Historical Events on April 16
- 1780: In Munster, Germany, the University of Munster is established on this day.
- 1799: Ottoman Turks are driven back across the River Jordan by Napoleon at the Battle of Mount Tabor during the Napoleonic Wars.
- 1818: The Rush-Bagot Treat is ratified by the U.S Senate. This treaty establishes the border between the United States and Canada.
- 1862: The Battle at Lee’s Mills begins during the American Civil War in the state of Virginia.
- 1862: The bill that ends slavery in the District of Columbia – the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act – becomes law on this day.
- 1881: Bat Masterson fights his last gun battle of his life in Dodge City, Kansas.
- 1908: In Utah, the Natural Bridges National Monument is founded.
- 1910: Boston Arena opens on this day. As of 2017, it’s the oldest ice hockey arena still in use today.
- 1941: British ships attack and destroy the Italian-German Tarigo Convey during WWII.
- 1941: The Nazi-affiliated Croatian Revolutionary Movement known as Ustaše is put in charge of the Independent State of Croatia.
- 1943: The hallucinogenic effects of LSD is accidentally discovered by Albert Hofmann. 3-days later he would intentionally take the drug – that day, April 19th, is now known as Bicycle Day.
- 1944: Belgrade is bombed by Allied forces during WWII. Over eleven hundred people are killed.
- 1945: The Soviet Army starts the final assault on German positions around the city of Berlin, Germany.
- 1945: The U.S Army liberates Oflag IV-C (Colditz), a high-security POW camp.
- 1947: A freighter explosion in the port of Texas City, Texas causes the city to catch on fire. Almost six hundred people are killed.
Famous Birthdays on April 16
- English author John Christopher is born in 1922.
- American colonel Lawrence N. Guarino is born in 1922.
- American composer Henry Mancini is born in 1924.
- American Pulitzer Prize winning poet, Tracy K. Smith is born in 1972.
- English actress Claire Foy is born in 1984.