Hurricane Ophelia (2017)
Storm Ophelia strikes the U.K. and Ireland causing major damage and power loss.
What happened on October 16
35 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 1384 to 2024.
Standout on October 16
2002
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
The Bibliotheca Alexandrina opens in Egypt, commemorating the ancient library of Alexandria.
About October 16
October 16 is the 289th day of the year. These facts are computed from the calendar, not copied from anywhere.
- Day of the year
- Day 289 of 365 (290 in leap years)76 days left in the year (76 in leap years)
- Falls on
- Friday in 2026, Saturday in 2027, Monday in 2028, Tuesday in 2029, Wednesday in 2030
- Week
- ISO week 42 of 2026 · Q4
- Zodiac sign
- ♎ Libra (September 23 – October 22)
- Season
- Autumn in the north · Spring in the south
- October birthstone
- Opal / Tourmalinehope, creativity and confidence
- October birth flower
- Marigold / Cosmoswarmth, creativity and harmony
- Next occurrence
- In 354 days
- Roman numerals
- XVI.Xday.month — see the Roman numeral date tool
Anniversaries in 2026
- 30thAndrea Locatelli (motorcyclist)1996
- 30thEstadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores disaster1996
- 30thToprak Razgatlıoğlu1996
- 25thWillian Pacho2001
- 10thCalvin Gotlieb2016
October 16 through the years
- 10 years ago2016
- Calvin Gotlieb
- 25 years ago2001
- Willian Pacho
- 50 years ago1976
- Nothing recorded
- 100 years ago1926
- Nothing recorded
- 200 years ago1826
- Nothing recorded
Born on October 16 — ages this year
- 2005Ruby Rose Turnerturns 21
- 2003Scott Ogdenturns 23
- 2001Willian Pachoturns 25
- 1999Nicolò Bulegaturns 27
- 1999Aaron Nesmithturns 27
- 1997Aliou Diengturns 29
Historical events 35
A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Daphne Caruana Galizia
The Maltese journalist and anti-corruption activist Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed in a car bomb attack in Bidnija.
Lao Airlines Flight 301
In Laos's deadliest air accident, Lao Airlines Flight 301 crashed into the Mekong River, resulting in the deaths of all 49 people aboard.
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
The Bibliotheca Alexandrina opens in Egypt, commemorating the ancient library of Alexandria.
1999 Hector Mine earthquake
The magnitude 7.1 Hector Mine earthquake strikes Southern California
Augusto Pinochet
Former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet is arrested in London on a murder extradition warrant.
Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores disaster
Eighty-four football fans die and 180 are injured in a massive crush at a match in Guatemala City.
Skye Bridge
The Skye Bridge in Scotland is opened.
Million Man March
The Million Man March takes place in Washington, D.C. About 837,000 attend.
Luby's
A man drove his vehicle through the window of a Luby's Cafeteria in Killeen, Texas, and opened fire, killing 23 people before fatally shooting himself.
Luby's shooting
George Hennard runs amok in Killeen, Texas, killing 23 and wounding 20.
Desmond Tutu
Desmond Tutu is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
October 1978 conclave
Cardinal Karol Wojtyła is elected to the papacy as Pope John Paul II, he becomes the first non-Italian pontiff since 1523.
1975 Australian constitutional crisis
The Australian Coalition sparks a constitutional crisis when they vote to defer funding for the government's annual budget.
Rahima Banu
Three-year-old Rahima Banu, from Bangladesh, is the last known case of naturally occurring smallpox.
Balibo Five
Indonesian troops kill the Balibo Five, a group of Australian journalists, in Portuguese Timor.
Norwegian Nobel Committee
The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced that the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize would be jointly awarded to Henry Kissinger and Lê Đức Thọ, sparking international controversy.
Henry Kissinger
Henry Kissinger and Lê Đức Thọ are awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
War Measures Act
Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau invokes the War Measures Act during the October Crisis.
1968 Olympics Black Power salute
Tommie Smith and John Carlos are ejected from the US Olympic team for participating in the Olympics Black Power salute.
