August 16

Events

1 BC – Wang Mang consolidates his power and is declared marshal of state. Emperor Ai of Han, who had died the previous day, had no heirs.

963 – Nikephoros II Phokas is crowned emperor of the Byzantine Empire.

1328 – The House of Gonzaga seizes power in the Duchy of Mantua, and will rule until 1708.

1513 – Battle of the Spurs (Battle of Guinegate): King Henry VIII of England and his Imperial allies defeat French Forces who are then forced to retreat.

1652 – Battle of Plymouth: Inconclusive naval action between the fleets of Michiel de Ruyter and George Ayscue in the First Anglo-Dutch War.

1777 – American Revolutionary War: The Americans led by General John Stark rout British and Brunswick troops under Friedrich Baum at the Battle of Bennington in Walloomsac, New York.

1780 – American Revolutionary War: Battle of Camden: The British defeat the Americans near Camden, South Carolina.

1792 – Maximilien de Robespierre presents the petition of the Commune of Paris to the Legislative Assembly, which demanded the formation of a revolutionary tribunal.

1793 – French Revolution: A levée en masse is decreed by the National Convention.

1812 – War of 1812: American General William Hull surrenders Fort Detroit without a fight to the British Army.

1819 – Peterloo Massacre: Seventeen people die and over 600 are injured in cavalry charges at a public meeting at St. Peter's Field, Manchester, England.

1841 – U.S. President John Tyler vetoes a bill which called for the re-establishment of the Second Bank of the United States. Enraged Whig Party members riot outside the White House in the most violent demonstration on White House grounds in U.S. history.

1858 – U.S. President James Buchanan inaugurates the new transatlantic telegraph cable by exchanging greetings with Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. However, a weak signal forces a shutdown of the service in a few weeks.

1859 – The Tuscan National Assembly formally deposes the House of Habsburg-Lorraine.

1863 – The Dominican Restoration War begins when Gregorio Luperón raises the Dominican flag in Santo Domingo after Spain had recolonized the country.

1869 – Battle of Acosta Ñu: A Paraguayan battalion made up of children is massacred by the Brazilian Army during the Paraguayan War.

1870 – Franco-Prussian War: The Battle of Mars-la-Tour is fought, resulting in a Prussian victory.

1891 – The Basilica of San Sebastian, Manila, the first all-steel church in Asia, is officially inaugurated and blessed.

1896 – Skookum Jim Mason, George Carmack and Dawson Charlie discover gold in a tributary of the Klondike River in Canada, setting off the Klondike Gold Rush.

1900 – The Battle of Elands River during the Second Boer War ends after a 13-day siege is lifted by the British. The battle had begun when a force of between 2,000 and 3,000 Boers had surrounded a force of 500 Australians, Rhodesians, Canadians and British soldiers at a supply dump at Brakfontein Drift.

1906 – An estimated 8.2 M_W earthquake hits Valparaíso, Chile, killing 3,886 people.

1913 – Tōhoku Imperial University of Japan (modern day Tohoku University) becomes the first university in Japan to admit female students.

1913 – Completion of the Royal Navy battlecruiser HMS Queen Mary.

1916 – The Migratory Bird Treaty between Canada and the United States signed.

1918 – The Battle of Lake Baikal was fought between the Czechoslovak Legion and the Red Army.

1920 – Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians is hit on the head by a fastball thrown by Carl Mays of the New York Yankees, and dies early the next day. Chapman was the second player to die from injuries sustained in a Major League Baseball game, the first being Doc Powers in 1909.

1920 – The congress of the Communist Party of Bukhara opens. The congress would call for armed revolution.

1920 – Polish–Soviet War: The Battle of Radzymin concludes; the Soviet Red Army is forced to turn away from Warsaw.

1923 – The United Kingdom gives the name "Ross Dependency" to part of its claimed Antarctic territory and makes the Governor-General of the Dominion of New Zealand its administrator.

1927 – The Dole Air Race begins from Oakland, California, to Honolulu, Hawaii, during which six out of the eight participating planes crash or disappear.

1929 – The 1929 Palestine riots break out in Mandatory Palestine between Palestinian Arabs and Jews and continue until the end of the month. In total, 133 Jews and 116 Arabs are killed.

1930 – The first color sound cartoon, called Fiddlesticks, is made by Ub Iwerks.

1930 – The first British Empire Games were opened in Hamilton, Ontario by the Governor General of Canada, the Viscount Willingdon.

