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Historical events on December 16

DECEMBER 16, 2012
A woman was gang-raped and fatally assaulted on a bus in Delhi, generating protests across India against inadequate security for women.
The 2012 Delhi gang rape and murder, commonly known as the Nirbhaya case, involved a rape and fatal assault that occurred on Read More
DECEMBER 16, 1971
The surrender of Pakistani forces in Dacca, East Pakistan, concluded the Bangladesh Liberation War and the Indo-Pakistani War.
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the fifth-most populous country, with a population Read More
DECEMBER 16, 1938
Adolf Hitler instituted the Cross of Honour of the German Mother, an order of merit for German mothers with at least four children.
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until his suicide in 1945. He Read More
DECEMBER 16, 2014
A hostage crisis in a Lindt chocolate café in Sydney, Australia, ended with police storming the building, killing the perpetrator and one of the hostages.
The Lindt Café siege was a terrorist attack that occurred on 15–16 December 2014 when a lone gunman, Man Haron Monis, held Read More
DECEMBER 16, 1914
First World War: The Imperial German Navy attacked ports in northern England, resulting in hundreds of civilian casualties.
World War I or the First World War, also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Read More
DECEMBER 16, 1707
The last recorded eruption of Japan's Mount Fuji released some 800 million m3 (28 billion cu ft) of volcanic ash.
The Hōei eruption of Mount Fuji started on December 16, 1707 and ended on February 24, 1708. It was the last confirmed Read More
DECEMBER 16, 1997
Amid an outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, the British government banned the sale of beef on the bone for human consumption.
The United Kingdom was afflicted with an outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, and its human equivalent variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (vCJD), in the Read More
DECEMBER 16, 1942
World War II: Americans engaged Imperial Japanese forces at the Battle of Mount Austen, the Galloping Horse, and the Sea Horse in the hills near the Matanikau River area on Guadalcanal during the Guadalcanal campaign.
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
DECEMBER 16, 1689
The Parliament of England enacted the Bill of Rights, setting out basic civil rights and later influencing other documents such as the U.S. Bill of Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced Read More
DECEMBER 16, 1598
Led by Admiral Yi Sun-sin, the Korean navy were victorious at Battle of Noryang, ending the Japanese invasions of Korea.
Yi Sun-sin was a Korean admiral and military general known for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Imjin War in Read More
DECEMBER 16, 1922
Gabriel Narutowicz, the first president of Poland, was assassinated only five days after having taken office.
Gabriel Józef Narutowicz was a Polish professor of hydroelectric engineering and politician who served as the first president of Poland from 11 Read More
DECEMBER 16, 1653
Oliver Cromwell became Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England.
Oliver Cromwell was an English statesman, politician, and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He Read More
DECEMBER 16, 1901
English writer Beatrix Potter privately published 250 copies of The Tale of Peter Rabbit (illustration shown) after several publishers' rejections.
Helen Beatrix Heelis, usually known as Beatrix Potter, was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist. She is best known for Read More
DECEMBER 16, 1893
Czech composer Antonín Dvořák's New World Symphony (audio featured) premiered at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer. He frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravia and his Read More
DECEMBER 16, 1761
Seven Years' War: After a four-month siege, Russian forces captured Kolberg, the last major Prussian port on the Baltic Sea.
The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict involving most of the European great powers. It was primarily fought in Central Read More
DECEMBER 16, 1850
Settlers of the Canterbury Association (poster pictured) aboard Randolph and Charlotte Jane arrived to establish a colony at Christchurch, New Zealand.
The Canterbury Association was formed in 1848 in England by members of parliament, peers, and Anglican church leaders, to establish a colony Read More
DECEMBER 16, 1811
The first two in a series of four severe earthquakes struck the Midwestern United States and made the Mississippi River appear to run backward.
The 1811–1812 New Madrid earthquakes were a series of intense intraplate earthquakes beginning with an initial earthquake of moment magnitude 7.2–8.2 on Read More
DECEMBER 16, 1773
American Revolution: A group of colonists threw chests of tea into Boston Harbor (pictured) to protest British taxation without representation.
The American Revolution (1765–1783) was an ideological and political movement in the Thirteen Colonies in what was then British America. The revolution Read More

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