On This Day: 16 July

16 July in Indian history

• 2019A 100-year-old building in Mumbai, India, collapses, killing at least 10 people and leaving many others trapped.India
• 2013At least 23 students died and dozens more fell ill at a primary school in the Indian state of Bihar after consuming a Midday Meal that was contaminated with pesticide.India

16 July in world history

• 2013Syrian civil war: The Battle of Ras al-Ayn resumes between the People's Protection Units (YPG) and Islamist forces, beginning the Rojava–Islamist conflict.
• 2009Teoh Beng Hock, an aide to a politician in Malaysia is found dead on the rooftop of a building adjacent to the offices of the Anti-Corruption Commission, sparking an inquest that gains nationwide attention.
• 2007A magnitude-6.6 earthquake struck off the coast of Niigata Prefecture, Japan, causing a leak of radioactive gases from the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant.
• 2004Millennium Park, a public park in Chicago, Illinois, and one of the world's largest rooftop gardens, opened to the public.
• 2003A faction of the armed forces of São Tomé and Príncipe led by Major Fernando Pereira overthrew the government of Fradique de Menezes in a bloodless coup d'état.
• 1990A 7.8 MS earthquake struck the densely populated Philippine island of Luzon, killing an estimated 1,621 people.
• 1965South Vietnamese Colonel Phạm Ngọc Thảo—an undetected communist spy—was reported dead due to injuries sustained during his capture, but it is generally assumed he was killed on the orders of military officials.
• 1950Uruguay won the decisive match of the fourth FIFA World Cup, defeating Brazil 2–1 at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
• 1948Following token resistance, the city of Nazareth, revered by Christians as the hometown of Jesus, capitulates to Israeli troops during Operation Dekel in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.
• 1945Manhattan Project: The Atomic Age begins when the United States successfully detonates a plutonium-based test nuclear weapon near Alamogordo, New Mexico.
• 1942Holocaust: Vel' d'Hiv Roundup (Rafle du Vel' d'Hiv): The government of Vichy France orders the mass arrest of 13,152 Jews who are held at the Vélodrome d'Hiver in Paris before deportation to Auschwitz.
• 1861American Civil War: At the order of President Abraham Lincoln, Union troops begin a 25-mile march into Virginia for what will become the First Battle of Bull Run, the first major land battle of the war.
• 1809The city of La Paz, in what is today Bolivia, declares its independence from the Spanish Crown during the La Paz revolution and forms the Junta Tuitiva, the first independent government in Spanish America, led by Pedro Domingo Murillo.
• 1779American Revolutionary War: Light infantry of the Continental Army seize a fortified British Army position in a midnight bayonet attack at the Battle of Stony Point.
• 1683Manchu Qing dynasty naval forces under commander Shi Lang defeat the Kingdom of Tungning in the Battle of Penghu near the Pescadores Islands.
• 1232Muhammad ibn Yusuf, who later established the Emirate of Granada, the last Muslim state in Spain, was elected the ruler of Arjona.

Born on 16 July

• 1983Katrina Kaif, British Indian actress and modelIndia
• 1968Dhanraj Pillay, Indian field hockey player and managerIndia
• 1968Larry Sanger, American philosopher and businessman, co-founded Wikipedia and Citizendium
• 1966Jyrki Lumme, Finnish ice hockey player
• 1939Shringar Nagaraj, Indian actor and producer (died 2013)India
• 1887Shoeless Joe Jackson, American baseball player and manager (died 1951)

Died on 16 July

• 2019John Paul Stevens, American lawyer and jurist, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (born 1920)
• 1344An-Nasir Ahmad, Sultan of Egypt (born 1316)
• 1342Charles I of Hungary (born 1288)
• 784Fulrad, Frankish diplomat and saint (born 710)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 16 July in history?

2019: A 100-year-old building in Mumbai, India, collapses, killing at least 10 people and leaving many others trapped. 2013: At least 23 students died and dozens more fell ill at a primary school in the Indian state of Bihar after consuming a Midday Meal that was contaminated with pesticide. 2013: Syrian civil war: The Battle of Ras al-Ayn resumes between the People's Protection Units (YPG) and Islamist forces, beginning the Rojava–Islamist conflict. 2009: Teoh Beng Hock, an aide to a politician in Malaysia is found dead on the rooftop of a building adjacent to the offices of the Anti-Corruption Commission, sparking an inquest that gains nationwide attention.

What happened on 16 July in Indian history?

2019: A 100-year-old building in Mumbai, India, collapses, killing at least 10 people and leaving many others trapped. 2013: At least 23 students died and dozens more fell ill at a primary school in the Indian state of Bihar after consuming a Midday Meal that was contaminated with pesticide.

Which famous people were born on 16 July?

Katrina Kaif, British Indian actress and model (1983); Dhanraj Pillay, Indian field hockey player and manager (1968); Larry Sanger, American philosopher and businessman, co-founded Wikipedia and Citizendium (1968); Jyrki Lumme, Finnish ice hockey player (1966).

Which day is observed on 16 July?

Engineer's Day (Honduras); Holocaust Memorial Day (France).