1942 – World War II: The two-person crew of the U.S. naval blimp L-8 disappears without a trace on a routine anti-submarine patrol over the Pacific Ocean. The blimp drifts without her crew and crash-lands in Daly City, California.

1944 – First flight of the Junkers Ju 287.

1945 – An assassination attempt is made on Japan's prime minister, Kantarō Suzuki.

1945 – The National Representatives' Congress, the precursor of the current National Assembly of Vietnam, convenes in Sơn Dương.

1946 – Mass riots in Kolkata begin; more than 4,000 people would be killed in 72 hours.

1946 – The All Hyderabad Trade Union Congress is founded in Secunderabad.

1954 – The first issue of Sports Illustrated is published.

1960 – Cyprus gains its independence from the United Kingdom.

1960 – Joseph Kittinger parachutes from a balloon over New Mexico at 102,800 feet (31,300 m), setting three records that held until 2012: High-altitude jump, free fall, and highest speed by a human without an aircraft.

1962 – Eight years after the remaining French India territories were handed to India, the ratifications of the treaty are exchanged to make the transfer official.

1962 – The famous lineup of The Beatles is formed when drummer Pete Best is discharged from the band, and Ringo Starr is brought on.

1964 – Vietnam War: A coup d'état replaces Dương Văn Minh with General Nguyễn Khánh as President of South Vietnam. A new constitution is established with aid from the U.S. Embassy.

1966 – Vietnam War: The House Un-American Activities Committee begins investigations of Americans who have aided the Viet Cong. The committee intends to introduce legislation making these activities illegal. Anti-war demonstrators disrupt the meeting and 50 people are arrested.

1972 – In an unsuccessful coup d'état attempt, the Royal Moroccan Air Force fires upon Hassan II of Morocco's plane while he is traveling back to Rabat.

1987 – Northwest Airlines Flight 255 a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 crashes after take off in Detroit, Michigan, killing 154 of the 155 on board, plus two people on the ground.

1989 – A solar flare from the Sun creates a geomagnetic storm that affects micro chips, leading to a halt of all trading on Toronto's stock market.

2008 – The Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago is topped off at 1,389 feet (423 m), at the time becoming the world's highest residence above ground-level.

2012 – South African police fatally shoot 34 miners and wound 78 more during an industrial dispute near Rustenburg.

2013 – The ferry St. Thomas Aquinas collides with a cargo ship and sinks at Cebu, Philippines, killing 61 people with 59 others missing.

2015 – More than 96 people are killed and hundreds injured following a series of air-raids by the Syrian Arab Air Force on the rebel-held market town of Douma.

Births

1355 – Philippa, 5th Countess of Ulster (d. 1382)

1378 – Hongxi Emperor of China (d. 1425)

1401 – Jacqueline, Countess of Hainaut (d. 1436)

1557 – Agostino Carracci, Italian painter and etcher (d. 1602)

1573 – Anne of Austria, Queen of Poland (d. 1598)

1596 – Frederick V, Elector Palatine, Bohemian king (d. 1632)

1637 – Countess Emilie Juliane of Barby-Mühlingen (d. 1706)

1645 – Jean de La Bruyère, French philosopher and author (d. 1696)

1650 – Vincenzo Coronelli, Italian monk, cosmographer, and cartographer (d. 1718)

1682 – Louis, Dauphin of France, Duke of Burgundy (d. 1712)

1744 – Pierre Méchain, French astronomer and surveyor (d. 1804)

1761 – Yevstigney Fomin, Russian pianist and composer (d. 1800)

1815 – John Bosco, Italian priest and educator (d. 1888)

1820 – Andrew Rainsford Wetmore, Canadian lawyer and politician, 1st Premier of New Brunswick (d. 1892)

1821 – Arthur Cayley, English mathematician and academic (d. 1895)

1831 – John Jones Ross, Canadian lawyer and politician, 7th Premier of Quebec (d. 1901)

1832 – Wilhelm Wundt, German physician, psychologist, and physiologist (d. 1920)

1842 – Jakob Rosanes, Ukrainian-German mathematician, chess player, and academic (d. 1922)

1845 – Gabriel Lippmann, Luxembourger-French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1921)

1848 – Vladimir Sukhomlinov, Russian general (d. 1926)

1856 – Aparicio Saravia, Uruguayan general and politician (d. 1904)

1858 – Arthur Achleitner, German author (d. 1927)

1860 – Martin Hawke, 7th Baron Hawke, English-Scottish cricketer (d. 1938)

1860 – Jules Laforgue, Uruguayan-French poet and author (d. 1887)

