Historical events on April 16

APRIL 16, 1799
French Revolutionary Wars: Severely outnumbered French forces repulsed an Ottoman attack at the Battle of Mount Tabor in present-day Israel.
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. Read More
APRIL 16, 1520
A revolt of citizens in Toledo, Castile, opposed to the rule of the foreign-born Charles I began when the royal government attempted to unseat radical city councilors.
The Revolt of the Comuneros was an uprising by citizens of Castile against the rule of Charles I and his administration between Read More
APRIL 16, 1862
Slavery in Washington, D.C., ended when the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act became law.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of Read More
APRIL 16, 2007
In one of the deadliest shooting incidents in United States history, a gunman killed 32 people and wounded over 20 more before committing suicide at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia (memorial pictured).
The Virginia Tech shooting was a spree shooting that occurred on Monday, April 16, 2007, comprising two attacks on the campus of Read More
APRIL 16, 1912
American pilot Harriet Quimby (pictured) became the first woman to fly across the English Channel.
Harriet Quimby was an American pioneering aviator, journalist, and film screenwriter. In 1911, she became the first woman in the United States Read More
APRIL 16, 2001
India and Bangladesh began a six-day conflict over their disputed border, which ended in a stalemate.
The 2001 Bangladesh–India border skirmishes were a series of armed clashes between India and Bangladesh in April 2001. The clashes took place Read More
APRIL 16, 1945
Second World War: British and Canadian forces concluded the Liberation of Arnhem in the Netherlands from German occupation.
World War II or the Second World War was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all Read More
APRIL 16, 1917
World War I: Several French army corps began a massive assault against the German-occupied Chemin des Dames ridge, south of Laon, France.
World War I or the First World War, also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Read More
APRIL 16, 2014
The ferry MV Sewol (pictured) capsized and sank off Donggeochado, South Korea, killing 306 people, mainly students from Danwon High School.
MV Sewol was a South Korean vehicle-passenger ferry, built and previously operated in Japan. She operated between Incheon and Jeju. On 16 Read More
APRIL 16, 1963
In response to an open letter written by white clergymen, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the Letter from Birmingham Jail in defence of the strategy of nonviolent resistance against racism.
"A Call for Unity" was an open letter published in The Birmingham [Alabama] News, on April 12, 1963, by eight local white Read More
APRIL 16, 1919
Polish–Soviet War: The Polish army launched the Vilna offensive to capture Vilnius (now in Lithuania) from the Red Army.
The Polish–Soviet War was fought primarily between the Second Polish Republic and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, following World War I Read More
APRIL 16, 1948
The Organisation for European Economic Co-operation, headquartered in Paris, was founded.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is an intergovernmental organization with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress Read More

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