2024 Abundant Life Christian School shooting
The Abundant Life Christian School shooting in Madison, Wisconsin, United States, takes place, resulting in the death of three people.
What happened on December 16
37 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 1707 to 2025.
Standout on December 16
2024
2024 Abundant Life Christian School shooting
The Abundant Life Christian School shooting in Madison, Wisconsin, United States, takes place, resulting in the death of three people.
About December 16
December 16 is the 350th day of the year. These facts are computed from the calendar, not copied from anywhere.
- Day of the year
- Day 350 of 365 (351 in leap years)15 days left in the year (15 in leap years)
- Falls on
- Wednesday in 2026, Thursday in 2027, Saturday in 2028, Sunday in 2029, Monday in 2030
- Week
- ISO week 51 of 2026 · Q4
- Zodiac sign
- ♐ Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21)
- Season
- Autumn in the north · Spring in the south
- December birthstone
- Turquoise / Tanzanite / Zircongood fortune, wisdom and success
- December birth flower
- Narcissus / Holly / Poinsettiarespect, hope and good wishes
- Next occurrence
- In 50 days
- Roman numerals
- XVI.XIIday.month — see the Roman numeral date tool
Anniversaries in 2026
- 125thBeatrix Potter1901
- 75thCurtiss C-46 Commando1951
- 40thAlcides Escobar1986
- 40thJeltoqsan1986
- 30thHenry Thornton (cricketer)1996
- 30thSergio Reguilón1996
- 30thWilfred Ndidi1996
- 25thKai Cenat2001
December 16 through the years
- 10 years ago2016
- Nothing recorded
- 25 years ago2001
- Kai Cenat
- 50 years ago1976
- Nothing recorded
- 100 years ago1926
- Nothing recorded
- 200 years ago1826
- Nothing recorded
Born on December 16 — ages this year
- 2001Kai Cenatturns 25
- 1998Mira Antonitschturns 28
- 1998Zhou Jieqiongturns 28
- 1997Zara Larssonturns 29
- 1996Henry Thornton (cricketer)turns 30
- 1996Wilfred Ndiditurns 30
Historical events 37
A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
2022 Batang Kali landslide
A landslide occurs at a camp at an organic farm near the town of Batang Kali in Selangor, Malaysia, trapping 92 people and killing 31.
Lindt Cafe siege
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.
Pakistani Taliban
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan militants attack an Army Public School in Peshawar, Pakistan, killing 150 people, 132 of them schoolchildren.
2013 Metro Manila Skyway bus accident
A bus falls from an elevated highway in Manila, capital of the Philippines, killing at least 18 people with 20 injured.
2012 Delhi gang rape and murder
A woman was gang-raped and fatally assaulted on a bus in Delhi, generating protests across India against inadequate security for women.
Zhanaozen massacre
The Zhanaozen massacre occurs when violent protests by oil workers take place in Zhanaozen, Kazakhstan, resulting in security forces killing at least 14 and injuring 100 more.
United Kingdom BSE outbreak
Amid an outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, the British government banned the sale of beef on the bone for human consumption.
Dennō Senshi Porygon
"Dennō Senshi Porygon", an episode of the Japanese television series Pokémon, induced epileptic seizures in 685 children.
1992 deportation of Hamas members
Deportation of Hamas members: Israeli authorities began deporting hundreds of Palestinians suspected to be members of Hamas across the Lebanese border.
Romanian revolution
Romanian Revolution: Protests break out in Timișoara, Romania, in response to an attempt by the government to evict dissident Hungarian pastor László Tőkés.
Jeltoqsan
The Jeltoqsan riots erupt in Alma-Ata, Kazakh SSR, in response to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev's dismissal of ethnic Kazakh Dinmukhamed Kunaev, the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan, and his replacement with Gennady Kolbin, an ethnic Russian from the Russian SFSR.
Aeroflot Flight 2022
Aeroflot Flight 2022 crashes in the Soviet Union's (now Russia) Volokolamsky District, killing all 51 aboard, including four Lithuanian doctors.
Constitution of Bangladesh
The Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh is enacted.
Bahrain
The United Kingdom recognizes Bahrain's independence, which is commemorated annually as Bahrain's National Day.
Pakistan
The surrender of Pakistani forces in Dacca, East Pakistan, concluded the Bangladesh Liberation War and the India-Pakistan War.
Bangladesh Liberation War
Bangladesh Liberation War and Indo-Pakistani War of 1971: The surrender of the Pakistan Army brings an end to both conflicts. This is commemorated annually as Victory Day in Bangladesh and Vijay Diwas in India respectively.
Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council: Official revocation of the Edict of Expulsion of Jews from Spain.
United Airlines
A United Air Lines Douglas DC-8 and a TWA Lockheed Super Constellation collide over Staten Island, New York and crash, killing all 128 people aboard both aircraft and six more on the ground.