1862 – Amos Alonzo Stagg, American baseball player and coach (d. 1965)

1868 – Bernarr Macfadden, American bodybuilder and publisher, founded Macfadden Publications (d. 1955)

1876 – Ivan Bilibin, Russian illustrator and stage designer (d. 1942)

1877 – Roque Ruaño, Spanish priest and engineer (d. 1935)

1882 – Désiré Mérchez, French swimmer and water polo player (d. 1968)

1884 – Hugo Gernsback, Luxembourg-American author and publisher (d. 1967)

1888 – T. E. Lawrence, British colonel and archaeologist (d. 1935)

1888 – Armand J. Piron, American violinist, composer, and bandleader (d. 1943)

1892 – Hal Foster, Canadian-American author and illustrator (d. 1982)

1892 – Otto Messmer, American cartoonist and animator, co-created Felix the Cat (d. 1983)

1894 – George Meany, American plumber and labor leader (d. 1980)

1895 – Albert Cohen, Greek-Swiss author and playwright (d. 1981)

1895 – Liane Haid, Austrian-Swiss actress and singer (d. 2000)

1902 – Georgette Heyer, English author (d. 1974)

1902 – Wallace Thurman, American author and playwright (d. 1934)

1904 – Minoru Genda, Japanese general, pilot, and politician (d. 1989)

1904 – Wendell Meredith Stanley, American biochemist and virologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1971)

1908 – Orlando Cole, American cellist and educator (d. 2010)

1908 – William Keepers Maxwell, Jr., American editor, novelist, short story writer, and essayist (d. 2000)

1909 – Paul Callaway, American organist and conductor (d. 1995)

1910 – Gloria Blondell, American actress (d. 1986)

1910 – Mae Clarke, American actress (d. 1992)

1911 – E. F. Schumacher, German economist and statistician (d. 1977)

1912 – Ted Drake, English footballer and manager (d. 1995)

1913 – Menachem Begin, Belarusian-Israeli politician, 6th Prime Minister of Israel, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1992)

1916 – Iggy Katona, American race car driver (d. 2003)

1917 – Matt Christopher, American author (d. 1997)

1917 – Roque Cordero, Panamanian composer and educator (d. 2008)

1919 – Karl-Heinz Euling, German captain (d. 2014)

1920 – Charles Bukowski, American poet, novelist, and short story writer (d. 1994)

1922 – James Casey, English comedian, radio scriptwriter and producer (d. 2011)

1922 – Ernie Freeman, American pianist and bandleader (d. 2001)

1923 – Millôr Fernandes, Brazilian journalist and playwright (d. 2012)

1924 – Fess Parker, American actor (d. 2010)

1924 – Inez Voyce, American baseball player

1925 – Willie Jones, American baseball player (d. 1983)

1925 – Mal Waldron, American pianist and composer (d. 2002)

1927 – Lois Nettleton, American actress (d. 2008)

1928 – Ann Blyth, American actress and singer

1928 – Eydie Gormé, American singer (d. 2013)

1928 – Ara Güler, Turkish photographer and journalist

1928 – Eddie Kirkland, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2011)

1929 – Bill Evans, American pianist and composer (d. 1980)

1929 – Helmut Rahn, German footballer (d. 2003)

1929 – Fritz Von Erich, American wrestler and trainer (d. 1997)

1929 – Wyatt Tee Walker, American pastor, theologian, and activist

1930 – Robert Culp, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2010)

1930 – Frank Gifford, American football player, sportscaster, and actor (d. 2015)

1930 – Leslie Manigat, Haitian educator and politician, 43rd President of Haiti (d. 2014)

1930 – Tony Trabert, American tennis player and sportscaster

1932 – Nawwaf bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabian prince (d. 2015)

1933 – Reiner Kunze, German poet and translator

1933 – Tom Maschler, English author and publisher

1933 – Stuart Roosa, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 1994)

1933 – Julie Newmar, American actress

1934 – Donnie Dunagan, American actor and soldier

1934 – Diana Wynne Jones, English author (d. 2011)

1934 – Ketty Lester, American singer and actress

1934 – Pierre Richard, French actor, director, and screenwriter

1934 – John Standing, English actor

1934 – Dave Thomas, English-Welsh golfer and architect (d. 2013)

1934 – Sam Trimble, Australian cricketer

1935 – Cliff Fletcher, Canadian businessman

1935 – Andreas Stamatiadis, Greek footballer and coach

1936 – Anita Gillette, American actress and singer

1936 – Alan Hodgkinson, English footballer and coach (d. 2015)

