April 16
1452 - Artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci was born in or near the Tuscan town of Vinci.
1755 - Samuel Johnson published his Dictionary of the English Language.
1817 - Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet opened the first free American school for the deaf in Hartford, Connecticut.
1850 - The city of San Francisco was incorporated.
1861 - In response to the attack on Fort Sumter three days earlier, President Abraham Lincoln declared a state of insurrection and called out Union troops.
1865 - President Abraham Lincoln died nine hours after being shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C. Vice President Andrew Johnson then took the oath of office and became the nation's 17th president.
1892 - General Electric Co., formed by the merger of the Edison Electric Light Co. and other firms, was incorporated in Schenectady, New York.
1912 - The Titanic sank off the coast of Newfoundland on its maiden voyage after it struck an iceberg, resulting in the loss of more than 1,500 lives, while less than half as many survived.
1920 - A paymaster and guard were murdered in Braintree, Massachusetts. Sacco and Vanzetti were accused of the crime.
1945 - The Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen was liberated by Canadian and British forces.
1945 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who died on April 12, was buried at the Roosevelt family home in Hyde Park, New York.
1955 - Ray Kroc acquired McDonald's and opened his first restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois. (Today that location serves as the official McDonald's Corporate Museum.)
1986 - The United States launched an air raid against Libya in response to the bombing of a discotheque in Berlin on April 5; Libya said 37 people, mostly civilians, were killed.
1989 - Students in Beijing launched pro-democracy protests upon the death of former Communist Party leader Hu Yaobang.
1990 - Legendary film star Greta Garbo died in New York at age 84.
1990 - The comedy sketch show "In Living Color" premiered on FOX.
1998 - Cambodian despot Pol Pot, leader of the Khmer Rouge, died at age 73.
2002 - Retired Supreme Court Justice Byron R. White died at age 84.
2009 - Whipped up by conservative commentators and bloggers, tens of thousands of protesters staged "tea parties" across the country to tap into the collective angst stirred up by a bad economy, government spending and bailouts.
2011 - The first of three days of tornadoes to strike the central and southern U.S. began; according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, there were an estimated 177 twisters and at least 38 fatalities.
2013 - Two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three and injuring more than 170; Suspected bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev died in a shootout with police; his brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was tried, convicted and sentenced to death.
2016 - House Republicans departed Washington, having missed a deadline to pass their long-stalled budget in an embarrassment for House Speaker Paul Ryan.
2016 - A North Korea missile launch meant to celebrate the birthday of the country’s founder, Kim Il Sung, apparently ended in failure.
2019 - Fire swept across the top of the Notre Dame Cathedral as the soaring Paris landmark underwent renovations; the blaze collapsed the cathedral's spire and spread to one of its landmark rectangular towers, but fire officials said the church's main structure had been saved.
2020 - California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state would give $500 coronavirus relief payments to immigrants who were in the country illegally.
Birthdays
24 - Maisie Williams (actress)
31 - Emma Watson (actress)
34 - Samira Wiley (actress)
35 - Ester Dean (singer)
38 - Margo Price (singer)
38 - Alice Braga (actress)
39 - Seth Rogen (actor)
42 - Luke Evans (actor)
43 - Chris Stapleton (country singer)
45 - Toya Bush-Harris (reality star)
47 - Douglas Spain (actor)
47 - Danny Pino (actor)
51 - Flex Alexander (actor)
54 - Dara Torres (swimmer)
55 - Samantha Fox (singer)
62 - Emma Thompson (actress)
69 - Sam McMurray (actor)
70 - Heloise (advice columnist)
71 - Amy Wright (actress)
74 - Lois Chiles (actress)
75 - Michael Tucci (actor)
78 - Dave Edmunds (singer)
83 - Claudia Cardinale (actress)
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Today in Sports History - April 16
1896 - The first modern Olympic Games closed in Athens, Greece; the United States won the most gold medals with 11, while Greece won the most overall medals with 46.
1911 - Walter Johnson pitched a record-tying four strikeouts in an inning.
1937 - The Detroit Red Wings defeat the New York Rangers to win their second straight Stanley Cup.
1947 - Jackie Robinson made his major league debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers and scored the game-winning run against the Boston Braves.
1952 - The Detroit Red Wings sweep the Montreal Canadiens to win the Stanley Cup.
1958 - The San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers played the first major league baseball game on the West Coast. This was the first game in the Los Angeles Coliseum.
1965 - The NFL changes the color of penalty flags from white to bright gold.
1968 - The Houston Astros defeat the New York Mets 1-0 in 24 innings.
1972 - The major league baseball season began following a players strike.
1979 - Fuzzy Zoeller wins the Masters.
1984 - Ben Crenshaw wins the Masters.
1989 - Ninety-six people died in a crush of soccer fans at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, England.
1991 - Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers establishes a new NBA record with 9,898 career assists.
1991 - The Sacramento Kings set an NBA record with their 35th consecutive road loss.
1996 - Moses Tanui of Kenya won the 100th running of the Boston Marathon.
1997 - On the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's debut as the first African American player in Major League Baseball, his No. 42 was retired across all major league franchises.
2000 - Cal Ripken Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles became the 24th player in major league history to record 3,000 career hits.
2000 - Penn State defensive end Courtney Brown is the top pick in the NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns.
2000 - The following Huskers were selected in the 2000 NFL Draft: SS - Mike Brown (2nd round, Chicago Bears); DT - Steve Warren (3rd round, Green Bay Packers); and CB - Ralph Brown (5th round, New York Giants).
2019 - The Los Angeles Clippers overcome an NBA record 31-point deficit to score an improbable 135-131 Game 2 playoff win over the Golden State Warriors in Oakland.
