February 16
Events
Pre-1600
- 1249 - Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khagan of the Mongol Empire.
- 1270 - The Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeats the Livonian Order in the Battle of Karuse.
1601–1900
- 1630 - Dutch forces led by Hendrick Lonck capture Olinda in what was to become part of Dutch Brazil.
- 1646 - Battle of Torrington, Devon: The last major battle of the First English Civil War.
- 1699 - First Leopoldine Diploma is issued by the Holy Roman Emperor, recognizing the Greek Catholic clergy enjoyed the same privileges as Roman Catholic priests in the Principality of Transylvania.
- 1742 - Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington, becomes British Prime Minister.
- 1796 - Colombo in Ceylon falls to the British, completing their invasion of Ceylon.
- 1804 - First Barbary War: Stephen Decatur leads a raid to burn the pirate-held frigate.
- 1862 - American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant captures Fort Donelson, Tennessee.
- 1866 - Spencer Compton Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington becomes British Secretary of State for War.
- 1881 - The Canadian Pacific Railway is incorporated by Act of Parliament at Ottawa.
- 1899 - Iceland's first football club, Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur, is founded.
- 1900 - The Southern Cross expedition led by Carsten Borchgrevink achieved a new Farthest South of 78° 50'S, making the first landing at the Great Ice Barrier.
1901–present
- 1918 - The Council of Lithuania unanimously adopts the Act of Independence, declaring Lithuania an independent state.
- 1923 - Howard Carter unseals the burial chamber of Pharaoh Tutankhamun.
- 1930 - The Romanian Football Federation joins FIFA.
- 1934
- *The Austrian Civil War ends with the defeat of the Social Democrats and the Republikanischer Schutzbund.
- * The Commission of Government is officially sworn in; ending 79 years of responsible government in Newfoundland.
- 1936 - The Popular Front wins the 1936 Spanish general election.
- 1937 - Wallace H. Carothers receives a United States patent for nylon.
- 1940 - World War II: Altmark incident: The German tanker Altmark is boarded by sailors from the British destroyer. A total of 299 British prisoners are freed.
- 1942 - World War II: In Athens, the Greek People's Liberation Army is established
- 1942 - World War II: Attack on Aruba, first World War II German shots fired on a land based object in the Americas.
- 1943 - World War II: In the early phases of the Third Battle of Kharkov, Red Army troops re-enter the city.
- 1945 - World War II: American forces land on Corregidor Island in the Philippines.
- 1945 - The Alaska Equal Rights Act of 1945, the first anti-discrimination law in the United States, was signed into law.
- 1959 - Fidel Castro becomes Premier of Cuba after dictator Fulgencio Batista was overthrown on January 1.
- 1960 - The U.S. Navy submarine begins Operation Sandblast, setting sail from New London, Connecticut, to begin the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe.
- 1961 - Explorer program: Explorer 9 is launched.
- 1962 - The Great Sheffield Gale impacts the United Kingdom, killing nine people; the city of Sheffield is devastated, with 150,000 homes damaged.
- 1962 - Flooding in the coastal areas of West Germany kills 315 and destroys the homes of about 60,000 people.
- 1968 - In Haleyville, Alabama, the first 9-1-1 emergency telephone system goes into service.
- 1968 - Civil Air Transport Flight 010 crashes near Shongshan Airport in Taiwan, killing 21 of the 63 people on board and one more on the ground.
- 1978 - The first computer bulletin board system is created.
- 1983 - The Ash Wednesday bushfires in Victoria and South Australia kill 75.
- 1984 – Iran launches Operation Dawn 5, a major offensive during the Iran–Iraq War targeting the Basra–Baghdad highway, resulting in heavy casualties on both sides.
- 1985 - Hezbollah is founded.
- 1986 - The Soviet liner runs aground in the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand.
- 1986 - China Airlines Flight 2265 crashes into the Pacific Ocean near Penghu Airport in Taiwan, killing all 13 aboard.
- 1991 - Nicaraguan Contras leader Enrique Bermúdez is assassinated in Managua.
- 1996 - A Chicago-bound Amtrak train, the Capitol Limited, collides with a MARC commuter train bound for Washington, D.C., killing 11 people.
