January 16: National Religious Freedom Day In United States

Ahmad

January 16 is the 16th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 349 days remaining until the end of the year (350 in leap years).

Events

27 BC - The title Augustus is bestowed upon Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian by the Roman Senate.
550 - Gothic War (535â€“552): The Ostrogoths, under King Totila, conquer Rome after a long siege, by bribing the Isaurian garrison.
929 - Emir Abd-ar-Rahman III of Cordoba declares himself caliph, thereby establishing the Caliphate of Cordoba.
1120 - The Council of Nablus is held, establishing the earliest surviving written laws of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem.
1362 - A great storm tide in the North Sea destroys the German island of Strand and the city of Rungholt.
1412 - The Medici family is appointed official banker of the Papacy.
1456 - Painter Filippo Lippi elopes with Lucrezia Buti, a young nun from the convent of Saint Margherita.
1492 - The first grammar of a modern language, in Spanish, is presented to Queen Isabella.
1547 - Ivan the Terrible becomes Tsar of Russia.
1556 - Philip II becomes King of Spain.
1572 - The Duke of Norfolk is tried for treason for his part in the Ridolfi plot to restore Catholicism in England.
1581 - The English Parliament outlaws Roman Catholicism.
1605 - The first edition of El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha (Book One of Don Quixote) by Miguel de Cervantes is published in Madrid.
1707 - The Scottish Parliament ratifies the Act of Union, paving way for the creation of Great Britain.
1761 - British capture Pondicherry, India from the French.
1777 - Vermont declares its independence from New York.
1780 - American Revolution: Battle of Cape St. Vincent.
1795 - France occupies Utrecht, Netherlands.
1809 - Peninsular War: The British defeat the French at the Battle of La CoruÃ±a.
1847 - John C. Fremont is appointed Governor of the new California Territory.
1864 - Danish-Prussian War (Second war of Schleswig): King Christian IX of Denmark declares war on the German Confederation in order to occupy Schleswig
1878 - Captain Burago with a squadron of Russian Imperial army dragoons liberates Plovdiv from Ottoman rule.
1883 - The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, establishing the United States Civil Service, is passed.
1896 - Defeat of Cymru Fydd at South Wales Liberal Federation AGM, Newport, Monmouthshire.
1900 - The United States Senate accepts the Anglo-German treaty of 1899 in which the United Kingdom renounces its claims to the Samoan islands.
1909 - Ernest Shackleton's expedition finds the magnetic South Pole.
1919 - Temperance movement: The United States of America ratifies the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, authorizing Prohibition in the United States one year after ratification.
1920 - Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. was founded on the campus of Howard University.
1945 - Adolf Hitler moves into his underground bunker, the so-called FÃ¼hrerbunker.
1956 - President Gamal Abdal Nasser of Egypt vows to reconquer Palestine.
1968 - The Youth International Party (Yippies) is founded.
1969 - Czech student Jan Palach commits suicide by self-immolation in Prague, in protest against the Soviets' crushing of the Prague Spring the year before.
1969 - The Metroliner train enters into service.
1970 - Buckminster Fuller receives the Gold Medal award from the American Institute of Architects.
1979 - The Shah of Iran flees Iran with his family and relocates to Egypt.
1986 - First meeting of the Internet Engineering Task Force.
1991 - The United States of America declares war on Iraq, beginning the Persian Gulf War (U.S.Time).
1992 - El Salvador officials and rebel leaders sign the Chapultepec Peace Accords in Mexico City ending a 12-year civil war that claimed at least 75,000.
1996 - Greek Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou resigns from office for health reasons.
2001 - Congolese President Laurent-DÃ©sirÃ© Kabila is assassinated by one of his own bodyguards.
2001 - US President Bill Clinton awards former US President Theodore Roosevelt a posthumous Medal of Honor for his service in the Spanish-American War.
2002 - The UN Security Council unanimously establishes an arms embargo and the freezing of assets of Osama bin Laden, Al-Qaida, and the remaining members of the Taliban.
2003 - Space Shuttle Columbia takes off for mission STS-107 which will be its final one. Columbia disintegrates 16 days later on re-entry.
2005 - Adriana Iliescu becomes the oldest woman in the world to give birth, at age 66.
2006 - Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is sworn in as Liberia's new president. She becomes Africa's first female elected head of state.

