This Day in History – February 16

Theodore Roosevelt once said, “The more you know about the past, the better you are prepared for the future”. Knowing the best and worst days of history, we get to learn about how to go on with our personal lives and as a community. So, we are back with some of the most important events that took place on this day, i.e. February 16 throughout world history.

1270- Battle of Karuse
Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeated the Livonian Order, an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order.

1630- Dutch captured Olinda
Dutch forces captured Olinda, in which the army was led by Hendrick Lonck. This incident led to Olinda becoming a part of Dutch Brazil.

1742- British Prime Minister
Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington became the British Prime Minister on February 16, 1742.

1862- American Civil War
General Ulysses S. Grant captured Fort Donelson, Tennessee.

1899- Iceland’s First Football Club
Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur, Iceland’s first football club was founded.

1918- Lithuania became independent
The council of Lithuania adopted the Act of Independence making Lithuania an independent nation.

1937- Patent for Nylon
Wallace H. Carothers received a United States patent for Nylon on February 16, 1937.

1942- World War II
Greek People’s Liberation Army was established in Athens.

1945- First anti-discrimination law
The Alaska Equal Rights Act of 1945 was signed into law making it the first-ever anti-discrimination law in the United States.

1962- Flood in Western Germany
A flood in the coastal region of Western Germany destroyed the homes of more than 60,000 people and killed 315.

1978- Digital Bulletin Board Invented
First Compute Bulletin Board system created in Chicago.

1985- Hezbollah founded.
Hezbollah, a Shia Islamist political party and militant group founded in Lebanon.

1986- China airline Crashed
China Airline Flight no. 2265 crashed into the Pacific Ocean in Taiwan killing all 13 aboard.

2005- Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol, the international treaty on climate change came into effect, with the ratification of Russia.

2013- Bomb Blast in Pakistan
A bomb blast in Hazara Town, Quetta, Pakistan killed more than 80 and injured 190 people approximately.

Famous Birthdays 

1. Elizabeth Olsen, Movie Actor
2. The Weeknd, R&B Singer
3. Kim Jong Il, Former Supreme Leader of North Korea
4. Richard McDonald- Co-founder of McDonald’s fast-food Chain

We hope that you are familiar with all the essential events, birthdays, and deaths that occurred on February 16! Keep watching this space at Leverage Edu for more such educational content and follow us on LinkedIn, Youtube, Facebook, Quora, and Instagram!