All Events

Historical Events on February 16

  • Stephen Decatur

    1804

    First Barbary War: Stephen Decatur leads a raid to burn the pirate-held frigate USS Philadelphia.

  • Battle of Fort Donelson

    1862

    American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant captures Fort Donelson, Tennessee.

  • Canadian Pacific Railway

    1881

    The Canadian Pacific Railway is incorporated by Act of Parliament at Ottawa (44th Vic., c.1).

  • Altmark Incident

    1940

    World War II: Altmark Incident: The German tanker Altmark is boarded by sailors from the British destroyer HMS Cossack. 299 British prisoners are freed.

  • Fidel Castro

    1959

    Fidel Castro becomes Premier of Cuba after dictator Fulgencio Batista was overthrown on January 1.

  • Operation Sandblast

    1960

    The U.S. Navy submarine USS Triton begins Operation Sandblast, setting sail from New London, Connecticut, to begin the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe.

  • MS Mikhail Lermontov

    1986

    The Soviet liner MS Mikhail Lermontov runs aground in the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand.

  • 1996 Maryland train collision

    1996

    A Chicago-bound Amtrak train, the Capitol Limited, collides with a MARC commuter train bound for Washington, D.C., killing 11 people.

  • Kyoto Protocol

    2005

    The Kyoto Protocol comes into force, following its ratification by Russia.

All Births

Famous Birthdays on February 16

All Deaths

Famous Deaths on February 16

15. February

17. February