Births

1245 - Edmund Crouchback, son of Henry III of England (d. 1296)
1409 - RenÃ© I of Naples (d. 1480)
1477 - Johannes SchÃ¶ner, German astronomer and cartographer (d. 1547)
1501 - Anthony Denny, confidant of King Henry VIII of England (d. 1559)
1616 - FranÃ§ois de VendÃ´me, duc de Beaufort, French soldier (d. 1669)
1626 - Lucas Achtschellinck, Flemish painter (d. 1699)
1634 - Dorthe Engelbrechtsdatter, Norwegian poet (d. 1716)
1675 - Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon, French writer (d. 1755)
1728 - Niccola Piccinni, Italian composer (d. 1800)
1807 - Charles Henry Davis, American Civil War Admiral (d 1877)
1815 - Henry W. Halleck, American Civil War general (d. 1872)
1821 - John C. Breckenridge, Confederate general (d. 1875)
1834 - Robert R. Hitt, American politician (d. 1906)
1838 - Franz Brentano, German philosopher and psychologist (d. 1917)
1853 - Andre Michelin, French industrialist (d. 1931)
1874 - Robert W. Service, Canadian poet (d. 1958)
1875 - Leonor Michaelis, German enzyme kinetic theorist (d. 1947)
1885 - Zhou Zuoren, Chinese writer (d. 1967)
1886 - John Hamilton, American actor (d. 1958)
1888 - Osip Brik, Russian writer (d. 1945)
1895 - Nat Schachner, American author (d. 1955)
1897 - Carlos Pellicer, Mexican poet (d. 1977)
1898 - Margaret Booth, American film editor (d. 2002)
1901 - Fulgencio Batista, Cuban leader (d. 1973)
1901 - Frank Zamboni, American inventor (d. 1988)
1902 - Eric Liddell, Scottish runner (d. 1945)
1903 - William Grover-Williams, English-French racing driver and WWII resistance fighter (d. 1945, by execution)
1906 - Diana Wynyard, British actress (d. 1964)
1907 - Paul Nitze, American government official (d. 2004)
1908 - Ethel Merman, American actress and singer (d. 1984)
1910 - Dizzy Dean, American baseball player (d. 1974)
1911 - Roger LapÃ©bie, French cyclist (d. 1996)
1911 - Eduardo Frei Montalva, Chilean politician (d.1982)
1917 - Carl Karcher, founded the Carl's Jr. hamburger chain (d. 2008)
1918 - Nel Benschop, Dutch poet (d. 2005)
1918 - Stirling Silliphant, American writer (d. 1996)
1920 - Alberto Crespo, Argentine racing driver (d. 1991)
1921 - Francesco Scavullo, American photographer (d. 2004)
1922 - Ernesto Bonino, Italian singer
1923 - Anthony Hecht, American poet (d. 2004)
1924 - Katy Jurado, Mexican actress (d. 2002)
1928 - William Kennedy, American author
1930 - Clarence Ray Allen, American murderer (d. 2006)
1931 - Johannes Rau, German politician (d. 2006)
1932 - Dian Fossey, American zoologist (d. 1985)
1933 - Susan Sontag, American writer (d. 2004)
1934 - Marilyn Horne, American opera singer
1935 - A.J. Foyt, American race car driver and team owner
1937 - Luiz Bueno, Brazilian racing driver
