February 16 Explained

Events

Pre-1600

• 1249  - Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khagan of the Mongol Empire.
• 1270  - The Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeats the Livonian Order in the Battle of Karuse.

1601–1900

• 1630  - Dutch forces led by Hendrick Lonck capture Olinda in what was to become part of Dutch Brazil.
• 1646  - Battle of Torrington, Devon: The last major battle of the First English Civil War.
• 1699  - First Leopoldine Diploma is issued by the Holy Roman Emperor, recognizing the Greek Catholic clergy enjoyed the same privileges as Roman Catholic priests in the Principality of Transylvania.
• 1742  - Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington, becomes British Prime Minister.^[1]
• 1796  - Colombo in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) falls to the British, completing their invasion of Ceylon.^[2]
• 1804  - First Barbary War: Stephen Decatur leads a raid to burn the pirate-held frigate .
• 1862  - American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant captures Fort Donelson, Tennessee.
• 1866  - Spencer Compton Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington becomes British Secretary of State for War.
• 1881  - The Canadian Pacific Railway is incorporated by Act of Parliament at Ottawa (44th Vic., c.1).
• 1899  - Iceland's first football club, Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur, is founded.^[3]
• 1900  - The Southern Cross expedition led by Carsten Borchgrevink achieves a new Farthest South of 78° 50'S, making the first landing at the Great Ice Barrier.^[4]

1901–present

• 1918  - The Council of Lithuania unanimously adopts the Act of Independence, declaring Lithuania an independent state.^[5]
• 1923  - Howard Carter unseals the burial chamber of Pharaoh Tutankhamun.^[6]
• 1930  - The Romanian Football Federation joins FIFA.
• 1934  - The Austrian Civil War ends with the defeat of the Social Democrats and the Republikanischer Schutzbund.
• 1934  - The Commission of Government is officially sworn in; ending 79 years of responsible government in Newfoundland.^[7]
• 1936  - The Popular Front wins the 1936 Spanish general election.
• 1937  - Wallace H. Carothers receives a United States patent for nylon.^[8]
• 1940  - World War II: Altmark incident: The German tanker Altmark is boarded by sailors from the British destroyer . A total of 299 British prisoners are freed.
• 1942  - World War II: In Athens, the Greek People's Liberation Army is established^[9]
• 1942  - World War II: Attack on Aruba, first World War II German shots fired on a land based object in the Americas.^[10]
• 1943  - World War II: In the early phases of the Third Battle of Kharkov, Red Army troops re-enter the city.
• 1945  - World War II: American forces land on Corregidor Island in the Philippines.
• 1945  - The Alaska Equal Rights Act of 1945, the first anti-discrimination law in the United States, was signed into law.
• 1959  - Fidel Castro becomes Premier of Cuba after dictator Fulgencio Batista was overthrown on January 1.
• 1960  - The U.S. Navy submarine begins Operation Sandblast, setting sail from New London, Connecticut, to begin the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe.
• 1961  - Explorer program: Explorer 9 (S-56a) is launched.
• 1962  - The Great Sheffield Gale impacts the United Kingdom, killing nine people; the city of Sheffield is devastated, with 150,000 homes damaged.^[11]
• 1962  - Flooding in the coastal areas of West Germany kills 315 and destroys the homes of about 60,000 people.
• 1968  - In Haleyville, Alabama, the first 9-1-1 emergency telephone system goes into service.
• 1968  - Civil Air Transport Flight 010 crashes near Shongshan Airport in Taiwan, killing 21 of the 63 people on board and one more on the ground.^[12]
• 1978  - The first computer bulletin board system is created (CBBS in Chicago).
• 1983  - The Ash Wednesday bushfires in Victoria and South Australia kill 75.
• 1984 – Iran launches Operation Dawn 5, a major offensive during the Iran–Iraq War targeting the Basra–Baghdad highway, resulting in heavy casualties on both sides.^[13]
• 1985  - Hezbollah is founded.
• 1986  - The Soviet liner runs aground in the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand.
• 1986  - China Airlines Flight 2265 crashes into the Pacific Ocean near Penghu Airport in Taiwan, killing all 13 aboard.^[14]
• 1991  - Nicaraguan Contras leader Enrique Bermúdez is assassinated in Managua.
• 1996  - A Chicago-bound Amtrak train, the Capitol Limited, collides with a MARC commuter train bound for Washington, D.C., killing 11 people.^[15]
• 1998  - China Airlines Flight 676 crashes into a road and residential area near Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taiwan, killing all 196 aboard and six more on the ground.
• 2000  - Emery Worldwide Airlines Flight 17 crashes near Sacramento Mather Airport in Rancho Cordova, California, killing all three aboard.^[16]
• 2005  - The Kyoto Protocol comes into force, following its ratification by Russia.
• 2005  - The National Hockey League cancels the entire 2004–05 regular season and playoffs.
• 2006  - The last Mobile army surgical hospital (MASH) is decommissioned by the United States Army.
• 2013  - A bomb blast at a market in Hazara Town, Quetta, Pakistan kills more than 80 people and injures 190 others.
• 2021  - Five thousand people gathered in the town of Kherrata, Bejaia Province to mark the second anniversary of the Hirak protest movement. Demonstrations had been suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Algeria.^[17]