Yasunari Kawabata
Yasunari Kawabata becomes the first Japanese person to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Rodney riots
Kingston, Jamaica is rocked by the Rodney riots, inspired by the barring of Walter Rodney from the country.
Project 596
With the success of Project 596, China became the world's fifth nuclear power.
The Chronicles of Narnia
The first novel of the The Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, was published in the United Kingdom.
Formosa Air Battle
A four-day air battle over Taiwan ended with a decisive American victory, destroying hundreds of Japanese aircraft and military facilities.
The Holocaust
The Holocaust: The Gestapo conducted a raid on the Roman Ghetto, capturing 1,259 members of the Jewish community, most of whom were sent to Auschwitz.
Roy O. Disney
Roy and Walt Disney (pictured) founded the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio in Hollywood, which eventually grew to become one of the largest media and entertainment corporations in the world.
Margaret Sanger
Margaret Sanger (pictured) established the United States' first family planning clinic in Brooklyn, New York.
British Raj
Authorities of the British Raj partitioned the Bengal Presidency, separating the largely Muslim eastern areas from the largely Hindu western areas.
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University was founded in Provo, Utah, United States.
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland established Queen's College in Kingston, Ontario, in Canada.
Palace of Westminster
Most of the Palace of Westminster in London was destroyed in a fire caused by the burning of wooden tally sticks.
War of the Sixth Coalition
The Sixth Coalition attacked French forces led by Napoleon in the Battle of Leipzig, the largest conflict in the Napoleonic Wars, with over 500,000 troops involved.
War of the First Coalition
War of the First Coalition: The two-day Battle of Wattignies concluded with Jean-Baptiste Jourdan leading French forces to victory over Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.
Jadwiga of Poland
Jadwiga (pictured) was officially crowned as "King of Poland" instead of "Queen" to reflect the fact that she was a sovereign in her own right.
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.
Martti Ahtisaari
Martti Ahtisaari, former President of Finland and Nobel Prize laureate (born 1937)
Daphne Caruana Galizia
Daphne Caruana Galizia, Maltese journalist and blogger (born 1964)
Calvin Gotlieb
Calvin Carl "Kelly" Gotlieb, Canadian professor and computer scientist (born 1921)
William James (Australian general)
William James, Australian general and physician (born 1930)
Memduh Ün
Memduh Ün, Turkish film producer, director, actor and screenwriter (born 1920)
John Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough
John Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough, English businessman (born 1926)
Ioannis Charalambopoulos
Ioannis Charalambopoulos, Greek colonel and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Greece (born 1919)
George Hourmouziadis
George Hourmouziadis, Greek archaeologist and academic (born 1932)
Govind Purushottam Deshpande
Govind Purushottam Deshpande, Indian playwright and academic (born 1938)
Holidays & observances 8
A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
Bulgarian Air Force
Air Force Day (Bulgaria)
Fortunatus of Casei
Christian feast day: Fortunatus of Casei
Colmán of Kilroot
Christian feast day: Colmán of Kilroot (Colman mac Cathbaid)
Balderic of Montfaucon
Christian feast day: Balderic (Baudry) of Monfaucon
Bertrand of Comminges
Christian feast day: Bertrand of Comminges
Bercharius of Hautvillers
Christian feast day: Bercharius
Boss's Day
Boss's Day (United States)
Eliphius
Christian feast day: Eliphius
Spread across the centuries
- 14th century1
- 18th century1
- 19th century4
- 20th century42
- 21st century27
Earliest: Jadwiga of Poland (1384). Most recent: Ollie Olsen (2024).
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 October 16
What day of the year is October 16?
October 16 is the 289th day of the year, with 76 days left after it.
What star sign is October 16?
October 16 falls under Libra (September 23 – October 22), a air sign ruled by Venus. The birthstone for the month is Opal or Tourmaline.
How many things happened on October 16?
We record 83 entries for October 16: 35 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 1384 to 2024.
Who was born on October 16?
Ruby Rose Turner (2005) is among the notable births on October 16. The births section lists the rest.
How often is the October 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 October 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.