
1987 Roh Tae Woo wins Presidential Election in South Korea
1988 Political cult leader Lyndon LaRouche convicted of tax, mail fraud
1990 Haitians elect populist priest Jean Bertrand Aristide as President in the country's first fully democratic election
1991 Britain names Stella Rimington as the first woman to head its security service, MI5
1991 Independence of The Republic of Kazakhstan.
1991 Ferry boat Salem Express sinks in Red Sea, 476 killed
1991 UN reverses ruling that Zionism is racism by 111-25 (13 abstain) vote
1992 Israel orders deportation of 415 Palestinians after escalating terrorist activity
1994 Davy Jones (Monkees), charged with DWI
1997 Air Canada Flight 646, a Canadair CRJ-100, crashes after a failed go-around attempt in Fredericton, New Brunswick. All passengers and crew survive.
1998 USA and Britain combine bombing attacks on Iraq after United Nations weapons inspectors are expelled from the country-contrary to assurances given by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein

16th December 2005

Bush spying claim causes US storm

Radiation alert at Chechen plant

Iraqis estimate over 70% turnout

16th December 2006

New push for Iraq reconciliation

Florida governor halts executions

Spain restores Gibraltar air link

16th December 2007

Turkish planes bomb northern Iraq

UK troops return Basra to Iraqis

Indian rebels in mass jailbreak

16th December 2008

US rates slashed to nearly zero

Israel tourism bus crash kills 24

Explosives found in Paris store

16th December 2009

Climate talks stall amid protests

Credit Suisse to pay $536m for Iran

Herschel space telescope captures birth of stars

Birthdates which occurred on 16th December :