- 1998 - China Airlines Flight 676 crashes into a road and residential area near Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taiwan, killing all 196 aboard and six more on the ground.
- 2000 - Emery Worldwide Airlines Flight 17 crashes near Sacramento Mather Airport in Rancho Cordova, California, killing all three aboard.
- 2005 - The Kyoto Protocol comes into force, following its ratification by Russia.
- 2005 - The National Hockey League cancels the entire 2004–05 regular season and playoffs.
- 2006 - The last Mobile army surgical hospital is decommissioned by the United States Army.
- 2013 - A bomb blast at a market in Hazara Town, Quetta, Pakistan kills more than 80 people and injures 190 others.
- 2021 - Five thousand people gathered in the town of Kherrata, Bejaia Province to mark the second anniversary of the Hirak protest movement. Demonstrations had been suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Algeria.
Births
Pre-1600
- 1222 - Nichiren, founder of Nichiren Buddhism
- 1304 - Jayaatu Khan Tugh Temür, Chinese emperor
- 1331 - Coluccio Salutati, Italian political leader
- 1419 - John I, Duke of Cleves
- 1470 - Eric I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
- 1471 - Krishnadevaraya, emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire
- 1497 - Philip Melanchthon, German astronomer, theologian, and academic
- 1514 - Georg Joachim Rheticus, Austrian cartographer and instrument maker
- 1519 - Gaspard II de Coligny, French admiral
- 1543 - Kanō Eitoku, Japanese painter and educator
1601–1900
- 1620 - Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg
- 1643 - John Sharp, English archbishop
- 1698 - Pierre Bouguer, French mathematician, geophysicist, and astronomer
- 1727 - Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin, Austrian botanist, chemist, and mycologist
- 1740 - Giambattista Bodoni, Italian publisher and engraver
- 1761 - Jean-Charles Pichegru, French general
- 1774 - Pierre Rode, French violinist and composer
- 1786 - Maria Pavlovna, Russian Grand Duchess
- 1802 - Phineas Quimby, American mystic and philosopher
- 1804 - Karl Theodor Ernst von Siebold, German physiologist and zoologist
- 1812 - Henry Wilson, American colonel and politician, 18th Vice President of the United States
- 1821 - Heinrich Barth, German explorer and scholar
- 1822 - Francis Galton, English biologist and statistician
- 1824 - Peter Kosler, Slovenian lawyer, geographer, and cartographer
- 1826 - Joseph Victor von Scheffel, German poet and author
- 1830 - Lars Hertervig, Norwegian painter
- 1831 - Nikolai Leskov, Russian author, playwright, and journalist
- 1834 - Ernst Haeckel, German biologist, physician, and philosopher
- 1838 - Henry Adams, American journalist, historian, and author
- 1841 - Armand Guillaumin, French painter
- 1843 - Henry M. Leland, American engineer and businessman, founded Cadillac and Lincoln
- 1845 - George Kennan, American journalist and explorer
- 1848 - Hugo de Vries, Dutch botanist, geneticist, and academic
- 1848 - Octave Mirbeau, French journalist, novelist, and playwright
- 1856 - Ossian Everett Mills, American academic, founded Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
- 1866 - Billy Hamilton, American baseball player and manager
- 1873 - Radoje Domanović, Serbian journalist and author
- 1876 - G. M. Trevelyan, English historian and academic
- 1877 - Tom Crean, Irish seaman and Antarctic explorer
- 1878 - Pamela Colman Smith, English occultist and illustrator
- 1878 - James Colosimo, Italian-American mob boss
- 1884 - Robert J. Flaherty, American director and producer
- 1887 - Kathleen Clifford, American actress
- 1891 - Hans F. K. Günther, German eugenicist and academic
- 1893 - Katharine Cornell, American actress and producer
- 1896 - Eugénie Blanchard, French super-centenarian
1901–present
- 1901 - Wayne King, American singer-songwriter and conductor
- 1901 - Chester Morris, American actor
- 1902 - Cyril Vincent, South African cricketer
- 1903 - Edgar Bergen, American ventriloquist and actor
