Calendar date · August

What happened on August 16

On August 16, -1: Wang Mang consolidates his power in China and is declared marshal of state. Emperor Ai of Han, who died the previous day, had no heirs.

Events

65

across history

Notable births

50

Notable deaths

50

Zodiac

Leo

Featured moment · -1

Wang Mang consolidates his power in China and is declared marshal of state. Emperor Ai of Han, who died the previous day, had no heirs.

Wang Mang, courtesy name Jujun, officially titled the Shijianguo Emperor, was the founder and the only emperor of the short-lived Xin dynasty of imperial China. Originally an official and consort kin of the Han dynasty, Wang seized the throne in AD 9. The Han dynasty was restored after his overthrow, and his rule marked the separation between the earlier Western Han dynasty and the later Eastern Han dynasty.

People

Born on August 16

Jannik Sinner 2001– Italian tennis player (born 2001)
Karen Chen 1999– American figure skater (born 1999)
Greyson Chance 1997– American singer-songwriter and musician
Sophie Cunningham 1996– American basketball player and analyst (born 1996)
Caeleb Dressel 1996– American swimmer (born 1996)
Cameron Monaghan 1993– American actor and model (born 1993)
Diego Schwartzman 1992– Argentine tennis player (born 1992)
José Eduardo de Araújo 1991– Brazilian footballer
Evanna Lynch 1991– Irish actress and activist (born 1991)
Show 9 more — notable births on August 16
Young Thug 1991– American rapper (born 1991)
Godfrey Oboabona 1990– Nigerian footballer (born 1990)
Cedric Alexander 1989– American professional wrestler (born 1989)
Wang Hao 1989– Chinese racewalker
Moussa Sissoko 1989– French footballer (born 1989)
Ismaïl Aissati 1988– Moroccan footballer (born 1988)
Ryan Kerrigan 1988– American football player and coach (born 1988)
Rumer Willis 1988– American actress (born 1988)
Carey Price 1987– Canadian ice hockey player (born 1987)

People

Died on August 16

Howard S. Becker American sociologist (1928–2023)
Sean Lock English comedian and actor (1963–2021)
Peter Fonda American actor and filmmaker (1940–2019)
Richard Williams Canadian and British animator (1933–2019)
Aretha Franklin American soul singer (1942–2018)
Atal Bihari Vajpayee Prime Minister of India (1996; 1998–99, 1999–2004)
Wakako Yamauchi Japanese American playwright and writer (1924–2018)
João Havelange Brazilian businessman, athlete and football administrator (1916–2016)
John McLaughlin American journalist and political commentator (1927–2016)
Show 9 more — notable deaths on August 16
Jacob Bekenstein Mexican-Israeli physicist (1947–2015)
Anna Kashfi British actress (1934–2015)
Shuja Khanzada Pakistani officer and politician (1943–2015)
Mile Mrkšić Croatian Serb war criminal (1947–2015)
Patrick Aziza Nigerian politician and general
Vsevolod Nestayko Ukrainian children's writer (1930–2014)
Mario Oriani-Ambrosini Italian lawyer and politician
Peter Scholl-Latour German journalist and author
David Rees Welsh mathematician and academic (born 1918)

Timeline

Every August 16 on record

  1. -1 Wang Mang consolidates his power in China and is declared marshal of state. Emperor Ai of Han, who died the previous day, had no heirs.

    Emperor of the Xin dynasty of China from 9 to 23

    Wang Mang, courtesy name Jujun, officially titled the Shijianguo Emperor, was the founder and the only emperor of the short-lived Xin dynasty of imperial China. Originally an official and consort kin of the Han dynasty, Wang seized the throne in AD 9. The Han dynasty was restored after his overthrow, and his rule marked the separation between the earlier Western Han dynasty and the later Eastern Han dynasty.

  2. 942 Start of the four-day Battle of al-Mada'in, between the Hamdanids of Mosul and the Baridis of Basra over control of the Abbasid capital, Baghdad.

    Battle for control of Baghdad in 942

    The Battle of al-Mada'in was fought near al-Mada'in in central Iraq between the armies of the Hamdanids and the Baridis, for control over Baghdad, the capital and seat of the Abbasid Caliphate, that was around 22 kilometres (14 mi) away and then under control of the Hamdanids. In a fiercely contested battle over four days that cost both sides many casualties, the Hamdanid army prevailed. They were too exhausted to pursue, however, which allowed the Baridis to withdraw to Wasit and then Basra.

  3. 963 Nikephoros II Phokas is crowned emperor of the Byzantine Empire.

    Byzantine emperor from 963 to 969

    Nikephoros II Phokas, Latinized Nicephorus II Phocas, was Byzantine emperor from 963 to 969. His career, not uniformly successful in matters of statecraft or of war, nonetheless greatly contributed to the resurgence of the Byzantine Empire during the 10th century.

