On This Day - What Happened On April 16 - Encyclopedia Britannica

🤑 Explore Britannica's Newest Newsletter: Money Matters Learn More Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos A Britannica Newsletter Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors. SIGN UP ADD TO YOUR INBOX Thanks for signing up for Today in History. Your first newsletter will arrive soon! By clicking "Add To Your Inbox"tapping "Sign Up" you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Home On This Day TODAY IN HISTORY April 16 What Happened On Your Bday? Go to Today's Date

Featured Event

1912 Harriet Quimby's flight across the English Channel On this day in 1912, American aviator Harriet Quimby became the first woman to fly across the English Channel, guiding her French Blériot monoplane through heavy overcast from Dover, England, to Hardelot, France. George Grantham Bain Collection/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-USZ62-35551)

Featured Biography

Peter Ustinov British actor, author, and director bornApril 16, 1921London, EnglanddiedMarch 28, 2004 (aged 82)Genolier, SwitzerlandNils Jorgensen/Shutterstock.com 1952 Bill Belichick American football coach 1947 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar American basketball player 1940 Margrethe II queen of Denmark 1939 Dusty Springfield British singer 1927 Benedict XVI pope See All Biographies On This Day

More Events On This Day

2014 The South Korean ferry Sewol, traveling from Inch'ŏn to Cheju, capsized and sank, killing 304 people, most of whom were high schoolers. Learn about seven of the world's deadliest shipwrecks© The Republic of Korea Coast Guard/Getty Images 2007 In one of the deadliest mass shootings in the United States, 33 people, including the shooter, were killed on the Blacksburg, Virginia, campus of Virginia Tech.© Michael Levy 2003 At age 40, Michael Jordan, widely regarded as the best player in the history of basketball, played his last game in the National Basketball Association. Find out if Michael Jordan tops our list of the 10 greatest basketball players of all time© John Swart/AP/REX/Shutterstock.com 1962 American journalist Walter Cronkite became anchor of the CBS Evening News, a position he held for nearly two decades, during which time he became known as “the most trusted man in America.” Test your knowledge of famous AmericansMichael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 1948 In order to restore the economy of Europe after World War II, 16 European countries formed the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (later the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about European history 1947 American basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who won five NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988), was born. How well do you know basketball player nicknames?© Jerry Coli/Dreamstime.com 1943 Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann discovered the psychedelic properties of LSD, a drug he had first synthesized in 1938. Take our chemistry quizKeystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images 1922 British author Kingsley Amis, who created in his first novel, Lucky Jim (1954), a comic figure that became a household word in Great Britain in the 1950s, was born. Test your knowledge of the life and works of English novelistsGraham Harrison/Shutterstock.com 1917 Vladimir Lenin ended his 17-year exile and returned to Russia to form a provisional government. Take our quiz about Russian history© Photos.com/Thinkstock 1908 Natural Bridges National Monument was formally established in southeastern Utah. Test your knowledge of national parks and landmarks© Centrill/Dreamstime.com 1838 French forces occupied Veracruz, Mexico, during the Pastry War; the conflict began after a French pastry cook living near Mexico City claimed that Mexican army officers had damaged his restaurant. Take our history of warfare quiz 1755 Painter Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, known for her portraits of Queen Marie-Antoinette, was born in Paris. Did Marie-Antoinette really say “Let them eat cake?”© Ronald Sheridan/Ancient Art & Architecture Collection 1746 An English army defeated a Scottish force under Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) at the Battle of Culloden, ending the Jacobite effort to restore the Stuarts to England's throne. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about English royaltyCourtesy of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh. Purchased 1949 1646 Architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart, who redesigned and expanded the Palace of Versailles, was born in Paris. Test your knowledge of architecture and architects© Pablo Hidalgo/Dreamstime.com SIGN UP FOR History's Biggest Headlines Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors. SIGN UP Thanks for signing up for Today in History. Your first newsletter will arrive soon! SIGN UP By clicking "Sign Up" you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.