1937 – David Anderson, Canadian journalist, lawyer, and politician

1937 – David Behrman, American composer and producer

1937 – Ian Deans, Canadian politician (d. 2016)

1937 – Boris Rõtov, Estonian chess player (d. 1987)

1939 – Seán Brady, Irish cardinal

1939 – Trevor McDonald, Trinidadian-English journalist and academic

1939 – Billy Joe Shaver, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1940 – Bruce Beresford, Australian director and producer

1942 – Lesley Turner Bowrey, Australian tennis player

1942 – Barbara George, American R&B singer-songwriter (d. 2006)

1943 – Woody Peoples, American football player (d. 2010)

1944 – Kevin Ayers, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)

1945 – Bob Balaban, American actor, director, and producer

1945 – Russell Brookes, English race car driver

1945 – Suzanne Farrell, American ballerina and educator

1945 – Gary Loizzo, American guitarist, singer, recording engineer, and record producer (d. 2016)

1946 – Masoud Barzani, Iranian-Kurdish politician, President of Iraqi Kurdistan

1946 – Lesley Ann Warren, American actress

1947 – Carol Moseley Braun, American lawyer and politician, United States Ambassador to New Zealand

1947 – Katharine Hamnett, English fashion designer

1948 – Earl Blumenauer, American politician, U.S. Representative from Oregon

1948 – Mike Jorgensen, American baseball player and manager

1948 – Pierre Reid, Canadian educator and politician

1949 – Scott Asheton, American drummer (d. 2014)

1949 – Bill Spooner, American guitarist and songwriter (The Tubes)

1950 – Hasely Crawford, Trinidadian runner

1950 – Stockwell Day, Canadian businessman and politician, 15th Canadian Minister of International Trade

1950 – Jeff Thomson, Australian cricketer

1951 – Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, Nigerian businessman and politician, 13th President of Nigeria (d. 2010)

1953 – Kathie Lee Gifford, American talk show host, singer, and actress

1953 – James "J.T." Taylor, American R&B singer-songwriter

1954 – James Cameron, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter

1954 – George Galloway, Scottish-English politician and broadcaster

1955 – James Reilly, Irish surgeon and politician, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs

1956 – Vahan Hovhannisyan, Armenian soldier and politician (d. 2014)

1957 – Tim Farriss, Australian guitarist

1957 – Laura Innes, American actress and director

1957 – R. R. Patil, Indian lawyer and politician, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra (d. 2015)

1958 – Madonna, American singer-songwriter, producer, actress, and director

1958 – Angela Bassett, American actress

1958 – José Luis Clerc, Argentinian tennis player and coach

1958 – Oscar Collodo, Swiss-Italian rugby player and coach

1958 – Diane Dodds, Northern Irish educator and politician

1959 – Marc Sergeant, Belgian cyclist and manager

1960 – Timothy Hutton, American actor, producer and director

1960 – Franz Welser-Möst, Austrian-American conductor and director

1960 – Paul van Ass, Dutch field hockey coach

1961 – Christian Okoye, American football player

1961 – Angela Smith, English academic and politician

1962 – Steve Carell, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter

1963 – Aloísio Pires Alves, Brazilian footballer and manager

1963 – Christine Cavanaugh, American voice artist (d. 2014)

1964 – Jimmy Arias, American tennis player and sportscaster

1964 – Nigel Redman, English rugby player

1964 – Barry Venison, English footballer and journalist

1966 – Eddie Olczyk, American ice hockey player, coach, and commentator

1967 – Mark Coyne, Australian rugby league player

1967 – Ulrika Jonsson, Swedish journalist, actress, and author

1968 – Mateja Svet, Slovenian skier

1968 – Wolfgang Tillmans, German photographer

1968 – Arvind Kejriwal, Indian civil servant and politician, 7th Chief Minister of Delhi

1970 – Bonnie Bernstein, American journalist and sportscaster

1970 – Fabio Casartelli, Italian cyclist (d. 1995)