Curtiss C-46 Commando
A Miami Airlines Curtiss C-46 Commando crashes in Elizabeth, New Jersey, killing all 58 aboard including dancer Doris Ruby.
World War II
World War II: The Battle of the Bulge begins with the surprise offensive of three German armies through the Ardennes forest.
The Holocaust
The Holocaust: Schutzstaffel chief Heinrich Himmler orders that Roma candidates for extermination be deported to Auschwitz.
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler instituted the Cross of Honour of the German Mother, an order of merit for German mothers with at least four children.
Herman Lamm
German-American gangster Herman Lamm killed himself during a botched robbery attempt in Clinton, Indiana, to avoid being captured by police.
Gabriel Narutowicz
Gabriel Narutowicz (pictured), the first president of Poland, was assassinated only five days after having taken office.
1920 Haiyuan earthquake
A magnitude-7.9 earthquake struck Haiyuan County, China, killing more than 250,000 people.
Vincas Mickevičius-Kapsukas
Vincas Mickevičius-Kapsukas declared the formation of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, a puppet state created by Soviet Russia to justify the Lithuanian–Soviet War.
World War I
First World War: The Imperial German Navy attacked ports in northern England, resulting in hundreds of civilian casualties.
Beatrix Potter
English writer Beatrix Potter privately published 250 copies of The Tale of Peter Rabbit (illustration shown) after several publishers' rejections.
Thousand Days' War
Thousand Days' War: Columbian Liberal rebels repelled a Conservative government attack at the Battle of Peralonso.
Antonín Dvořák
Czech composer Antonín Dvořák's New World Symphony (audio featured) premiered at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
Canterbury Association
Settlers of the Canterbury Association aboard Randolph and Charlotte Jane arrived to establish a colony at Christchurch, New Zealand.
1811–1812 New Madrid earthquakes
The first two in a series of four severe earthquakes struck the Midwestern United States and made the Mississippi River appear to run backward.
American Revolution
American Revolution: A group of colonists threw chests of tea into Boston Harbor (pictured) to protest British taxation without representation.
Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War: After a four-month siege, Russian forces captured Kolberg, the last major Prussian port on the Baltic Sea.
Frederick the Great
Prussian forces, led by Frederick the Great, moved into the Habsburg region of Silesia, starting the First Silesian War.
Hōei eruption
The last recorded eruption of Japan's Mount Fuji released some 800 million m3 (28 billion cu ft) of volcanic ash.
Births 20
A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
Deaths 20
A notable person who died on this day.
Lusanda Dumke
Lusanda Dumke, South African professional rugby union player who played as a flanker (born 1996)
Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait (born 1937)
Martin Brasier
Martin Brasier, English paleontologist, biologist, and academic (born 1947)
Tahira Qazi
Tahira Qazi, Pakistani educationist and principal of Army Public School Peshawar who was killed in the Peshawar school attack.
Melvin E. Biddle
Melvin E. Biddle, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (born 1923)
Holidays & observances 8
A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
Martyrs of Songkhon
Christian feast day: Blessed Philip Siphong Onphitak
Adelaide of Italy
Christian feast day: Adelaide of Italy
Day of Reconciliation
Day of Reconciliation, formerly celebrated as Day of the Vow by the Afrikaners (South Africa)
Marianna Fontanella
Christian feast day: Blessed Marianna Fontanella
Haggai
Christian feast day: Haggai
December 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Christian feast day: December 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Ralph Adams Cram
Christian feast day: Ralph Adams Cram, Richard Upjohn and John La Farge (Episcopal Church (USA))
Independence Day (Kazakhstan)
Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Kazakhstan from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Spread across the centuries
- 18th century4
- 19th century4
- 20th century41
- 21st century28
Earliest: Hōei eruption (1707). Most recent: Lusanda Dumke (2025).
What the categories mean, and how the standout is chosen
- Historical events
- A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
- Births
- A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
- Deaths
- A notable person who died on this day.
- Milestones
- A first, a founding or a turning point our editors flagged as a landmark moment.
- Holidays & observances
- A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
- Standout / notable
- Editor-written entries come first, then entries covered by the most Wikipedia language editions. For the standout tile we prefer an entry that has a picture.
Nearby and related
Questions about December 16
What day of the year is December 16?
December 16 is the 350th day of the year, with 15 days left after it.
What star sign is December 16?
December 16 falls under Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21), a fire sign ruled by Jupiter. The birthstone for the month is Turquoise or Tanzanite or Zircon.
How many things happened on December 16?
We record 85 entries for December 16: 37 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 1707 to 2025.
Who was born on December 16?
Kai Cenat (2001) is among the notable births on December 16. The births section lists the rest.
How often is the December 16 page updated?
The day is filled the first time anyone opens it and then re-checked for new entries about every 90 days. Computed facts such as the weekday and the anniversaries update every year.
Get a daily entry like December 16
One short email a day from this calendar. Kept for this site only.
Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.