Major Events
- 597 BC Babylonians capture Jerusalem, replace Jehoiachin with Zedekiah as king
- 1521 Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan reaches the Philippines, landing at Homonhon Island after crossing the Pacific Ocean
- 1527 Battle of Khanua: Mughal Emperor Babur defeats Rajput forces led by Rana Sanga consolidating Mughal power
- 1660 English Long Parliament disbands
- 1792 King Gustav III of Sweden is shot by Count Jacob Johan Anckarström at a masked ball at the Opera; he dies on March 29
- 1867 First publication of an article by Joseph Lister outlining the discovery of antiseptic surgery, in "The Lancet"
- 1935 Adolf Hitler orders German rearmament in violation of The Treaty of Versailles
- More March 16 Events
Mar 16 in Film & TV
- 1934 6th Academy Awards: "Cavalcade" and its director Frank Lloyd, Charles Laughton (The Private Life of Henry VIII), and Katharine Hepburn (Morning Glory) win; host Will Rogers announces "Come and get it, Frank" and Frank Capra gets up
Mar 16 in Music
- 1894 Jules Massenet's opera "Thaïs" premieres in Paris, includes piece “Méditation” for violin and orchestra
Mar 16 in Sport
- 1872 1st English FA Cup Final, Kennington Oval, London: Wanderers defeat Royal Engineers, 1-0; Morton Betts scores winner
Did You Know?
Sir Arthur Evans rediscovers the bronze age city of Knossos in Crete, home of the legendary Minotaur
James Madison
Matthew Flinders
Georg Ohm
Anna Atkins
Alexander S. Wiener
Jorge Ramos
Jerry Lewis
Bernardo Bertolucci
Kevin Smith
Flavor Flav
Fun Fact About March 16
General Motors produces its 100 millionth automobile, the Oldsmobile Toronado
Famous Weddings
- 1452 Frederick III (37), crowned Holy Roman Emperor three days later, marries infanta Eleanor of Portugal (17) in Rome
- 1661 Princess Henrietta of Orange-Nassau (16) weds Philippe of France, Duke of Orléans (20)
- 1822 Italian opera composer (The Barber of Seville) Gioachino Rossini weds 1st wife, opera singer Isabella Colbran, in Bologna, Papal States (now Italy)
Famous Divorces
More March 16 Weddings
Miguel Primo de Rivera
Selma Lagerlöf
Thomas E. Dewey
T-Bone Walker
Arthur Godfrey
Roger SessionsArticles, Photos and Quiz
Assassination of King Gustav III
The masquerade costume worn by Gustav III when he was shot in the back by an assassin
March 16, 1792
My Lai: America's Village of Shame
American soldiers fighting in Vietnam entered the village of My Lai on this day. What followed was a massacre of civilians that shames US military history.
March 16, 1968