1971 – Rulon Gardner, American wrestler and mixed martial artist

1971 – Stefan Klos, German footballer

1972 – Frankie Boyle, Scottish comedian and television host

1972 – Stan Lazaridis, Australian footballer

1972 – Emily Robison, American singer-songwriter and banjo player

1973 – Damian Jackson, American baseball player

1974 – Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Guyanese cricketer

1974 – Krisztina Egerszegi, Hungarian swimmer

1974 – Iván Hurtado, Ecuadorian footballer and politician

1975 – Didier Agathe, French footballer

1975 – Jonatan Johansson, Finnish footballer, coach, and manager

1975 – Pantelis Konstantinidis, Greek footballer

1975 – George Stults, American model and actor

1975 – Álvaro Tardáguila, Uruguayan cyclist

1977 – Pavel Královec, Czech football referee

1978 – Ben Galea, Australian rugby league player and referee

1979 – Paul Gallacher, Scottish footballer

1979 – Eduardo Maiorino, Brazilian mixed martial artist and kick-boxer (d. 2012)

1979 – Ian Moran, Australian cricketer

1980 – Emerson Ramos Borges, Brazilian footballer

1980 – Piet Rooijakkers, Dutch cyclist

1980 – Raniere Silva dos Santos, Brazilian footballer

1981 – Roque Santa Cruz, Paraguayan footballer

1983 – Nikolaos Zisis, Greek basketball player

1984 – Matteo Anesi, Italian speed skater

1984 – Candice Dupree, American basketball player

1984 – Konstantin Vassiljev, Estonian footballer

1985 – Cristin Milioti, American actress

1986 – Yu Darvish, Japanese baseball player

1987 – Carey Price, Canadian ice hockey player

1989 – Wang Hao, Chinese race walker

1989 – Moussa Sissoko, French footballer

1990 – Godfrey Oboabona, Nigerian footballer

1991 – José Eduardo de Araújo, Brazilian footballer

1992 – Diego Schwartzman, Argentinian tennis player

1994 – Jesika Malečková, Czech tennis player

1997 – Greyson Chance, American singer-songwriter and pianist

Deaths

AD 79 – Empress Ma, Chinese Han dynasty consort (b. 40)

856 – Theutbald I, bishop of Langres

963 – Marianos Argyros, Byzantine general (b. 944)

1027 – George I of Georgia (b. 998)

1153 – Bernard de Tremelay, fourth Grand Master of the Knights Templar

1225 – Hōjō Masako, Japanese regent and onna-bugeisha(b. 1156)

1258 – Theodore II Laskaris, Byzantine-Greek emperor (b. 1222)

1285 – Philip I, Count of Savoy (b. 1207)

1297 – John II of Trebizond (b. 1262)

1327 – Roch, French saint (b. 1295)

1339 – Azzone Visconti, founder of the state of Milan (b. 1302)

1358 – Albert II, Duke of Austria (b. 1298)

1419 – Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia (b. 1361)

1443 – Ashikaga Yoshikatsu, Japanese shogun (b. 1434)

1518 – Loyset Compère, French composer (b. 1445)

1532 – John, Elector of Saxony (b. 1468)

1661 – Thomas Fuller, English historian and author (b. 1608)

1678 – Andrew Marvell, English poet and author (b. 1621)

1705 – Jacob Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician and theorist (b. 1654)

1733 – Matthew Tindal, English philosopher and author (b. 1657)

1791 – Charles-François de Broglie, marquis de Ruffec, French soldier and diplomat (b. 1719)

1836 – Marc-Antoine Parseval, French mathematician and theorist (b. 1755)

1855 – Henry Colburn, English publisher (b. 1785)

1878 – Richard Upjohn, English-American architect (b. 1802)

1886 – Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Indian mystic and philosopher (b. 1836)

1888 – John Pemberton, American pharmacist and chemist, invented Coca-Cola (b. 1831)

1893 – Jean-Martin Charcot, French neurologist and academic (b. 1825)

1899 – Robert Bunsen, German chemist and academic (b. 1811)

1900 – José Maria de Eça de Queirós, Portuguese journalist and author (b. 1845)

1904 – Prentiss Ingraham, American soldier and author (b. 1843)

1911 – Patrick Francis Moran, Irish-Australian cardinal (b. 1830)

1914 – Carl Theodor Schulz, German-Norwegian gardener (b. 1835)

1916 – George Scott, English footballer (b. 1885)

1921 – Peter I of Serbia (b. 1844)

1938 – Andrej Hlinka, Slovak priest, journalist, and politician (b. 1864)

1938 – Robert Johnson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1911)

1945 – Takijirō Ōnishi, Japanese admiral (b. 1891)

1948 – Babe Ruth, American baseball player and coach (b. 1895)

1949 – Margaret Mitchell, American journalist and author (b. 1900)

1952 – Lydia Field Emmet, American painter and academic (b. 1866)