  4. 1328 The House of Gonzaga seizes power in the Duchy of Mantua, and will rule until 1708.

    Italian royal family that ruled parts of Northern Italy

    The House of Gonzaga is an Italian princely family that ruled Mantua in Lombardy, northern Italy from 1328 to 1708. They also ruled Monferrato in Piedmont and Nevers in France, as well as many other lesser fiefs throughout Europe. The family includes a saint, twelve cardinals, and fourteen bishops.

  5. 1513 Battle of the Spurs (Battle of Guinegate): King Henry VIII of England and his Imperial allies defeat French Forces who are then forced to retreat.

    1513 battle of the War of the League of Cambrai

    The Battle of the Spurs or (Second) Battle of Guinegate took place on 16 August 1513. It formed a part of the War of the League of Cambrai of 1508 to 1516, during the Italian Wars. King Henry VIII of England and Emperor Maximilian I were besieging the French town of Thérouanne in Artois.

  6. 1550 Rabbi Moses Isserles issues his ruling in the Bragadin-Giustiniani dispute, one of the earliest instances of a copyright suit over any book.
  7. 1570 The Principality of Transylvania is established after John II Zápolya renounces his claim as King of Hungary in the Treaty of Speyer.
  8. 1652 Battle of Plymouth: Inconclusive naval action between the fleets of Michiel de Ruyter and George Ayscue in the First Anglo-Dutch War.
  9. 1777 American Revolutionary War: The Americans led by General John Stark rout British and Brunswick troops under Friedrich Baum at the Battle of Bennington in Walloomsac, New York.
  10. 1780 American Revolutionary War: Battle of Camden: The British defeat the Americans near Camden, South Carolina.
  11. 1792 Maximilien Robespierre presents the petition of the Commune of Paris to the Legislative Assembly, which demanded the formation of a revolutionary tribunal.
  12. 1793 French Revolution: A levée en masse is decreed by the National Convention.
  13. 1812 War of 1812: American General William Hull surrenders Fort Detroit without a fight to the British Army.
  14. 1819 Peterloo Massacre: Seventeen people die and over 600 are injured in cavalry charges at a public meeting at St. Peter's Field, Manchester, England.
  15. 1837 Three African soldiers in the 1st West India Regiment – Daaga, Edward Coffin and Maurice Ogston – were executed for their role in the St. Joseph Mutiny in the British colony of Trinidad.
Show 15 earlier entries from August 16
  1. 1841 U.S. President John Tyler vetoes a bill which called for the re-establishment of the Second Bank of the United States. Enraged Whig Party members riot outside the White House in the most violent demonstration on White House grounds in U.S. history.
  2. 1844 Governor-general of the Philippines Narciso Claveria, signs a decree to reform the country's calendar by skipping Tuesday, December 31, as a solution to anomalies that had existed since Ferdinand Magellan's arrival in 1521.
  3. 1858 U.S. President James Buchanan inaugurates the new transatlantic telegraph cable by exchanging greetings with Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. However, a weak signal forces a shutdown of the service in a few weeks.
  4. 1859 The Grand Duchy of Tuscany formally deposes the exiled House of Lorraine.
  5. 1863 The Dominican Restoration War begins when Gregorio Luperón raises the Dominican flag in Santo Domingo after Spain had recolonized the country.
  6. 1869 Battle of Acosta Ñu: A Paraguayan battalion largely made up of children is massacred by the Brazilian Army during the Paraguayan War.
  7. 1870 Franco-Prussian War: The Battle of Mars-la-Tour is fought, resulting in a Prussian victory.
  8. 1876 Richard Wagner's Siegfried, the penultimate opera in his Ring cycle, is premiered at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus.
  9. 1891 The Basilica of San Sebastian, Manila, the first all-steel church in Asia, is officially inaugurated and blessed.
  10. 1896 Skookum Jim Mason, George Carmack and Dawson Charlie discover gold in a tributary of the Klondike River in Canada, setting off the Klondike Gold Rush.
  11. 1900 The Battle of Elands River during the Second Boer War ends after a 13-day siege is lifted by the British. The battle had begun when a force of between 2,000 and 3,000 Boers had surrounded a force of 500 Australians, Rhodesians, Canadians and British soldiers at a supply dump at Brakfontein Drift.
  12. 1906 The 8.2 Mw Valparaíso earthquake hits central Chile, killing 3,882 people.
  13. 1913 Tōhoku Imperial University of Japan (modern day Tohoku University) becomes the first university in Japan to admit female students.
  14. 1913 Completion of the Royal Navy battlecruiser HMS Queen Mary.
  15. 1916 The Migratory Bird Treaty between Canada and the United States is signed.

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