- 1904 - James Baskett, American actor and singer
- 1904 - George F. Kennan, American historian and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union
- 1905 - Henrietta Barnett, English Women's Royal Air Force officer
- 1906 - Vera Menchik, Russian-Czechoslovak-British chess player
- 1909 - Hugh Beaumont, American actor and director
- 1909 - Richard McDonald, American businessman, co-founded McDonald's
- 1914 - Jimmy Wakely, American country music singer-songwriter and actor
- 1916 - Bill Doggett, American pianist and composer
- 1919 - Georges Ulmer, Danish-French actor and composer
- 1920 - Anna Mae Hays, American general
- 1921 - Jean Behra, French race car driver
- 1921 - John Galbraith Graham, English priest and academic
- 1921 - Vera-Ellen, German-American actress, singer, and dancer
- 1922 - Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, German soldier and pilot
- 1923 - Samuel Willenberg, Polish-Israeli sculptor and painter
- 1925 - Ed Emshwiller, American illustrator and experiment film maker
- 1926 - Margot Frank, German-Dutch holocaust victim
- 1926 - John Schlesinger, English actor and director
- 1927 - June Brown, English actress
- 1929 - Gerhard Hanappi, Austrian footballer and architect
- 1929 - Peter Porter, Australian-English poet and educator
- 1931 - Otis Blackwell, American singer-songwriter and pianist
- 1931 - Bernie Geoffrion, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1931 - Ken Takakura, Japanese actor and singer
- 1932 - Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, Sierra Leonean economist, lawyer, and politician, 3rd President of Sierra Leone
- 1932 - Gretchen Wyler, American actress, singer, and dancer
- 1934 - August Coppola, American author and academic
- 1934 - Marlene Hagge, American golfer
- 1935 - Brian Bedford, English-American actor and director
- 1934 - Ken Brown, English footballer and manager
- 1935 - Sonny Bono, American actor, singer, and politician
- 1935 - Stephen Gaskin, American activist, co-founded The Farm
- 1935 - Bradford Parkinson, American colonel and engineer
- 1935 - Kenneth Price, American painter and sculptor
- 1936 - Carl Icahn, American businessman and investor
- 1937 - Paul Bailey, British novelist, critic, and biographer
- 1937 - Valentin Bondarenko, Soviet aviator and cosmonaut
- 1937 - Yuri Manin, Russian-German mathematician and academic
- 1938 - John Corigliano, American composer and academic
- 1939 - Adolfo Azcuna, Filipino lawyer and judge
- 1940 - Hannelore Schmatz, German mountaineer
- 1941 - Kim Jong Il, North Korean commander and politician, 2nd Supreme Leader of North Korea
- 1942 - Yang Jen-fu, Taiwanese politician
- 1944 - Glyn Davies, Welsh farmer and politician
- 1944 - Richard Ford, American novelist and short story writer
- 1944 - António Mascarenhas Monteiro, Cape Verdean politician, 2nd President of Cape Verde
- 1947 - Jaroslav Kubera, Czech politician
- 1948 - Kaiketsu Masateru, Japanese sumo wrestler and coach
- 1950 - Peter Hain, Welsh politician, Secretary of State for Wales
- 1951 - William Katt, American actor
- 1952 - James Ingram, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1952 - Peter Kitchen, English footballer
- 1953 - John Bradbury, English musician, songwriter, and producer
- 1953 - Lanny McDonald, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
- 1953 - Roberta Williams, American video game designer, co-founded Sierra Entertainment
- 1954 - Iain Banks, Scottish author and playwright
- 1954 - Margaux Hemingway, American model and actress
- 1954 - Michael Holding, Jamaican cricketer and sportscaster
- 1956 - Vincent Ward, New Zealand director and screenwriter
- 1957 - LeVar Burton, American actor, director, and producer
- 1958 - Natalie Angier, American author
- 1958 - Ice-T, American rapper and actor
- 1958 - Oscar Schmidt, Brazilian basketball player
- 1958 - Herb Williams, American basketball player and coach
- 1959 - John McEnroe, American tennis player and sportscaster
- 1959 - Kelly Tripucka, American basketball player and sportscaster