1956 – Bela Lugosi, Hungarian-American actor (b. 1882)

1957 – Irving Langmuir, American chemist and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1881)

1959 – William Halsey, Jr., American admiral (b. 1882)

1959 – Wanda Landowska, Polish-French harpsichord player (b. 1879)

1961 – Abdul Haq, Indian linguist and scholar (b. 1870)

1971 – Spyros Skouras, Greek-American businessman (b. 1893)

1972 – Pierre Brasseur, French actor and screenwriter (b. 1905)

1973 – Selman Waksman, Ukrainian-American biochemist and microbiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)

1977 – Elvis Presley, American singer, guitarist, and actor (b. 1935)

1978 – Alidius Tjarda van Starkenborgh Stachouwer, Dutch soldier and politician, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (b. 1888)

1979 – John Diefenbaker, Canadian lawyer and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1895)

1983 – Earl Averill, American baseball player (b. 1902)

1986 – Ronnie Aird, English cricketer and administrator (b. 1902)

1986 – Jaime Sáenz, Bolivian author and poet (b. 1921)

1989 – Amanda Blake, American actress (b. 1929)

1990 – Pat O'Connor, New Zealand wrestler and trainer (b. 1925)

1991 – Luigi Zampa, Italian director and screenwriter (b. 1905)

1992 – Mark Heard, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1951)

1993 – Stewart Granger, English-American actor (b. 1913)

1998 – Phil Leeds, American actor (b. 1916)

1998 – Dorothy West, American journalist and author (b. 1907)

2002 – Abu Nidal, Palestinian terrorist leader (b. 1937)

2002 – John Roseboro, American baseball player and coach (b. 1933)

2003 – Idi Amin, Ugandan field marshal and politician, 3rd President of Uganda (b. 1928)

2004 – Ivan Hlinka, Czech ice hockey player and coach (b. 1950)

2004 – Balanadarajah Iyer, Sri Lankan journalist and poet (b. 1957)

2004 – Carl Mydans, American photographer and journalist (b. 1907)

2004 – Robert Quiroga, American boxer (b. 1969)

2005 – Vassar Clements, American fiddler (b. 1928)

2005 – Tonino Delli Colli, Italian cinematographer (b. 1922)

2005 – William Corlett, English novelist and playwright (b. 1938)

2005 – Frère Roger, Swiss monk and mystic (b. 1915)

2006 – Alfredo Stroessner, Paraguayan general and dictator; 46th President of Paraguay (b. 1912)

2007 – Bahaedin Adab, Iranian engineer and politician (b. 1945)

2008 – Dorival Caymmi, Brazilian singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1914)

2008 – Masanobu Fukuoka, Japanese farmer and author (b. 1913)

2010 – Dimitrios Ioannidis, Greek general (b. 1923)

2011 – Mihri Belli, Turkish activist and politician (b. 1916)

2012 – Princess Lalla Amina of Morocco (b. 1954)

2012 – Martine Franck, Belgian photographer and director (b. 1938)

2012 – Abune Paulos, Ethiopian patriarch (b. 1935)

2012 – William Windom, American actor (b. 1923)

2013 – David Rees, Welsh mathematician and academic (b. 1918)

2014 – Patrick Aziza, Nigerian general and politician, Governor of Kebbi State (b. 1947)

2014 – Vsevolod Nestayko, Ukrainian author (b. 1930)

2014 – Mario Oriani-Ambrosini, Italian-South African lawyer and politician (b. 1960)

2014 – Peter Scholl-Latour, German journalist, author, and academic (b. 1924)

2015 – Jacob Bekenstein, Mexican-American physicist, astronomer, and academic (b. 1947)

2015 – Anna Kashfi, British actress (b. 1934)

2015 – Shuja Khanzada, Pakistani colonel and politician (b. 1943)

2015 – Mile Mrkšić, Serb general (b. 1947)

2016 – João Havelange, Brazilian water polo player, lawyer, and businessman (b. 1916)

Holidays and observances

Bennington Battle Day (Vermont, United States)

Children's Day (Paraguay)

Christian feast day:

Roch

Simplician

Stephen I of Hungary

Translation of the Acheiropoietos icon from Edessa to Constantinople. (Eastern Orthodox Church)

August 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Gozan no Okuribi (Kyoto, Japan)

National Airborne Day (United States)

Restoration Day (Dominican Republic)

The first day of the Independence Days, celebrates the independence of Gabon from France in 1960.

Xicolatada (Palau-de-Cerdagne, France)