Births

Pre-1600

• 1222  - Nichiren, founder of Nichiren Buddhism (died 1282)^[18]
• 1304  - Jayaatu Khan Tugh Temür, Chinese emperor (died 1332)
• 1331  - Coluccio Salutati, Italian political leader (died 1406)^[19]
• 1419  - John I, Duke of Cleves (died 1481)
• 1470  - Eric I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (died 1540)^[20]
• 1471  - Krishnadevaraya, emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire (died 1529)
• 1497  - Philip Melanchthon, German astronomer, theologian, and academic (died 1560)^[21]
• 1514  - Georg Joachim Rheticus, Austrian cartographer and instrument maker (died 1574)^[22]
• 1519  - Gaspard II de Coligny, French admiral (died 1572)
• 1543  - Kanō Eitoku, Japanese painter and educator (died 1590)

1601–1900

• 1620  - Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg (died 1688)
• 1643  - John Sharp, English archbishop (died 1714)
• 1698  - Pierre Bouguer, French mathematician, geophysicist, and astronomer (died 1758)
• 1727  - Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin, Austrian botanist, chemist, and mycologist (died 1817)
• 1740  - Giambattista Bodoni, Italian publisher and engraver (died 1813)
• 1761  - Jean-Charles Pichegru, French general (died 1804)^[23]
• 1774  - Pierre Rode, French violinist and composer (died 1830)
• 1786  - Maria Pavlovna, Russian Grand Duchess (died 1859)
• 1802  - Phineas Quimby, American mystic and philosopher (died 1866)
• 1804  - Karl Theodor Ernst von Siebold, German physiologist and zoologist (died 1885)
• 1812  - Henry Wilson, American colonel and politician, 18th Vice President of the United States (died 1875)
• 1821  - Heinrich Barth, German explorer and scholar (died 1865)^[24]
• 1822  - Francis Galton, English biologist and statistician (died 1911)
• 1824  - Peter Kosler, Slovenian lawyer, geographer, and cartographer (died 1879)
• 1826  - Joseph Victor von Scheffel, German poet and author (died 1886)
• 1830  - Lars Hertervig, Norwegian painter (died 1902)
• 1831  - Nikolai Leskov, Russian author, playwright, and journalist (died 1895)
• 1834  - Ernst Haeckel, German biologist, physician, and philosopher (died 1919)
• 1838  - Henry Adams, American journalist, historian, and author (died 1918)
• 1841  - Armand Guillaumin, French painter (died 1927)
• 1843  - Henry M. Leland, American engineer and businessman, founded Cadillac and Lincoln (died 1932)
• 1845  - George Kennan, American journalist and explorer (died 1924)
• 1848  - Hugo de Vries, Dutch botanist, geneticist, and academic (died 1935)
• 1848  - Octave Mirbeau, French journalist, novelist, and playwright (died 1917)
• 1856  - Ossian Everett Mills, American academic, founded Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (died 1920)
• 1866  - Billy Hamilton, American baseball player and manager (died 1940)
• 1873  - Radoje Domanović, Serbian journalist and author (died 1908)
• 1876  - G. M. Trevelyan, English historian and academic (died 1962)
• 1877  - Tom Crean, Irish seaman and Antarctic explorer (died 1938)^[25]
• 1878  - Pamela Colman Smith, English occultist and illustrator (died 1951)
• 1878  - James Colosimo, Italian-American mob boss (died 1920)
• 1884  - Robert J. Flaherty, American director and producer (died 1951)
• 1887  - Kathleen Clifford, American actress (died 1962)
• 1891  - Hans F. K. Günther, German eugenicist and academic (died 1968)
• 1893  - Katharine Cornell, American actress and producer (died 1974)
• 1896  - Eugénie Blanchard, French super-centenarian (died 2010)

