All Events

Historical Events on October 16

  • Burning of Parliament

    1834

    Much of the ancient structure of the Palace of Westminster in London burns to the ground.

  • John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry

    1859

    John Brown leads a raid on Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.

  • Family planning

    1916

    In Brooklyn, New York, Margaret Sanger opens the first family planning clinic in the United States.

  • Long March

    1934

    Chinese Communists begin the Long March; it ended a year and four days later, by which time Mao Zedong had regained his title as party chairman.

  • No. 603 Squadron RAF

    1939

    World War II: No. 603 Squadron RAF intercepts the first Luftwaffe raid on Britain.

  • The Holocaust in Poland

    1940

    The Holocaust in Poland: The Warsaw Ghetto is established.

  • Lê Đức Thọ

    1973

    Henry Kissinger and Lê Đức Thọ are awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

  • Papal conclave, October 1978

    1978

    Karol Wojtyla is elected Pope John Paul II after the October 1978 Papal conclave, the first non-Italian pontiff since 1523.

  • Indictment and arrest of Augusto Pinochet

    1998

    Former Chilean dictator General Augusto Pinochet is arrested in London on a warrant from Spain requesting his extradition on murder charges.

All Births

Famous Birthdays on October 16

All Deaths

Famous Deaths on October 16

15. October

17. October