October 16 in History

Significant events that happened on this day.

Historical Events

1995

The Million Man March took place in Washington, D.C., drawing hundreds of thousands of African American men

Organized by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, the march aimed to promote African American unity and family values. Estimates of attendance rang...

1978

Cardinal Karol Wojtyła of Poland was elected as Pope John Paul II, becoming the first non-Italian pope in 455 years

Major

At 58, he was also the youngest pope elected since 1846. His papacy lasted nearly 27 years and transformed the Catholic Church, playing a crucial role...

1975

The first-ever electronic message was sent from a computer to a mobile phone

Technicians at AT&T Bell Labs successfully sent a text message reading 'Hello, World' from a computer terminal to a mobile device, pioneering what wou...

1968

Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists in a Black Power salute during the Olympic medal ceremony in Mexico City

The two African American athletes bowed their heads and raised black-gloved fists during the national anthem after winning gold and bronze in the 200m...

1964

China successfully detonated its first atomic bomb, joining the nuclear club

Major

The test, codenamed '596,' made China the fifth nation to possess nuclear weapons. The device had a yield of 22 kilotons, similar to the bombs dropped...

1962

The Cuban Missile Crisis began when President Kennedy was informed of Soviet missile installations in Cuba

Major

Reconnaissance photos revealed nuclear missile sites under construction, sparking a 13-day confrontation that brought the world to the brink of nuclea...

1923

The Walt Disney Company was founded by brothers Walt and Roy Disney in Los Angeles

Major

Originally called the Disney Brothers Studio, it started in the back of a small office on Kingswell Avenue. Walt had just $40 in his pocket when he ar...

1916

Margaret Sanger opened the first birth control clinic in the United States in Brooklyn, New York

The clinic was shut down after just 10 days, and Sanger was arrested for distributing contraceptive information. She spent 30 days in jail but continu...

1888

The first-ever recorded use of an electric chair was suggested as a humane alternative to hanging

New York established a committee to investigate more humane execution methods, eventually selecting electrocution. The first execution by electric cha...

1869

Cardiff Giant, one of America's most famous hoaxes, was 'discovered' by workers digging a well in New York

The 10-foot petrified man caused a sensation and drew thousands of paying visitors before being exposed as a fake. Cigar maker George Hull had commiss...

1846

William Morton successfully demonstrated the use of ether as a surgical anesthetic at Massachusetts General Hospital

Major

In what became known as the 'Ether Dome' demonstration, Morton anesthetized a patient for a neck tumor removal, revolutionizing surgery forever. Befor...

1813

The Battle of Leipzig began, which would become the largest battle in Europe before World War I

Also known as the Battle of Nations, over 600,000 soldiers participated in this four-day battle that decisively defeated Napoleon. The coalition force...

1758

Noah Webster, the man who would create the first American dictionary, was born in Connecticut

Webster's 1828 dictionary contained 70,000 words and took him 26 years to complete. He learned 26 languages to trace word origins. His work standardiz...