Tukuk-OS📅 December 16
23 events · 12 births · 12 deaths
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What happened on December 16? Below are the notable events chosen by Wikipedia’s editors for this date, followed by celebrated births, deaths and the observances recognised around the world.
Events
- 2014 — 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.
- 2012 — A woman was gang-raped and fatally assaulted on a bus in Delhi, generating protests across India against inadequate security for women.
- 1997 — Amid an outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, the British government banned the sale of beef on the bone for human consumption.
United Kingdom BSE outbreakBovine spongiform encephalopathyBeef Bones Regulations 1997
- 1997 — "Dennō Senshi Porygon", an episode of the Japanese television series Pokémon, induced epileptic seizures in 685 children.
- 1971 — The surrender of Pakistani forces in Dacca, East Pakistan, concluded the Bangladesh Liberation War and the India-Pakistan War.
- 1938 — Adolf Hitler instituted the Cross of Honour of the German Mother, an order of merit for German mothers with at least four children.
Adolf HitlerCross of Honour of the German MotherOrder of merit
- 1930 — German-American gangster Herman Lamm killed himself during a botched robbery attempt in Clinton, Indiana, to avoid being captured by police.
- 1922 — Gabriel Narutowicz (pictured), the first president of Poland, was assassinated only five days after having taken office.
Gabriel NarutowiczPresident of PolandAssassination of Gabriel Narutowicz
- 1920 — A magnitude-7.9 earthquake struck Haiyuan County, China, killing more than 250,000 people.
- 1918 — 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.
Vincas Mickevičius-KapsukasLithuanian Soviet Republic (1918–1919)Lithuanian–Soviet War
- 1914 — First World War: The Imperial German Navy attacked ports in northern England, resulting in hundreds of civilian casualties.
World War IImperial German NavyRaid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby
- 1901 — English writer Beatrix Potter privately published 250 copies of The Tale of Peter Rabbit (illustration shown) after several publishers' rejections.
- 1899 — Thousand Days' War: Columbian Liberal rebels repelled a Conservative government attack at the Battle of Peralonso.
Thousand Days' WarColombian Liberal PartyColombian Conservative Party
- 1893 — Czech composer Antonín Dvořák's New World Symphony (audio featured) premiered at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
- 1850 — Settlers of the Canterbury Association aboard Randolph and Charlotte Jane arrived to establish a colony at Christchurch, New Zealand.
- 1811 — The first two in a series of four severe earthquakes struck the Midwestern United States and made the Mississippi River appear to run backward.
1811–1812 New Madrid earthquakesMidwestern United StatesMississippi River
- 1773 — American Revolution: A group of colonists threw chests of tea into Boston Harbor (pictured) to protest British taxation without representation.
- 1761 — Seven Years' War: After a four-month siege, Russian forces captured Kolberg, the last major Prussian port on the Baltic Sea.
Seven Years' WarSiege of Kolberg (Seven Years' War)Kołobrzeg
- 1740 — Prussian forces, led by Frederick the Great, moved into the Habsburg region of Silesia, starting the First Silesian War.
- 1707 — The last recorded eruption of Japan's Mount Fuji released some 800 million m3 (28 billion cu ft) of volcanic ash.
- 1689 — The Parliament of England enacted the Bill of Rights, setting out basic civil rights and later influencing other documents such as the U.S. Bill of Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Parliament of EnglandBill of Rights 1689Civil and political rights
- 1653 — Oliver Cromwell became Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England.
- 1598 — Led by Admiral Yi Sun-sin, the Korean navy were victorious at Battle of Noryang, ending the Japanese invasions of Korea.
Births
- 2001 — Kai Cenat, American streamer
- 1998 — Mira Antonitsch, Austrian tennis player
- 1998 — Zhou Jieqiong, Chinese singer and actress
- 1997 — Zara Larsson, Swedish singer and songwriter
- 1996 — Wilfred Ndidi, Nigerian footballer
- 1996 — Sergio Reguilón, Spanish footballer
- 1996 — Henry Thornton, Australian cricketer
- 1994 — Nigel Hayes, American basketball player
- 1994 — Nicola Murru, Italian footballer
- 1994 — José Rodríguez, Spanish footballer
- 1993 — Jyoti Amge, Indian actress
- 1993 — Stephan James, Canadian actor
Deaths
- 2025 — Lusanda Dumke, South African professional rugby union player who played as a flanker (born 1996)
- 2024 — Dick Van Arsdale, American basketball player (born 1943)
- 2024 — Tulsi Gowda, Indian environmentalist (born 1937/1938)
- 2023 — Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait (born 1937)
- 2017 — Keely Smith, American singer and actress (born 1928)
- 2015 — Peter Dickinson, Rhodesian-English author and poet (born 1927)
- 2015 — Lizmark, Mexican wrestler (born 1950)
- 2015 — George Earl Ortman, American painter and sculptor (born 1926)
- 2014 — Martin Brasier, English paleontologist, biologist, and academic (born 1947)
- 2014 — Tim Cochran, American mathematician and academic (born 1955)
- 2014 — Tahira Qazi, Pakistani educationist and principal of Army Public School Peshawar who was killed in the Peshawar school attack.
- 2013 — James Flint, English commander (born 1913)
Observances & holidays
- Christian feast day: Adelaide of Italy
- Christian feast day: Haggai
- Christian feast day: Blessed Marianna Fontanella
- Christian feast day: Blessed Philip Siphong Onphitak
- Christian feast day: Ralph Adams Cram, Richard Upjohn and John La Farge (Episcopal Church (USA))
- Christian feast day: December 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Day of Reconciliation, formerly celebrated as Day of the Vow by the Afrikaners (South Africa)
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Kazakhstan from the Soviet Union in 1991.
- National Day, celebrates the withdrawal of United Kingdom from Bahrain, making Bahrain an independent emirate in 1971.
- International Day of the Belt and Road Initiative
- National Sports Day (Thailand)
- The beginning of the nine-day celebration beginning December 16 and ending December 24, celebrating the trials which Mary and Joseph endured before finding a place to stay where Jesus could be born (Hispanidad): The first day of Las Posadas (Mexico, Latin America)
- The beginning of the nine-day celebration beginning December 16 and ending December 24, celebrating the trials which Mary and Joseph endured before finding a place to stay where Jesus could be born (Hispanidad): The first day of the Simbang Gabi novena of masses (Philippines)
- Victory Day observances, celebration of the Indo-Bangla allied victory over Pakistan armed forces and the Liberation of Bangladesh. (Bangladesh and India[a])
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