1384 A 10-year-old Hungarian girl called Jadwiga was crowned King of Poland on October 16, 1384. Her title either reflected the Polish lords' attempt to hinder her future husband from adopting the same title without further act or only emphasized that she was a queen regnant. She reigned for 15 years until her death on July 17, 1399.
1701 Yale University was founded on October 16, 1701 by Congregationalist ministers unhappy with the growing liberalism at Harvard. It wasn't called Yale then, but rather the Collegiate School.
The Congregationalist ministers donated forty books and declared their objective, that "Youth may be instructed in the Arts and Sciences who through the blessing of God may be fitted for Publick employment both in Church and Civil State."
1758 American lexicographer Noah Webster was born on October 16, 1758 in West Hartford, Connecticut to a politically prominent family. Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language (1828) in two volumes was the first dictionary to give comprehensive coverage of American usage, and his name survives in the many dictionaries produced by the American publishing house. His books on grammar and spelling and dictionary standardized the spelling of American English.
1793 Marie Antoinette, widow of Louis XVI, was guillotined for treason at the height of the French Revolution at 12:15 p.m. on October 16, 1793. As she was standing on the platform about to be guillotined, she accidentally stepped on Samson the executioner's foot. "Monsieur" she said ""Pardon me. I meant not to do it," Her last words were "Farewell children, forever, I am going to your father".
1813 The coalition armies of Russia, Prussia, Austria, and Sweden, led by Tsar Alexander I of Russia and Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg defeated Napoleon Bonaparte's French army at the Battle of Leipzig, which was fought between October 16-19. The battle involved about 600,000 soldiers, making it the largest battle before World War I. After defeat at the Battle of Leipzig, Napoleon had was forced to abdicate without conditions.
1834 On October 16, 1834 a massive fire largely destroyed the Palace of Westminster, the medieval royal palace used as the home of the British parliament. Much of the ancient structure burnt to the ground. The fire could even be seen by the King and Queen from Windsor Castle, which is 25 miles away.
1846 In the mid 1840s a Boston dentist called William Morton started to experiment with using ether to anaesthetise a patient before extracting a tooth. He persuaded one of America’s most prominent surgeons Doctor John Warren, to conduct the first public demonstration of ether as a general anesthetic on October 16, 1846, at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston with Morton as an anesthetist. The operation for removing a tumor from the lower jaw of a Mr. Abbott was a success and the patient felt no pain.
1854 Oscar Wilde was born at 21 Westland Row, Dublin on October 16, 1854. He was the second of three children born to surgeon Sir William Wilde and prominent Dublin intellectual Jane Wilde, two years behind William ("Willie"). In June 1855, the family moved to 1 Merrion Square, a fashionable residential area. Here, Lady Wilde held a regular Saturday afternoon salon with guests including such figures as Sheridan le Fanu, Samuel Lever, George Petrie, Isaac Butt and Samuel Ferguson.
1875 Brigham Young University, the largest religious university in the United States, was founded in Provo, Utah on October 16, 1875. Approximately 99 percent of the students are members of the Mormon Church.
1916 Public health nurse Margaret Sanger opened the first U.S. birth-control clinic at 46 Amboy Street in Brooklyn, New York on October 16, 1916. She was arrested and jailed for 30 days. In 1953 Sanger became the first president of the International Planned Parenthood Foundation.
1923 The Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio was founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt Disney and Roy O. Disney. The Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into live-action film production, television, and theme parks.
1945 October 16th is World Food Day. It marks the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations on October 16, 1945. Over 150 countries hold events each year marking World Food Day. One example is the World Food Day Sunday Dinners that Oxfam America sponsors in collaboration with several other non-profits.
1946 Wilhelm Keitel was a German field marshal who served as chief of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (Supreme Command of the Armed Forces, the OKW) for most of World War II. The Americans botched the hanging of Keital on October 16, 1946. The trapdoor was too small and he smashed his head going down, and the force didn't break his neck so it took a full 24 minutes for him to suffocate.
1951 Australian Loretta Marron was born on October 16, 1951. Marron became known as "the Jelly Bean Lady" after using jelly beans to test bogus health products. She substituted jelly beans for magnetized mattress underlays, which the makers claimed could cure a range of health ailments. Participants used a meter that measures magnetism, holding the probes over the underlays. They were not able to tell which one had the magnets and which one had the jelly beans - the results were the same.
1978 The Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyla became Pope John Paul II on October 16, 1978, the first non-Italian pope in 455 years, when he was inaugurated in a mass at St. Peter's Square. (The previous non-Italian pope was the Dutch Pope Adrian VI, who served from 1522 to 1523.)
1986 The biggest pike caught in Europe, weighing 55lb 1oz (25 kg), was pulled from Lake Grefeern, Germany by Lothar Louis on October 16, 1986. Unable to net the fish due to its tremendous size, and worried that he would lose it, the German fisherman plunged his hands inside the gill covers to land the pike. Czech Lukas Matejka catch in October 2019 of a 133 cm-long predator, which weighed 26.7 kg (58 lb 14 oz) in a Bohemian lake is considered by many anglers – but not all – to now be the World Record pike.
1992 JK Rowling married Portuguese television journalist Jorge Arantes on October 16, 1992.
Their child, Jessica (named after Jessica Mitford), was born on July 27, 1993 in Portugal. The marriage ended in divorce and Rowling moved to Edinburgh, Scotland to be near her sister with three chapters of what would become Harry Potter in her suitcase.