1452 - Artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci was born in or near the Tuscan town of Vinci.
1755 - Samuel Johnson published his Dictionary of the English Language.
1817 - Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet opened the first free American school for the deaf in Hartford, Connecticut.
1850 - The city of San Francisco was incorporated.
1861 - In response to the attack on Fort Sumter three days earlier, President Abraham Lincoln declared a state of insurrection and called out Union troops.
1865 - President Abraham Lincoln died nine hours after being shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C. Vice President Andrew Johnson then took the oath of office and became the nation's 17th president.
1892 - General Electric Co., formed by the merger of the Edison Electric Light Co. and other firms, was incorporated in Schenectady, New York.
1912 - The Titanic sank off the coast of Newfoundland on its maiden voyage after it struck an iceberg, resulting in the loss of more than 1,500 lives, while less than half as many survived.
1920 - A paymaster and guard were murdered in Braintree, Massachusetts. Sacco and Vanzetti were accused of the crime.
1945 - The Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen was liberated by Canadian and British forces.
1945 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who died on April 12, was buried at the Roosevelt family home in Hyde Park, New York.
1955 - Ray Kroc acquired McDonald's and opened his first restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois. (Today that location serves as the official McDonald's Corporate Museum.)
1986 - The United States launched an air raid against Libya in response to the bombing of a discotheque in Berlin on April 5; Libya said 37 people, mostly civilians, were killed.
1989 - Students in Beijing launched pro-democracy protests upon the death of former Communist Party leader Hu Yaobang.
1990 - Legendary film star Greta Garbo died in New York at age 84.
1990 - The comedy sketch show "In Living Color" premiered on FOX.
1998 - Cambodian despot Pol Pot, leader of the Khmer Rouge, died at age 73.
2002 - Retired Supreme Court Justice Byron R. White died at age 84.
2009 - Whipped up by conservative commentators and bloggers, tens of thousands of protesters staged "tea parties" across the country to tap into the collective angst stirred up by a bad economy, government spending and bailouts.
2011 - The first of three days of tornadoes to strike the central and southern U.S. began; according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, there were an estimated 177 twisters and at least 38 fatalities.
2013 - Two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three and injuring more than 170; Suspected bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev died in a shootout with police; his brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was tried, convicted and sentenced to death.
2016 - House Republicans departed Washington, having missed a deadline to pass their long-stalled budget in an embarrassment for House Speaker Paul Ryan.
2016 - A North Korea missile launch meant to celebrate the birthday of the country’s founder, Kim Il Sung, apparently ended in failure.
2019 - Fire swept across the top of the Notre Dame Cathedral as the soaring Paris landmark underwent renovations; the blaze collapsed the cathedral's spire and spread to one of its landmark rectangular towers, but fire officials said the church's main structure had been saved.
2020 - California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state would give $500 coronavirus relief payments to immigrants who were in the country illegally.
Birthdays
24 - Maisie Williams (actress)
31 - Emma Watson (actress)
34 - Samira Wiley (actress)
35 - Ester Dean (singer)
38 - Margo Price (singer)
38 - Alice Braga (actress)
39 - Seth Rogen (actor)
42 - Luke Evans (actor)
43 - Chris Stapleton (country singer)
45 - Toya Bush-Harris (reality star)
47 - Douglas Spain (actor)
47 - Danny Pino (actor)
51 - Flex Alexander (actor)
54 - Dara Torres (swimmer)
55 - Samantha Fox (singer)
62 - Emma Thompson (actress)
69 - Sam McMurray (actor)
70 - Heloise (advice columnist)
71 - Amy Wright (actress)
74 - Lois Chiles (actress)
75 - Michael Tucci (actor)
78 - Dave Edmunds (singer)
83 - Claudia Cardinale (actress)
=============================================
Today in Sports History - April 16
1896 - The first modern Olympic Games closed in Athens, Greece; the United States won the most gold medals with 11, while Greece won the most overall medals with 46.
1911 - Walter Johnson pitched a record-tying four strikeouts in an inning.
1937 - The Detroit Red Wings defeat the New York Rangers to win their second straight Stanley Cup.
1947 - Jackie Robinson made his major league debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers and scored the game-winning run against the Boston Braves.
1952 - The Detroit Red Wings sweep the Montreal Canadiens to win the Stanley Cup.
1958 - The San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers played the first major league baseball game on the West Coast. This was the first game in the Los Angeles Coliseum.
1965 - The NFL changes the color of penalty flags from white to bright gold.
1968 - The Houston Astros defeat the New York Mets 1-0 in 24 innings.
1972 - The major league baseball season began following a players strike.
1979 - Fuzzy Zoeller wins the Masters.
1984 - Ben Crenshaw wins the Masters.
1989 - Ninety-six people died in a crush of soccer fans at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, England.
1991 - Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers establishes a new NBA record with 9,898 career assists.
1991 - The Sacramento Kings set an NBA record with their 35th consecutive road loss.
1996 - Moses Tanui of Kenya won the 100th running of the Boston Marathon.
1997 - On the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's debut as the first African American player in Major League Baseball, his No. 42 was retired across all major league franchises.
2000 - Cal Ripken Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles became the 24th player in major league history to record 3,000 career hits.
2000 - Penn State defensive end Courtney Brown is the top pick in the NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns.
2000 - The following Huskers were selected in the 2000 NFL Draft: SS - Mike Brown (2nd round, Chicago Bears); DT - Steve Warren (3rd round, Green Bay Packers); and CB - Ralph Brown (5th round, New York Giants).
2019 - The Los Angeles Clippers overcome an NBA record 31-point deficit to score an improbable 135-131 Game 2 playoff win over the Golden State Warriors in Oakland.