December 16 is the 350th day of the year (351st in
leap years) in the
Gregorian Calendar. There are 15 days remaining.
Events:
- 1653: Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland.
- 1689: The English Parliament adopts the Bill of Rights.
- 1773: Boston Tea Party: In Boston, tea is thrown in the sea as a protest against British taxation. This event marks the beginning of the [American War of Independence]? (it doesn't really mark the beginning, the [Boston Massacre]? was earlier. Historian to advise?).
- 1809: The French Senate divorces Napoleon Bonaparte from empress Josephine.
- 1838: Boer?s defeat Zulu chieftain Dingaan?.
- 1850: The first four ships arrive at Lyttleton to settle Christchurch, New Zealand.
- 1864: Union troops led by general [George Thomas]? crush federate troops in the [Battle of Nashville]?.
- 1893: World premier of Dvorak?'s "New World Symphony".
- 1915: Albert Einstein publishes the General Relativity.
- 1922: Poland's President [Gabriel Narutowicz]? assassinated
- 1969: The British House of Commons votes to abolish the death penalty.
- 1971: Bangladesh declares independence from Pakistan.
- 1990: [Jean-Bertrand Aristide]? elected president in Haiti's first democratic election.
- 1998: Beginning of [Desert Fox]?: American and British troops bomb Iraqi targets after Iraq obstructs the workings of the UNSCOM (UN inspection of Iraqi weapons).
- 1999: Mud streams kill thousands in Venezuela.
- 2000: NASA announces that there is an ocean beneath Jupiter moon Ganymedes?'s icy surface.
Births:
- 1770: [Ludwig von Beethoven]?, composer
- 1775: Jane Austen, writer
- 1882: [Walther Meissner]?, physicist
- 1899: [Noel Coward]?, playwright
- 1901: Margaret Mead, anthropologist
- 1906: [Leonid Brezhnev]?, president of the Soviet Union
- 1917: Arthur C. Clarke, science-fiction? writer
- 1939: [Liv Ullman]?, Norwegian actress
- 1946: Benny Andersson, pop musician (ABBA)
- 1964: [Heike Drechsler]?, [track and field]? athlete
- 1967: [Donovan Bailey]?, Canadian athlete
Deaths:
- 1783: [Johann A. Hasse]?, German composer
- 1916: Grigori Rasputin, powerful Russian monk (murder)
- 1944: [Glenn Miller]?, jazz musician
- 1945: [Fumimaro Konu]?, prince and prime minister of Japan (harakiri)
Holidays:
December 15 -
December 17 -
November 16 -
January 16 - more
historical anniversaries
See Also: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December