1485 Catherine of Aragon Spanish princess/1st wife of Henry VIII
1622 Kurt S Adeler Danish admiral/ship builder
1652 Giovanni Maria Casini composer
1685 Charles Cressent France, cabinetmaker (Régence)
1734 Georg Peter Weimar composer
1742 Gebhard Leberecht Fürst Blücher von Wahlstatt German fieldmarshal
1748 Ferdinand-Philippe-Joseph Staes composer
1770 Ludwig van Beethoven Bonn Germany, composer (Ode to Joy)
1775 Jane Austen England, novelist (Pride & Prejudice)
1775 François-Adrien Boieldieu composer
1777 Janos Fusz composer
1809 Peter P van Bosse Dutch attorney/liberal minister of Finance
1812 William Grose Brevet Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1900
1819 Robert Selden Garnett Brigadier-General (Confederate Army), died in 1861
1822 Charles Edward Horsley composer
1825 Henry Heth Major General (Confederate Army), died in 1899
1825 Robert Prescott Stewart composer
1827 John A C Oudemans Dutch geographer/astronomer
1828 John Beatty Brigadier-General (Union volunteers), died in 1914
1830 John Frederick Hartranft Brevet Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1889
1834 Léon Walras French economist (border use theory)
1847 Augusta Mary Anne Holmes composer
1850 Fred Morley cricketer (legendary Notts & England bowler 1880-83)
1851 Theodoor H de Meester Dutch premier (1905-08)
1857 Edward Emerson Barnard Tennesee, astronomer (Jupiter's 5th satellite)
1862 Eugène Demolder Belgian writer (Sous la robe)
1863 George Santayana Spain, philosopher/poet/humanist (Last Puritan)
1863 Ralph Adams Cram US, gothic architect (Cathedral of St John the Divine NYC)
1865 Victor Rousseau Belgian sculptor
1869 Albert F Pollard British historian (Dict of natural biography)
1879 William Duncan Scotland, actor (Thunder Trail)
1882 Sir John Berry Hobbs England, 1st cricket player knighted (1953)
1882 Walther Meissner German physicist (Meissner effect)
1882 Zoltán Kodály Kecskemét Hungary, composer (Psalmus Hungaricus)
1883 Max Linder Caverne France, actor/comic/director (Max Prend un Bain)
1888 Alphonse Juin French marshal
1890 Harlan Sanders founder/CEO (Kentucky Fried Chicken)
1892 A "Shon Nènè" Morales Antillean/Netherlands very old lady
1892 Cameron Prud'Homme Auburn CA, actor (Rainmaker)
1893 Vladimir Golschmann Paris France, conductor with Immortal Downbeat
1895 Lidj Jasu emperor of Ethiopia
1897 Jacobus Petrus Duminy cricketer (three Tests for South Africa 1927-29)
1897 Paul Neuhuys Belgian playwright (Le Canari et le Cerise)
1899 Sir Noel Coward playwright (In Which We Serve-1942 Academy Award)
1899 Harold Walter Bailey philologist
19-- Dori Brenner [Levine] New York NY, actress (Rhoda Gold-7th Avenue)
19-- Patti Deutsch Pittsburgh PA, comedienne (Ace Trucking Co, Laugh-in)
19-- Ross Kettle actor (Santa Barbara)
19-- Terry Carter [John E. DeCoste] Brooklyn NY, actor (McCloud, Battlestar Galactica)
1900 Victor S Pritchett literary critic/author (Myth Makers)
1901 Margaret Mead Philadelphia PA, anthropologist (Coming of Age in Samoa)
1903 Hardie Albright Pittsburgh PA, actress (Silver Streak, Scarlet Letter)
1903 Rafael Alberti Spanish poet (El hombre deshabitado)
1904 Edward Morris Bernstein economist
1904 Norbert E Fonteyne Flemish writer (Guest house Vivès)
1905 Piet Hein poet/inventor
1906 John Morrison politician/landowner
1906 Lord Margadale English Conservative parliament leader/large landowner
1907 Ray C Bliss (R) Ohio State Republican Chairman
1907 Syd Curnow cricketer (South African batsman in 7 Tests 1930-32)
1909 Henricus Verbunt civil servant/resistance fighter
1909 Lall Singh cricketer (scored 15 & 29 in India's 1st Test match)
1910 Freddie Brown Peru, cricketer ("Lettuces! Hearts as big as ")
1910 Robert Noehren composer
1910 Stanojlo Rajicic composer
1915 Georgy Vasilevich Svirdov composer
1916 Theo Bitter Dutch painter/set designer
1916 Udom Patpongsiri property developer
1917 Arthur C[harles] Clarke sci-fi author (2001, 2010, Childhood's End)
1918 Henry Clarke fashion photographer
1919 Manke Nelis [Cornelis Pieters] Dutch folk vocalist (Small Yodel Boy)
1922 Pierre Chany writer/cycling journalist
1923 Tip [Silvio A] Marugg Antillian writer (Weekend pilgrimage)
1923 Werner Haentjes composer
1926 James McCracken Gary IN, dramatic tenor (Rodolfo-La Bohéme)
1926 Alfred Koerppen composer
1927 G Randall P D Garrett US, sci-fi writer (Takeoff (too)!)
