On This Day: 16 November

16 November in Indian history

• 1907Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory join to form Oklahoma, which is admitted as the 46th U.S. state.India

16 November in world history

• 2009Space Shuttle program: Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on mission STS-129 to the International Space Station.
• 1992The Hoxne Hoard is discovered by metal detectorist Eric Lawes in Hoxne, Suffolk.
• 1990Pop group Milli Vanilli are stripped of their Grammy Award because the duo did not sing at all on the Girl You Know It's True album. Session musicians had provided all the vocals.
• 1988In the first open election in more than a decade, voters in Pakistan elect populist candidate Benazir Bhutto to be Prime Minister of Pakistan.
• 1973U.S. president Richard Nixon signed an act authorizing the construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline to transport oil from the Beaufort Sea to the Gulf of Alaska.
• 1959The Sound of Music, a musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein based on The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, opened on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.
• 1944World War II: Operation Queen commenced with one of the heaviest Allied tactical bombings of the war, attacking German targets in the Rur valley.
• 1940The Holocaust: In occupied Poland, the Nazis close off the Warsaw Ghetto from the outside world.
• 1885After a five-day trial following the North-West Rebellion, Louis Riel, a Canadian Métis leader and "Father of Manitoba", was hanged for high treason.
• 1863American Civil War: In the Battle of Campbell's Station, Confederate troops unsuccessfully attack Union forces which allows General Ambrose Burnside to secure Knoxville, Tennessee.
• 1855David Livingstone becomes the first European to see the Victoria Falls in what is now Zambia-Zimbabwe.
• 1828Greek War of Independence: The London Protocol entails the creation of an autonomous Greek state under Ottoman suzerainty, encompassing the Morea and the Cyclades.
• 1822American Old West: Missouri trader William Becknell arrives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, over a route that became known as the Santa Fe Trail.
• 1805Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Schöngrabern: Russian forces under Pyotr Bagration delay the pursuit by French troops under Joachim Murat.
• 1776American Revolutionary War: Fort Washington on Manhattan was captured from the Patriots by British and Hessian units.
• 1532Spanish conquest of Peru: Conquistador Francisco Pizarro orchestrated a surprise attack in Cajamarca, capturing the Inca emperor, Atahualpa.
• 1476With the help of Stephen III and Stephen Báthory, Vlad the Impaler ousted Basarab the Old and became the ruler of Wallachia for the third time.

Born on 16 November

• 1985Aditya Roy Kapur, Indian actorIndia
• 1980Carol Huynh, Canadian wrestler
• 1968Shobha Nagi Reddy, Indian politician (died 2014)India
• 1959Francis M. Fesmire, American cardiologist and physician (died 2014)
• 1909Mirza Nasir Ahmad, Indian-Pakistani religious leader (died 1982)India
• 1895Paul Hindemith, German composer, violist and conductor (died 1963)

Died on 16 November

• 2018William Goldman, American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter (born 1931)
• 2013Tanvir Ahmad Khan, Indian-Pakistani diplomat, 19th Foreign Secretary of Pakistan (born 1932)India
• 1986Panditrao Agashe, Indian businessman (born 1936)India
• 1322Nasr, Sultan of Granada (born 1287)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 16 November in history?

2009: Space Shuttle program: Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on mission STS-129 to the International Space Station. 1992: The Hoxne Hoard is discovered by metal detectorist Eric Lawes in Hoxne, Suffolk. 1990: Pop group Milli Vanilli are stripped of their Grammy Award because the duo did not sing at all on the Girl You Know It's True album. Session musicians had provided all the vocals. 1988: In the first open election in more than a decade, voters in Pakistan elect populist candidate Benazir Bhutto to be Prime Minister of Pakistan.

What happened on 16 November in Indian history?

1907: Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory join to form Oklahoma, which is admitted as the 46th U.S. state.

Which famous people were born on 16 November?

Aditya Roy Kapur, Indian actor (1985); Carol Huynh, Canadian wrestler (1980); Shobha Nagi Reddy, Indian politician (died 2014) (1968); Francis M. Fesmire, American cardiologist and physician (died 2014) (1959).

Which day is observed on 16 November?

Day of Declaration of Sovereignty (Estonia); Earliest day on which Day of Repentance and Prayer can fall, while November 22 is the latest; celebrated 11 days before Advent Sunday (Luthe; Icelandic Language Day or Dagur íslenskrar tungu (Iceland); International Day for Tolerance (United Nations); Statia Day in Sint Eustatius (Caribbean Netherlands).