1942 - RenÃ© AngÃ©lil, Canadian music executive
1942 - Barbara Lynn, American singer
1943 - Brian Ferneyhough, British composer
1943 - Ronnie Milsap, American singer and songwriter
1944 - Jim Stafford, American singer and songwriter
1946 - Kabir Bedi, Indian actor
1946 - Katia Ricciarelli, Italian soprano
1947 - Laura Schlessinger, American radio talk show host
1947 - Magdalen Nabb, British author (d. 2007)
1947 - Harvey Proctor, British politician
1948 - John Carpenter, American film director
1948 - Dalvanius Prime, New Zealand entertainer (d. 2002)
1948 - Cliff Thorburn, Canadian snooker player
1948 - Ruth Reichl, American magazine editor
1950 - Debbie Allen, American dancer and choreographer
1950 - Damo Suzuki, Japanese singer (Can)
1951 - Glenn Ordway, American radio talk show host
1952 - King Fuad II of Egypt
1953 - Robert Jay Mathews, American neo-Nazi (d. 1984)
1956 - Martin Jol, Dutch football manager
1956 - Ivan Safronov, Russian journalist (d. 2007)
1958 - Anatoli Boukreev, Russian climber (d. 1997)
1958 - Lena Ek, Swedish politician
1959 - Juanita Bynum, American televangelist
1959 - Sade, Nigerian-born singer
1961 - Paul Raven, English musician (Killing Joke) (d. 2007)
1961 - Jill Sobule, American singer-songwriter
1962 - Paul Webb, British musician (Talk Talk, .O.rang)
1963 - James May, English television presenter
1965 - Maxine Jones, American singer (En Vogue)
1969 - Roy Jones Jr., American boxer
1969 - Dead, Swedish black metal vocalist (Mayhem) (d. 1991)
1970 - Garth Ennis, Irish comic book author
1970 - Brendan O'Hare, Scottish drummer (Teenage Fanclub, Telstar Ponies)
1970 - Ron Villone, American baseball player
1972 - Greg Page, Australian actor
1973 - Josie Davis, American actress
1974 - Marlon Anderson, American baseball player
1974 - Kate Moss, English model
1975 - Greg Strause, American visual effects creator
1975 - Gillian Iliana Waters, American actress
1976 - Viktor Maslov, Russian racing driver
1976 - Martina MoravcovÃ¡, Slovak female swimmer
1977 - Jeff Foster, American basketball player
1979 - Aaliyah, American singer (d. 2001)
1979 - Brenden Morrow, Canadian ice hockey player
1979 - Jason Ward, Canadian ice hockey player
1980 - Albert Pujols, Dominican-born baseball player
1980 - Michelle Wild, Hungarian model
1981 - Bobby Zamora, English footballer
1981 - Nick Valensi, American guitarist (The Strokes)
1982 - Samuel Preston, British singer (The Ordinary Boys)
1982 - Tuncay Şanlı, Turkish footballer
1983 - Emanuel Pogatetz, Austrian footballer
1984 - Jared Slingerland, Canadian musician
1987 - Lauren McAvoy, British fashion model
1988 - Nicklas Bendtner, Danish footballer
1990 - Fernando Forestieri, Italian footballer