2011 Fauja Singh is the oldest marathoner ever. He became the first 100-year-old to finish a marathon, when he finished the Toronto Waterfront Marathon with a time of 8:11:05 on October 16, 2011. Singh, originally from India, took up running in his 80s and became an inspirational figure for many in the running and elderly communities.
 |
| Jadwiga by Bacciarelli |
1701 Yale University was founded on October 16, 1701 by Congregationalist ministers unhappy with the growing liberalism at Harvard. It wasn't called Yale then, but rather the Collegiate School.
The Congregationalist ministers donated forty books and declared their objective, that "Youth may be instructed in the Arts and Sciences who through the blessing of God may be fitted for Publick employment both in Church and Civil State."
1758 American lexicographer Noah Webster was born on October 16, 1758 in West Hartford, Connecticut to a politically prominent family. Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language (1828) in two volumes was the first dictionary to give comprehensive coverage of American usage, and his name survives in the many dictionaries produced by the American publishing house. His books on grammar and spelling and dictionary standardized the spelling of American English.
1793 Marie Antoinette, widow of Louis XVI, was guillotined for treason at the height of the French Revolution at 12:15 p.m. on October 16, 1793. As she was standing on the platform about to be guillotined, she accidentally stepped on Samson the executioner's foot. "Monsieur" she said ""Pardon me. I meant not to do it," Her last words were "Farewell children, forever, I am going to your father".
 |
| Marie Antoinette's execution |
1813 The coalition armies of Russia, Prussia, Austria, and Sweden, led by Tsar Alexander I of Russia and Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg defeated Napoleon Bonaparte's French army at the Battle of Leipzig, which was fought between October 16-19. The battle involved about 600,000 soldiers, making it the largest battle before World War I. After defeat at the Battle of Leipzig, Napoleon had was forced to abdicate without conditions.
1834 On October 16, 1834 a massive fire largely destroyed the Palace of Westminster, the medieval royal palace used as the home of the British parliament. Much of the ancient structure burnt to the ground. The fire could even be seen by the King and Queen from Windsor Castle, which is 25 miles away.
 |
| The Burning of the Houses of Parliament, a colored aquatint by an unknown artist |
1846 In the mid 1840s a Boston dentist called William Morton started to experiment with using ether to anaesthetise a patient before extracting a tooth. He persuaded one of America’s most prominent surgeons Doctor John Warren, to conduct the first public demonstration of ether as a general anesthetic on October 16, 1846, at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston with Morton as an anesthetist. The operation for removing a tumor from the lower jaw of a Mr. Abbott was a success and the patient felt no pain.
1854 Oscar Wilde was born at 21 Westland Row, Dublin on October 16, 1854. He was the second of three children born to surgeon Sir William Wilde and prominent Dublin intellectual Jane Wilde, two years behind William ("Willie"). In June 1855, the family moved to 1 Merrion Square, a fashionable residential area. Here, Lady Wilde held a regular Saturday afternoon salon with guests including such figures as Sheridan le Fanu, Samuel Lever, George Petrie, Isaac Butt and Samuel Ferguson.
1875 Brigham Young University, the largest religious university in the United States, was founded in Provo, Utah on October 16, 1875. Approximately 99 percent of the students are members of the Mormon Church.
 |
| The Brigham Young Academy building circa 1900 |
1916 Public health nurse Margaret Sanger opened the first U.S. birth-control clinic at 46 Amboy Street in Brooklyn, New York on October 16, 1916. She was arrested and jailed for 30 days. In 1953 Sanger became the first president of the International Planned Parenthood Foundation.
1923 The Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio was founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt Disney and Roy O. Disney. The Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into live-action film production, television, and theme parks.
1945 October 16th is World Food Day. It marks the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations on October 16, 1945. Over 150 countries hold events each year marking World Food Day. One example is the World Food Day Sunday Dinners that Oxfam America sponsors in collaboration with several other non-profits.
1946 Wilhelm Keitel was a German field marshal who served as chief of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (Supreme Command of the Armed Forces, the OKW) for most of World War II. The Americans botched the hanging of Keital on October 16, 1946. The trapdoor was too small and he smashed his head going down, and the force didn't break his neck so it took a full 24 minutes for him to suffocate.
1951 Australian Loretta Marron was born on October 16, 1951. Marron became known as "the Jelly Bean Lady" after using jelly beans to test bogus health products. She substituted jelly beans for magnetized mattress underlays, which the makers claimed could cure a range of health ailments. Participants used a meter that measures magnetism, holding the probes over the underlays. They were not able to tell which one had the magnets and which one had the jelly beans - the results were the same.
1978 The Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyla became Pope John Paul II on October 16, 1978, the first non-Italian pope in 455 years, when he was inaugurated in a mass at St. Peter's Square. (The previous non-Italian pope was the Dutch Pope Adrian VI, who served from 1522 to 1523.)
1986 The biggest pike caught in Europe, weighing 55lb 1oz (25 kg), was pulled from Lake Grefeern, Germany by Lothar Louis on October 16, 1986. Unable to net the fish due to its tremendous size, and worried that he would lose it, the German fisherman plunged his hands inside the gill covers to land the pike. Czech Lukas Matejka catch in October 2019 of a 133 cm-long predator, which weighed 26.7 kg (58 lb 14 oz) in a Bohemian lake is considered by many anglers – but not all – to now be the World Record pike.
Their child, Jessica (named after Jessica Mitford), was born on July 27, 1993 in Portugal. The marriage ended in divorce and Rowling moved to Edinburgh, Scotland to be near her sister with three chapters of what would become Harry Potter in her suitcase.
2011 Fauja Singh is the oldest marathoner ever. He became the first 100-year-old to finish a marathon, when he finished the Toronto Waterfront Marathon with a time of 8:11:05 on October 16, 2011. Singh, originally from India, took up running in his 80s and became an inspirational figure for many in the running and elderly communities.
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