August 16 historical events
942 — Battle of al-Mada'in
The Battle of al-Mada'in was fought near al-Mada'in in central Iraq between the armies of the Hamdanids and the Baridis, for control over Baghdad, the capital and seat of the Abbasid Caliphate, that was around 22 kilometres (14 mi) away and then under control of the Hamdanids. In a fiercely contested battle over four days (16–19 August 942) that cost both sides many casualties, the Hamdanid army prevailed. They were too exhausted to pursue, however, which allowed the Baridis to withdraw to Wasit and then Basra.
Iraq · War & conflict · Checked 2026-09-23
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1513 — Battle of Dubica
The Battle of Dubica (Croatian: Bitka kod Dubice) was a battle fought on 16 August 1513 between the Kingdom of Croatia and the Ottoman Empire. The Croatian army was commanded by Petar Berislavić, Ban of Croatia, while the Ottoman one was mostly composed of forces from the Sanjak of Bosnia under command of Sanjak-bey Junuz-aga. The two armies clashed near the town of Dubica in central Croatia, between the Sava and Una rivers. The battle resulted in a Croatian victory and heavy losses for the Ottoman side.
Hrvatska Dubica, Croatia · War & conflict · Checked 2026-09-23
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1632 — Battle of Wiesloch (1632)
The Battle of Wiesloch (German: Schlacht bei Wiesloch) occurred on 16 August 1632 during the Thirty Years' War near the German city of Wiesloch, south of Heidelberg. A Swedish army led by Count Gustav Horn fought an army of the Holy Roman Empire led by Count Ernesto Montecuccoli. The battle resulted in a Swedish victory.
Baden-Württemberg, Germany · War & conflict · Checked 2026-09-23
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1705 — Battle of Cassano (1705)
The Battle of Cassano, fought on 16 August 1705, was a battle in the Italian theatre of the War of the Spanish Succession. Both sides suffered serious casualties, but the French were victorious.
Lombardy, Italy · War & conflict · Checked 2026-09-23
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1745 — Highbridge Skirmish
The Highbridge Skirmish was the first engagement of the Jacobite Rising of 1745 between British Government troops and Jacobites loyal to Prince Charles Edward Stuart. It took place at Highbridge, Lochaber, on the River Spean on 16 August 1745, and marked the commencement of hostilities between the two sides.
Scotland, United Kingdom · War & conflict · Checked 2026-09-23
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1780 — Battle of Camden
The Battle of Camden was a major victory for the British in the Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War (American War of Independence). On August 16, 1780, British forces under Lieutenant General Charles, Lord Cornwallis routed the American forces of Major General Horatio Gates about 10 km (five miles) north of Camden, South Carolina, strengthening the British hold on the Carolinas following the capture of Charleston. The rout was a humiliating defeat for Gates, the American general best known for commanding the Americans at the British defeat of Saratoga, whose army had possessed a large numerical superiority over the British force.
Kershaw County, South Carolina, United States · War & conflict · Checked 2026-09-23
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1819 — Peterloo Massacre
The Peterloo Massacre occurred at St Peter's Field, Manchester, England, on 16 August 1819, when cavalry charged into a crowd of 60,000–80,000 who had gathered to demand the reform of parliamentary representation. The end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 had resulted in periods of famine and chronic unemployment, exacerbated by the introduction of the first of the Corn Laws. By the beginning of 1819, the pressure generated by poor economic conditions, coupled with the relative lack of suffrage in Northern England, had enhanced the appeal of political radicalism.
England, United Kingdom · War & conflict · Checked 2026-09-23
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1841 — Battle of Angaco
The Battle of Angaco (16 August 1841), was a clash in the Argentine Civil Wars between Unitarian and Federalist forces at Angaco, about 23 kilometres (14 mi) NNE of San Juan, Argentina, that gave an ephemeral advantage to the Unitarians. The federal leader was General José Félix Aldao and the Unitarians were led by Mariano Acha.This was the bloodiest of all battles of the Argentine civil wars. The Unitarians won a transitory victory, because soon after Federalists retook the city of San Juan and defeated, captured and killed Acha.