1901–present

• 1901  - Wayne King, American singer-songwriter and conductor (died 1985)
• 1901  - Chester Morris, American actor (died 1970)^[26]
• 1902  - Cyril Vincent, South African cricketer (died 1968)
• 1903  - Edgar Bergen, American ventriloquist and actor (died 1978)
• 1904  - James Baskett, American actor and singer (died 1948)^[27]
• 1904  - George F. Kennan, American historian and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union (died 2005)
• 1905  - Henrietta Barnett, English Women's Royal Air Force officer (died 1985)^[28]
• 1906  - Vera Menchik, Russian-Czechoslovak-British chess player (died 1944)
• 1909  - Hugh Beaumont, American actor and director (died 1982)^[29]
• 1909  - Richard McDonald, American businessman, co-founded McDonald's (died 1998)
• 1914  - Jimmy Wakely, American country music singer-songwriter and actor (died 1982)
• 1916  - Bill Doggett, American pianist and composer (died 1996)
• 1919  - Georges Ulmer, Danish-French actor and composer (died 1989)
• 1920  - Anna Mae Hays, American general (died 2018)
• 1921  - Jean Behra, French race car driver (died 1959)
• 1921  - John Galbraith Graham, English priest and academic (died 2013)
• 1921  - Vera-Ellen, German-American actress, singer, and dancer (died 1981)^[27]
• 1922  - Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, German soldier and pilot (died 1950)
• 1923  - Samuel Willenberg, Polish-Israeli sculptor and painter (died 2016)
• 1925  - Ed Emshwiller, American illustrator and experiment film maker (died 1990)^[30]
• 1926  - Margot Frank, German-Dutch holocaust victim (died 1945)
• 1926  - John Schlesinger, English actor and director (died 2003)
• 1927  - June Brown, English actress (died 2022)^[31]
• 1929  - Gerhard Hanappi, Austrian footballer and architect (died 1980)
• 1929  - Peter Porter, Australian-English poet and educator (died 2010)
• 1931  - Otis Blackwell, American singer-songwriter and pianist (died 2002)
• 1931  - Bernie Geoffrion, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (died 2006)^[32]
• 1931  - Ken Takakura, Japanese actor and singer (died 2014)
• 1932  - Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, Sierra Leonean economist, lawyer, and politician, 3rd President of Sierra Leone (died 2014)
• 1932  - Gretchen Wyler, American actress, singer, and dancer (died 2007)
• 1934  - Ken Brown, English footballer and manager
• 1934  - August Coppola, American author and academic (died 2009)
• 1934  - Marlene Hagge, American golfer (died 2023)
• 1935  - Brian Bedford, English-American actor and director (died 2016)
• 1935  - Sonny Bono, American actor, singer, and politician (died 1998)^[27]
• 1935  - Stephen Gaskin, American activist, co-founded The Farm (died 2014)
• 1935  - Bradford Parkinson, American colonel and engineer
• 1935  - Kenneth Price, American painter and sculptor (died 2012)
• 1936  - Carl Icahn, American businessman and investor^[27]
• 1937  - Paul Bailey, British novelist, critic, and biographer
• 1937  - Valentin Bondarenko, Soviet aviator and cosmonaut (died 1961)^[33]
• 1937  - Yuri Manin, Russian-German mathematician and academic (died 2023)
• 1938  - John Corigliano, American composer and academic
• 1939  - Adolfo Azcuna, Filipino lawyer and judge
• 1940  - Hannelore Schmatz, German mountaineer (died 1979)
• 1941  - Kim Jong Il, North Korean commander and politician, 2nd Supreme Leader of North Korea (died 2011)^[27]
• 1942  - Yang Jen-fu, Taiwanese politician (died 2024)^[34]
• 1944  - Glyn Davies, Welsh farmer and politician
• 1944  - Richard Ford, American novelist and short story writer^[27]
• 1944  - António Mascarenhas Monteiro, Cape Verdean politician, 2nd President of Cape Verde (died 2016)
• 1947  - Jaroslav Kubera, Czech politician (died 2020)^[35]
• 1948  - Kaiketsu Masateru, Japanese sumo wrestler and coach (died 2014)
• 1950  - Peter Hain, Welsh politician, Secretary of State for Wales
• 1951  - William Katt, American actor
• 1952  - James Ingram, American singer-songwriter and producer (died 2019)
• 1952  - Peter Kitchen, English footballer^[36]
• 1953  - John Bradbury, English musician, songwriter, and producer (died 2015)
• 1953  - Lanny McDonald, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
• 1953  - Roberta Williams, American video game designer, co-founded Sierra Entertainment
• 1954  - Iain Banks, Scottish author and playwright (died 2013)^[37]
• 1954  - Margaux Hemingway, American model and actress (died 1996)^[27]
• 1954  - Michael Holding, Jamaican cricketer and sportscaster^[38]
• 1956  - Vincent Ward, New Zealand director and screenwriter
• 1957  - LeVar Burton, American actor, director, and producer^[39]