Deaths

960 - Polyeuctus, Patriarch of Constantinople
1400 - John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter, English politician (executed) (b. 1352)
1545 - George Spalatin, German reformer (b. 1484)
1547 - Johannes SchÃ¶ner, German astronomer and cartographer (b. 1477)
1554 - Christiern Pedersen, Danish humanist (b. 1480)
1585 - Edward Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln, English admiral (b. 1512)
1659 - Charles Annibal Fabrot, French lawyer (b. 1580)
1710 - Emperor Higashiyama of Japan (b. 1675)
1711 - Joseph Vaz, Apostle of Ceylon (b. 1651)
1747 - Barthold Heinrich Brockes, German poet (b. 1680)
1748 - Arnold Drakenborch, Dutch classical scholar (b. 1684)
1750 - Ivan Trubetskoy, Russian field marshall (b. 1667)
1752 - Francis Blomefield, English topographer (b. 1705)
1794 - Edward Gibbon, English historian (b. 1737)
1809 - John Moore, British general (b. 1761)
1815 - Emma, Lady Hamilton, English mistress of Horatio Nelson (b. 1765)
1817 - Alexander J. Dallas, American statesman (b. 1759)
1834 - Jean Nicolas Pierre Hachette, French mathematician (b. 1769)
1856 - Thaddeus William Harris, American naturalist (b. 1795)
1865 - Edmond FranÃ§ois Valentin About, French writer (b. 1828)
1879 - Octave CrÃ©mazie, French Canadian poet (b. 1827)
1891 - LÃ©o Delibes, French composer (b. 1836)
1898 - Charles Pelham Villiers, longest-serving MP in the British House of Commons (b. 1802)
1917 - George Dewey, U.S. admiral (b. 1837)
1919 - Francisco de Paula Rodrigues Alves, President of Brazil (b. 1848)
1924 - Winifred Cochrane, Countess of Dundonald, philanthropist (b. 1859)
1936 - Albert Fish, American serial killer (b. 1870)
1942 - Carole Lombard, American actress (b. 1908)
1957 - Arturo Toscanini, Italian conductor (b. 1867)
1962 - Ivan MeÅ¡trović, Croatian sculptor (b. 1883)
1963 - Ike Quebec, American tenor-saxophone player (b. 1918)
1967 - Robert J. Van de Graaff, American nuclear physicist (b. 1901)
1969 - Vernon Duke, American composer and songwriter (b. 1903)
1969 - Jan Palach, Czech freedom fighter (b. 1948)
1971 - Philippe Thys, Belgian cyclist (b. 1890)
1972 - Ross Bagdasarian, American actor and creator of The Chipmunks (b. 1919)
1979 - Ted Cassidy, American actor (b. 1932)
1979 - August Heissmeyer, German SS officer (b. 1897)
1981 - Bernard Lee, English actor (b. 1908)
1982 - Red Smith, American sports columnist (b. 1905)
1986 - Herbert W. Armstrong, American evangelist, author, and publisher (b. 1892)
1988 - Andrija Artuković, Croatian war criminal (b. 1899)
1988 - Ballard Berkeley, English actor (b. 1904)
1993 - JÃ³n PÃ¡ll Sigmarsson, Icelandic strength athlete (b. 1960)
1995 - Eric Mottram, English poet, teacher, critic, and editor (b. 1924)
1997 - Ennis Cosby, son of entertainer Bill Cosby (murdered) (b. 1969)
1998 - Dimitris Horn, Greek actor (b. 1921)
2000 - Will "Dub" Jones, American singer (The Coasters) (b. 1928)
2000 - John Rankin, musical entertainer (b. 1959)
2001 - Laurent-DÃ©sirÃ© Kabila, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (b. 1939)
2002 - Michael Bilandic, Mayor of Chicago (b. 1923)
2002 - Eddie Meduza, Swedish composer (b. 1948)
2002 - Bobo Olson, American boxer (b. 1928)
2002 - Ron Taylor, American actor (b. 1952)
2003 - Richard Wainwright, English politician (b. 1918)
2004 - Kalevi Sorsa, Prime Minister of Finland (b. 1930)
2005 - Marjorie Williams, American journalist (b. 1958)
2006 - Stanley Biber, American physician, pioneer of transgender surgery, (b. 1923)
2007 - Ron Carey, American actor (b. 1935)
2007 - Benny Parsons, American Racecar driver & Commentator (b. 1941)

Holidays and Observances

Teacher's Day in Thailand
National Religious Freedom Day in the United States, to commemorate the adoption of Thomas Jefferson's landmark Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom in 1786

Religious Holidays

Berard of Carbio
Saint Fursey
Honoratus of Arles
January 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)