- 1960 - Pete Willis, English guitarist and songwriter
- 1961 - Niko Nirvi, Finnish journalist
- 1961 - Andy Taylor, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1962 - John Balance, English singer-songwriter
- 1964 - Bebeto, Brazilian footballer and manager
- 1964 - Christopher Eccleston, English actor
- 1965 - Dave Lombardo, Cuban-American musician and songwriter
- 1967 - Keith Gretzky, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1968 - Warren Ellis, English author and screenwriter
- 1970 - Angelo Peruzzi, Italian footballer and manager
- 1971 - Michael Avenatti, American attorney and pundit
- 1971 - Craig Laundy, Australian politician
- 1972 - Jerome Bettis, American football player
- 1972 - Zoran Čampara, Bosnian football player
- 1972 - Sarah Clarke, American actress
- 1972 - Naomi Nishida, Japanese actress
- 1973 - Cathy Freeman, Australian sprinter
- 1974 - Mahershala Ali, American actor
- 1974 - José Dominguez, Portuguese footballer and manager
- 1976 - Eric Byrnes, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1976 - Kyo, Japanese singer-songwriter and producer
- 1977 - Ian Clarke, Irish-American computer scientist, founded Freenet
- 1977 - Ahman Green, American football player
- 1977 - Alexei Morozov, Russian ice hockey player and executive
- 1978 - Tia Hellebaut, Belgian high jumper and chemist
- 1978 - Wasim Jaffer, Indian cricketer
- 1978 - John Tartaglia, American actor, singer, and puppeteer
- 1979 - Stéphane Dalmat, French footballer
- 1979 - Eric Mun, American-South Korean singer and actor
- 1979 - Valentino Rossi, Italian motorcycle racer
- 1980 - Longineu W. Parsons III, French-American musician and songwriter
- 1981 - Jay Howard, English race car driver
- 1981 - Susanna Kallur, Swedish sprint hurdler
- 1981 - Jerry Owens, American baseball player
- 1981 - Qyntel Woods, American basketball player
- 1982 - Manny Delcarmen, American baseball player
- 1982 - Aleksandr Dmitrijev, Estonian footballer
- 1982 - Lupe Fiasco, American rapper
- 1982 - Rickie Lambert, English footballer
- 1983 - Agyness Deyn, English model, actress, and singer
- 1983 - Tuomo Ruutu, Finnish ice hockey player and coach
- 1984 - Sofia Arvidsson, Swedish tennis player
- 1984 - Oussama Mellouli, Tunisian swimmer
- 1985 - Simon Francis, English footballer
- 1985 - Stacy Lewis, American golfer
- 1985 - Ron Vlaar, Dutch footballer
- 1986 - Diego Godín, Uruguayan footballer
- 1986 - Shawne Williams, American basketball player
- 1987 - Luc Bourdon, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1987 - Theresa Goh, Singaporean swimmer
- 1987 - Tommy Milone, American baseball player
- 1987 - Jon Ossoff, American politician and filmmaker
- 1987 - Hasheem Thabeet, Tanzanian basketball player
- 1988 - Diego Capel, Spanish footballer
- 1988 - Denílson, Brazilian footballer
- 1988 - Korbinian Holzer, German ice hockey player
- 1988 - Zhang Jike, Chinese table tennis player
- 1988 - Andrea Ranocchia, Italian footballer
- 1988 - Kim Soo-hyun, South Korean actor and singer
- 1989 - Elizabeth Olsen, American actress
- 1990 - The Weeknd, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer
- 1991 - Sergio Canales, Spanish footballer
- 1992 - Nicolai Boilesen, Danish footballer
- 1992 - Zsófia Susányi, Hungarian tennis player
- 1994 - Annika Beck, German tennis player
- 1994 - Federico Bernardeschi, Italian footballer
- 1994 - Ava Max, American singer and songwriter
- 1995 - Denzel Curry, American rapper
- 1995 - Katy Dunne, English tennis player
- 1995 - Carina Witthöft, German tennis player
- 1997 - Jordan Greenway, American ice hockey player
- 1998 - An Hyejin, South Korean volleyball player
- 1998 - Kim Suji, South Korean diver
- 1999 - Ignatius Ganago, Cameroonian footballer
- 1999 - Marie Ulven Ringheim, Norwegian singer, songwriter and music producer
- 2000 - Koffee, Jamaican singer, songwriter and rapper
- 2000 - Coby White, American basketball player
- 2000 - Carlos Yulo, Filipino artistic gymnast
- 2001 - Yuki Naito, Japanese tennis player