• 1958  - Natalie Angier, American author
• 1958  - Ice-T, American rapper and actor^[39]
• 1958  - Oscar Schmidt, Brazilian basketball player
• 1958  - Herb Williams, American basketball player and coach
• 1959  - John McEnroe, American tennis player and sportscaster^[27]
• 1959  - Kelly Tripucka, American basketball player and sportscaster
• 1960  - Pete Willis, English guitarist and songwriter
• 1961  - Niko Nirvi, Finnish journalist^[40]
• 1961  - Andy Taylor, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer^[39]
• 1962  - John Balance, English singer-songwriter (died 2004)
• 1964  - Bebeto, Brazilian footballer and manager
• 1964  - Christopher Eccleston, English actor^[27]
• 1965  - Dave Lombardo, Cuban-American musician and songwriter^[39]
• 1967  - Keith Gretzky, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1968  - Warren Ellis, English author and screenwriter
• 1970  - Angelo Peruzzi, Italian footballer and manager
• 1971  - Michael Avenatti, American attorney and pundit^[41]
• 1971  - Craig Laundy, Australian politician
• 1972  - Jerome Bettis, American football player^[42]
• 1972  - Zoran Čampara, Bosnian football player
• 1972  - Sarah Clarke, American actress
• 1972  - Naomi Nishida, Japanese actress
• 1973  - Cathy Freeman, Australian sprinter
• 1974  - Mahershala Ali, American actor^[39]
• 1974  - José Dominguez, Portuguese footballer and manager^[43]
• 1976  - Eric Byrnes, American baseball player and sportscaster
• 1976  - Kyo, Japanese singer-songwriter and producer
• 1977  - Ian Clarke, Irish-American computer scientist, founded Hyphanet
• 1977  - Ahman Green, American football player
• 1977  - Alexei Morozov, Russian ice hockey player and executive^[44]
• 1978  - Tia Hellebaut, Belgian high jumper and chemist
• 1978  - Wasim Jaffer, Indian cricketer
• 1978  - John Tartaglia, American actor, singer, and puppeteer
• 1979  - Stéphane Dalmat, French footballer^[45]
• 1979  - Eric Mun, American-South Korean singer and actor
• 1979  - Valentino Rossi, Italian motorcycle racer
• 1980  - Longineu W. Parsons III, French-American musician and songwriter
• 1981  - Jay Howard, English race car driver
• 1981  - Susanna Kallur, Swedish sprint hurdler^[46]
• 1981  - Jerry Owens, American baseball player
• 1981  - Qyntel Woods, American basketball player
• 1982  - Manny Delcarmen, American baseball player^[47]
• 1982  - Aleksandr Dmitrijev, Estonian footballer
• 1982  - Lupe Fiasco, American rapper^[39]
• 1982  - Rickie Lambert, English footballer
• 1983  - Agyness Deyn, English model, actress, and singer
• 1983  - Tuomo Ruutu, Finnish ice hockey player and coach^[48]
• 1984  - Sofia Arvidsson, Swedish tennis player
• 1984  - Oussama Mellouli, Tunisian swimmer^[49]
• 1985  - Simon Francis, English footballer^[50]
• 1985  - Stacy Lewis, American golfer^[51]
• 1985  - Ron Vlaar, Dutch footballer
• 1986  - Diego Godín, Uruguayan footballer
• 1986  - Shawne Williams, American basketball player^[52]
• 1987  - Luc Bourdon, Canadian ice hockey player (died 2008)
• 1987  - Theresa Goh, Singaporean swimmer
• 1987  - Tommy Milone, American baseball player^[53]
• 1987  - Jon Ossoff, American politician and filmmaker^[54]
• 1987  - Hasheem Thabeet, Tanzanian basketball player
• 1988  - Diego Capel, Spanish footballer
• 1988  - Denílson, Brazilian footballer
• 1988  - Korbinian Holzer, German ice hockey player^[55]
• 1988  - Zhang Jike, Chinese table tennis player
• 1988  - Andrea Ranocchia, Italian footballer
• 1988  - Kim Soo-hyun, South Korean actor and singer
• 1989  - Elizabeth Olsen, American actress^[39]
• 1990  - The Weeknd, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer^[56]
• 1991  - Sergio Canales, Spanish footballer
• 1992  - Nicolai Boilesen, Danish footballer
• 1992  - Zsófia Susányi, Hungarian tennis player^{[57] [58]}
• 1994  - Annika Beck, German tennis player^[59]
• 1994  - Federico Bernardeschi, Italian footballer^[60]
• 1994  - Ava Max, American singer and songwriter^[61]
• 1995  - Denzel Curry, American rapper^[62]
• 1995  - Katy Dunne, English tennis player^[63]
• 1995  - Carina Witthöft, German tennis player^[64]
• 1997  - Jordan Greenway, American ice hockey player^[65]
• 1998  - An Hyejin, South Korean volleyball player^[66]
• 1998  - Kim Suji, South Korean diver^[67]
• 1999  - Ignatius Ganago, Cameroonian footballer^[68]
• 1999  - Marie Ulven Ringheim, Norwegian singer, songwriter and music producer^[69]
• 2000  - Koffee, Jamaican singer, songwriter and rapper^[70]
• 2000  - Coby White, American basketball player^[71]
• 2000  - Carlos Yulo, Filipino artistic gymnast^[72]
• 2001  - Yuki Naito, Japanese tennis player^[73]