1927 Peter [Malcolm] Dickinson Zambia, sci-fi author (Heartsease)
1928 Peter Nailor civil servant/historian
1928 Philip K[indred] Dick US, sci-fi author (Hugo-1963, Blade Runner)
1929 Ian Board barkeeper
1932 Rodion Konstantinovich Schedrin Moscow, composer (Humpback Horse)
1937 Joyce Bulifant Newport News VA, actress (Marie-Mary Tyler Moore Show)
1937 Jim Glaser Spalding NE, singer (Glaser Brothers-Getting to Me Again)
1937 Joe Farrell rocker
1938 Michael Greer Durham NC, actor (Bobby Gentry Show)
1939 Liv Ullman Tokyo Japan, actress (Cries & Whispers, 40 Carats)
1940 Dimitri van Toren Dutch vocalist/composer
1941 Lesley Stahl Lynn MA, White House correspondent (CBS-TV)
1941 Vittoria Mezzogiorno Italian actor (L'homme blessé, Tre fratelli)
1943 Steven Bochco producer (Hill St Blues, LA Law, St Elsewhere, NYPD Blue)
1943 Anthony Hicks rock guitarist (Hollies-The Air That I Breathe)
1944 John Abercrombie rocker
1946 Adriaan van Dis Dutch TV host/writer (Promised Country)
1946 Benny Andersson Stockholm Sweden, singer (ABBA-Money! Money! Money!, Dancing Queen)
1946 Fred Borgman Dutch 2nd chamber member (CDA)
1947 Vincent Matthews US, 400 meter dash (Olympics-gold-1972)
1947 Ben Cross England, actor (Chariots of Fire, Far Pavillions)
1949 Billy Gibbons Houston TX, jazz guitarist (Moving Sidewalks, ZZ Top)
1950 Caroline Munro Windsor, actress (Golden Voyage of Sinbad) [or 1/16]
1950 Ieremia Tabai President of Kiribati (Gilbert Islands) (1979-91)
1952 Elayne Boosler comedienne (Night Court)
1952 Joel Garner cricketer (two-metre West Indian pace bowler 1977-87)
1953 Filip Bolluyt Dutch actor (Daybreak)
1953 Joel Garner Barbados, bowler
1954 Joslyn Y Hoyte-Smith Barbados, 4X400 meter hurdler (Olympics-bronze-1980)
1955 Carol M Browner US Administrator (EPA)
1955 Graeme Stevenson cricketer (England medium pacer 1980-81)
1958 Bart Oates NFL center (New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers)
1959 Alison La Placa New Jersey, actress (Duet, Catherine-John Larroquette Show)
1959 Steven Irvine rock drummer (Lloyd Cole & The Commotions)
1961 Kelly Tough Vancouver British Columbia, playmate (October 1981)
1962 Maruschka Detmers Schoonebeek Holland, actress (Devil in the Flesh)
1962 Melanie Smith Scranton PA, actress (Emily-As the World Turns)
1962 William "The Refrigerator" Perry NFL defensive back (Chicago Bears)
1962 Jon Tenney actor (Brooklyn South)
1963 Benjamin Bratt California, actor (Detective Reynaldo Curtis-Law & Order)
1963 Brian Clark Brandon Man, Canadian Tour golfer (1994 Morden Pro-Am)
1963 Cathy Johnston-Forbes High Point NC, LPGA golfer (1990 du Maurier)
1963 Silvio Diliberto WLAF kicker (Amsterdam Admirals)
1964 Billy Ripken Havre de Grace MD, 2nd baseman (Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers)
1964 Evelyn Conley San Francisco CA, WPVA volleyballer (US Open-7th-1989)
1964 Gail Harris Dewsbury England, actress (Virtual Desire)
1964 Heike Drechsler Gera German Democratic Republic, sprinter (1988 world record)
1965 Cynthia Lynne White Oklahoma City OK, Miss Oklahoma-America (1991-top 10)
1965 Brent Franklin Barrie Ontario, Canadian Tour golfer (1992 Japan Open-2nd)
1965 Chris Jones Utica NY, outfielder (New York Mets)
1965 Moe Elewonibi NFL/CFL tackle (Philadelphia Eagles, British Columbia Lions)
1965 Page Dunlap Harrisonburg VA, LPGA golfer (1994 Atlanta Women's-8th)
1965 Romallis Ellis Washington DC, lightweight boxer (Olympics-bronze-1988)
1966 Clifford Robinson NBA center (Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers)
1967 Donovan Bailey Manchester Jamaica, Canada 100 meter runner (Olympics-2 gold-96)
1968 Darryll Lewis NFL cornerback (Houston/Tennessee Oilers)
1968 Paul Scherrer actor (Children of Corn II, Free Spirit)
1968 Wendy Doolan Sydney Australia, LPGA golfer (1991 British Amateur Champion-2nd)
1969 Charles Mincy NFL safety (Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
1969 Craig White cricketer (England all-rounder 1994-95, AIS graduate)
1969 Martin Ulrich hockey defenseman (Team Austria 1998)
1971 Michael S McCary [Boss] Philadelphia PA, rapper (Boyz II Men)
1971 Catherine "Cathy" Symon Washington DC, rower (Olympics-96)
1971 Kristen Kane Jacksonville FL, diver (Olympics-96)
1973 Kristie Boogert Rotterdam Netherlands, tennis star (1996 Paris)
1979 Nicole Werra Miss Wisconsin Teen USA (1996)

