Historical Events on November 16

  • 1776: Fort Washington is captured by British and Hessian forces during the American Revolutionary War.
  • 1776: The independence of the U.S. Is officially recognized by the United Provinces.
  • 1805: At the Battle of Schöngrabern during the Napoleonic Wars, French troops led by Joachim Murat are delayed by Russian troops led by Pyotr Bagration.
  • 1822: Traveling the Santa Fe Trail, a trader from Missouri – William Becknell – arrives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
  • 1852: Asteroid 22 Kalliope is discovered by English astronomer John Russell on this day.
  • 1855: David Livingstone sees Victoria Falls in Zambia-Zimbabwe for the first time. This makes him the first European to see the falls.
  • 1863: Confederate Troops attack Union forces at the Battle of Campbell’s Station during the American Civil War. Union forces are able to successfully fend them off.
  • 1904: The patent for the vacuum tube is awarded to English engineer John Ambrose Fleming.
  • 1907: Oklahoma is admitted as the 46th United States’ State.
  • 1914: The U.S opens the Federal Reserve Bank.
  • 1938: The substance known as LSD is synthesized by Albert Hofmann at the Sandoz Laboratories in Basel.
  • 1940: The Royal Air Force bombs the city of Hamburg. This is in direct response to German Luftwaffe destroying the city of Coventry two days prior.
  • 1940: During WWII, the Warsaw Ghetto is disconnected from the rest of the world.
  • 1943: A heavy-water factory and hydro-electric power compounds is destroyed in Vemork, Norway by American bombers during World War II.
  • 1944: Allied aircraft level the city of Duren, Germany during WWII.
  • 1945: On this day., UNESCO is officially founded.

Famous Birthdays on November 16

  • American composer, trumpet player and “Father of the Memphis and St.Louis Blues”, C. Handy is born in 1873.
  • American director and playwright George S. Kaufman is born in 1889.
  • American golfer Bobby Cruickshank is born in 1894.
  • American actor Burgess Meredith is born in 1907.