Deaths

Pre-1600

• 549  - Zhu Yi, Chinese general (born 483)
• 902  - Mary the Younger, Byzantine saint (born 875)
• 1184  - Richard of Dover, Archbishop of Canterbury
• 1247  - Henry Raspe, Landgrave of Thuringia (born 1204)
• 1279  - Afonso III of Portugal (born 1210)
• 1281  - Gertrude of Hohenberg, queen consort of Germany (born c. 1225)
• 1390  - Rupert I, Elector Palatine (born 1309)
• 1391  - John V Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (born 1332)
• 1531  - Johannes Stöffler, German mathematician and astronomer (born 1452)
• 1560  - Jean du Bellay, French cardinal and diplomat (born 1493)
• 1579  - Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, Spanish explorer (born 1509)

1601–1900

• 1645  - Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, Spanish general and politician, 24th Governor of the Duchy of Milan (born 1585)
• 1710  - Esprit Fléchier, French bishop and author (born 1632)
• 1721  - James Craggs the Younger, English politician, Secretary of State for the Southern Department (born 1686)
• 1754  - Richard Mead, English physician (born 1673)
• 1820  - Georg Carl von Döbeln, Swedish general (born 1758)
• 1862  - William Pennington, American lawyer and politician, 13th Governor of New Jersey, 23rd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (born 1796)
• 1898  - Thomas Bracken, Irish-New Zealand journalist, poet, and politician (born 1843)
• 1899  - Félix Faure, French merchant and politician, 7th President of France (born 1841)

1901–present

• 1907  - Giosuè Carducci, Italian poet and educator, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1835)
• 1912  - Nicholas of Japan, Russian-Japanese monk and saint (born 1836)
• 1917  - Octave Mirbeau, French journalist, novelist, and playwright (born 1848)
• 1919  - Vera Kholodnaya, Ukrainian actress (born 1893)
• 1928  - Eddie Foy Sr., American actor and dancer (born 1856)^[74]
• 1932  - Ferdinand Buisson, French academic and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1841)
• 1932  - Edgar Speyer, American-English financier and philanthropist (born 1862)
• 1941  - Frida Felser, German opera singer and actress (born 1872)^[75]
• 1944  - Dadasaheb Phalke, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1870)
• 1957  - Josef Hofmann, Polish-American pianist and composer (born 1876)
• 1961  - Dazzy Vance, American baseball player (born 1891)
• 1964  - James M. Canty, American educator, school administrator, and businessperson (born 1865)^{[76] [77]}
• 1967  - Smiley Burnette, American singer-songwriter and actor (born 1911)
• 1974  - John Garand, Canadian-American engineer, designed the M1 Garand Rifle (born 1888)
• 1975  - Morgan Taylor, American hurdler and coach (born 1903)
• 1977  - Janani Luwum, bishop, Church of Uganda, martyr (born c.1922)
• 1977  - Rózsa Péter, Hungarian mathematician (born 1905)
• 1980  - Erich Hückel, German physicist and chemist (born 1895)
• 1984  - M. A. G. Osmani, Bangladeshi general (born 1918)
• 1988  - Ye Shengtao, Chinese writer, educator, and politician (born 1894)^[78]
• 1990  - Keith Haring, American painter and activist (born 1958)
• 1991  - Enrique Bermúdez, Nicaraguan lieutenant and engineer (born 1932)