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Deaths which occurred on 16th December:
0714 Pippin II of Héristal, Duke/prince of France, dies
0875 Ado of Vienne French archbishop of Vienne, dies at about 75
0882 John VIII Italian Pope (872-82), dies
0999 Adelheid the Saint German empress of Otto I/saint, dies at about 68
1404 Albrecht of Bavaria duke of Bavaria, dies at about 74
1670 Dorothy 1st English marquis of Halifax, dies
1672 John II Casimir Vasa cardinal/king of Poland (1648-68), dies at 63
1673 Juan de Padilla composer, dies at 68
1719 Adrian "Aart" van Wijck Dutch theologist (anti-jansenism), dies at 78
1774 François Quesnay French personal physician of Louis XIV, dies at 80
1781 Georg Simon Lohlein composer, dies at 56
1783 Johann Adolf Hasse Dutch operatic composer (Sesostrate), dies at 84
1790 Ludwig August Lebrun composer, dies at 38
1816 Vincenzo Galeotti [Tomazelli] Italian dancer/choreographer, dies at 73
1821 Claire countess the Rémusat/Vergennes/author (Salon), dies at 41
1833 Friedrich August Kanne composer, dies at 55
1852 Andries H Potgieter South African/Transvaal explorer, dies at 59
1852 Henri-Jean Rigel composer, dies at 80
1858 Richard Bright British Dr (Bright's disease/nephritis), dies at 69
1859 Wilhelm Grimm writer (Grimm's Fairy Tales), dies at 73
1861 Karol Joseph Lipinski composer, dies at 71
1870 Stanislaw Duniecki composer, dies at 31
1871 Willibald Alexis German writer (Schloss Avalon), dies at 73
1874 Abraham Capadose physician/missionary, dies at 79
1897 Alphonse Daudet French writer (Tartarin sur les Alpes), dies at 57
1914 Ivan Zajc composer, dies at 82
1916 Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin a powerful Russian monk is murdered at 45
1920 Ma Mua-Ming-Hsin the Benovelent, Chinese muslim rebel (holy war), dies
1921 Charles Camille Saint-Saens French composer (Carnival of the Animals), dies at 86
1922 Eliezer Ben-Yehuda [Perelmann] Latvia/Palestinian writer, dies at 67
1922 Gabriel Narutowicz 1st President of Poland (December 7-16, 1922), assassinated
1923 Pongrac Kacsoh composer, dies at 50
1927 Hugh Archibald Clarke composer, dies at 88
1931 Gustave J Waffelaert Flemish theologist/bishop of Bruges, dies at 82
1935 Thelma Todd actress (Horse Feathers, Bohemian Girl), dies of 30
1940 M Eugène F T Dubois geologist/paleontologist (Wadjakmens), dies
1940 William Wallace composer, dies at 80
1944 Glenn Miller US jazz composer/orchestra leader (Danny boy), dies at 40
1945 Fumimaro Konu Japanese prince/PM (1937-39, 40-41), commits harakiri
1949 Traitsjo Kostov Bulgarian communist vice-premier, executed
1950 Otto Vrieslander composer, dies at 70
1960 Anna Luther silent screen actress (Sinners in Silk), dies at 63
1961 Boris Semyonovich Shekhter composer, dies at 61
1961 Cato Engelen-Sewing Dutch soprano singer/primadonna, dies at 93
1965 William Somerset Maugham English author (Razor's Edge, Of Human Bondage), dies at 91
1973 Syd Barnes cricketer (13 Tests for Australia 1938-48), dies
1974 Kostas Varnalis writer, dies
1976 George a goose that lived to 49 years 8 months, dies
1978 Blanche Calloway US singer/dancer/radio hostess, dies at 76
1980 Harland "Colonel" Sanders founder Kentucky Fried Chicken, dies at 90
1982 Anthony C B Chapman England, formula 1 racer, dies at 54
1983 Kusan Sunim found Milae Sa temple/Bulsung Sa Zen in Korea, dies at 74
1985 Dick Pollard cricketer (England fast-medium bowler 1946-48), dies
1985 Merv Waite cricketer (2 Tests for Australia 1938, 1 wicket average 190), dies
1985 Paul Castellano Organized-crime chief, shot dead at a New York NY restaurant
1987 Albert P Morano (Representative-R-CT, 1951-59), dies at 79
1988 H "Stork" Hendry cricketer (11 Tests for Australia 1921-29), dies
1989 Aileen Pringle actress (Age of Consent, Convicted, Night Parade), dies
1989 Lee Van Cleef US actor (Good, Bad & Ugly), dies at 64
1989 Silvana Mangano Italian actress (Death in Venice), dies at 59
1991 Fred D Scott actor (2 Gun Troubador), dies
1992 Anton [Tom] Koolhaas Dutch writer (Snow White), dies at 80
1992 Rinus Terlouw Dutch soccer player/trainer (Sparta), dies
1993 Bentri Seddik Algerian court judge, murdered at 46
1993 Kakuei Tanaka premier of Japan (1972-74), dies at 75
1993 Moses Gunn actor (Roots), dies of asthma at 64
1993 Ratu Penaia Ganilau President of Fiji (1987-93), dies at 75
1993 Richard Auwerda Dutch journalist/writer (Volkskrant), dies at 68
1994 Mary Durack poet, dies at 81
1994 Samuel Lipman music critic, dies at 60
1995 Nina Verchinina dancer choreographer/teacher, dies at 85
1996 Jean-Pierre Levy resistance leader, dies at 85
1996 Joe Coral bookmaker, dies at 92
1996 Quentin Bell artist author/teacher, dies at 86
1997 Nicolette Larson singer (Lotta Love), dies from brain seizure at 45
1997 Richard Warwick actor (Johnny Dangerously, Sebastine, If), dies at 52


Link 1/ On this day 16th December

Link 2/ On this day 16th December

Link 3/ On this day 16th December