• 1992  - Angela Carter, English novelist, short story writer (born 1940)
• 1992  - Jânio Quadros, Brazilian politician, 22nd President of Brazil (born 1917)
• 1992  - Herman Wold, Norwegian-Swedish economist and statistician (born 1908)
• 1996  - Roberto Aizenberg, Argentinian painter and sculptor (born 1922)
• 1996  - Roger Bowen, American actor and author (born 1932)
• 1996  - Pat Brown, American lawyer and politician, 32nd Governor of California (born 1905)
• 1996  - Brownie McGhee, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1915)
• 1997  - Chien-Shiung Wu, Chinese-American physicist and academic (born 1912)
• 1998  - Mary Amdur, American toxicologist and public health researcher (born 1908)
• 1998  - Sheu Yuan-dong, Taiwanese politician (born 1927)^[79]
• 2000  - Marceline Day, American actress (born 1908)
• 2000  - Lila Kedrova, Russian-French actress and singer
• 2000  - Karsten Solheim, Norwegian-American businessman, founded PING (born 1911)
• 2001  - Howard W. Koch, American director and producer (born 1916)
• 2001  - William Masters, American gynecologist and sexologist (born 1915)
• 2002  - Walter Winterbottom, English footballer and manager (born 1913)
• 2003  - Rusty Magee, American actor and composer (born 1955)
• 2004  - Doris Troy, American singer-songwriter (born 1937)
• 2006  - Johnny Grunge, American wrestler (born 1966)
• 2006  - Ernie Stautner, German-American football player and coach (born 1925)
• 2009  - Stephen Kim Sou-hwan, South Korean cardinal (born 1921)
• 2011  - Len Lesser, American actor (born 1922)
• 2011  - Justinas Marcinkevičius, Lithuanian poet and playwright (born 1930)
• 2012  - Gary Carter, American baseball player and coach (born 1954)
• 2012  - Elyse Knox, American model, actress, and fashion designer (born 1917)
• 2012  - John Macionis, American swimmer and lieutenant (born 1916)
• 2012  - Anthony Shadid, American journalist (born 1968)
• 2013  - Colin Edwards, Guyanese footballer (born 1991)
• 2013  - Grigory Pomerants, Russian philosopher and author (born 1918)
• 2013  - Tony Sheridan, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1940)
• 2014  - Ken Farragut, American football player (born 1928)
• 2014  - Kralle Krawinkel, German guitarist (born 1947)
• 2014  - Michael Shea, American author (born 1946)
• 2015  - Lasse Braun, Algerian-Italian director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1936)
• 2015  - Lesley Gore, American singer-songwriter (born 1946)
• 2015  - R. R. Patil, Indian lawyer and politician, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra (born 1957)
• 2015  - Lorena Rojas, Mexican actress and singer (born 1971)
• 2016  - Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Egyptian politician and diplomat, 6th Secretary-General of the United Nations (born 1922)
• 2019  - Bruno Ganz, Swiss actor (born 1941)^[80]
• 2021  - Gustavo Noboa, Ecuadorian politician, 42nd President of Ecuador (born 1937)^[81]
• 2024  - Alexei Navalny, Russian activist (born 1976)
• 2025  - Viktor Antonov, Bulgarian artist (born 1972)^[82]
• 2026  - Billy Steinberg, American songwriter (born 1950)^[83]
• 2026  - Frederick Wiseman, American filmmaker (born 1930)^[84]

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Abda of Edessa
  • Elias and companions
  • Juliana of Nicomedia (Catholic Church)
  • Onesimus
  • Charles Todd Quintard (Episcopal Church (USA))
  • February 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Day of the Shining Star (Kim Jong Il's birthday) (North Korea)
• Restoration of Lithuania's Statehood Day, celebrate the independence of Lithuania from Russia and Germany in 1918 (Lithuania)
• Elizabeth Peratrovich Day (Alaska)^[85]

External links

• BBC: On This Day
  • Historical Events on February 16

Notes and References

1. Book: Dermot J. T. Englefield. Janet Seaton. Isobel White. Facts about the British prime ministers: a compilation of biographical and historical information. registration. 1995. H.W. Wilson Co.. 978-0-8242-0863-9. 7-9.
2. Book: James, William . William James (naval historian) . 2002 . 1827 . The Naval History of Great Britain, Volume 1, 1793–1796 . Conway Maritime Press . London . 0-85177-905-0 . 371.
3. Book: David Felsch. Fußball in Island. 5 March 2013. GRIN Verlag. 978-3-656-38235-5. 4. 17 February 2020. 1 August 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200801120505/https://books.google.com/books?id=HQN_4jazfVAC&pg=PA4. live.
4. Book: Mill, Hugh Robert. Hugh Robert Mill. The Siege of the South Pole. Alston Rivers. London. 1905. 402.
5. Book: OECD. Investment Guides: Lithuania 1998. 6 October 1998. OECD Publishing. 978-92-64-16368-3. 18. 17 February 2020. 1 August 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200801132439/https://books.google.com/books?id=F4rWAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA18. live.
6. Book: Christina Riggs. Photographing Tutankhamun: Archaeology, Ancient Egypt, and the Archive. 27 December 2018. Bloomsbury Publishing. 978-1-350-03854-7. 11. 17 February 2020. 1 August 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200801133609/https://books.google.com/books?id=L5V9DwAAQBAJ&pg=PR11. live.
7. Web site: The Commission of Government, 1934-1949 . 2025-07-07 . Heritage Newfoundland & Labrador.
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