Angaco Department, Argentina · War & conflict · Checked 2026-09-23
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1856 — Battle of Fort Titus
The Battle of Fort Titus was fought on August 16, 1856, in Douglas County, Kansas, between about 50 Free-State Abolitionists under Samuel Walker and 34 Border Ruffians under Henry Titus inside Fort Titus. Walker's men captured the fort, forcing Titus and his men to surrender, resulting in a Free-state victory.
Kansas, United States · War & conflict · Checked 2026-09-23
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1864 — Battle of Guard Hill
The Battle of Guard Hill or Battle of Crooked Run took place on August 16, 1864, in Warren County, Virginia as part of Philip H. Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley Campaign of the American Civil War. According to Pachan, the Union's superior numbers and quality leadership routed the Confederate infantry, and the battle proved a watershed event in the Shenandoah Valley campaign. On the morning of August 16, Confederate troopers scattered the Federal pickets at the Shenandoah River crossing at Front Royal. The troopers pursued them down the Front Royal Pike, eventually coming to Guard Hill, a prominent landmark.
Warren County, Virginia, United States · War & conflict · Checked 2026-09-23
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1869 — Battle of Acosta Ñu
The Battle of Acosta Ñu (Guarani: Acosta Ñu ñorairõ), also known as the Children's Battle (Spanish: Batalla de los Niños) in Paraguay and the Battle of Campo Grande (Portuguese: Batalha de Campo Grande) in Brazil, took place on 16 August 1869. It was the last major engagement of the Paraguayan War between the Triple Alliance and Paraguay.
Paraguay · Brazil · War & conflict · Checked 2026-09-23
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1869 — First Battle of Las Tunas
The Battle of Las Tunas was a military engagement of the Ten Years' War. It took place on August 16, 1869, in the city of Las Tunas, Oriente in Cuba. It was organized to rescue families of Cubans that were held in the town. Four brigades of 140 men each formed the Cuban force, bolstered by Gen. Manuel de Quesada's 30-man personal escort led by Brig.
Cuba · War & conflict · Checked 2026-09-24
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1870 — Battle of Mars-la-Tour
The Battle of Mars-La-Tour was fought on 16 August 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War, near the town of Mars-La-Tour in northeast France. Two Prussian corps encountered the entire French Army of the Rhine in a meeting engagement and, surprisingly, successfully forced the Army of the Rhine to retreat into the fortress of Metz. A cavalry patrol, the 1st Squadron of 1st Hanoverian Dragoon Regiment No. 9, led by Rittmeister [captain] Oskar von Blumenthal, discovered that 130,000 French troops, after suffering several defeats at the front, were attempting to escape from Metz to join with French forces at Verdun.
Mars-la-Tour, France · War & conflict · Checked 2026-09-23
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1914 — Battle of Antivari
The Battle of Antivari was a naval engagement between the French, British and Austro-Hungarian navies at the start of World War I. The Austrian light cruiser SMS Zenta and the destroyer SMS Ulan were bombarding the town of Antivari, today known as Bar, when on 16 August 1914 they were cut off by a large Franco-British force that had sortied into the Adriatic in an attempt to bring the Austro-Hungarians into a fleet action. The two Austrian vessels at Antivari became cut off and were forced to fight an engagement in order to attempt to free themselves.
Bar, Montenegro, Montenegro · War & conflict · Checked 2026-09-23
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1915 — Raid on Lowca and Parton
The Raid on Lowca and Parton during the First World War on 16 August 1915 was an attack by the Imperial German Navy submarine U-24 on the Harrington Coke toluene factory located near the villages of Lowca and Parton in Cumbria on the British coast. U-24 fired 55 shells and then left without British interference, causing minimal damage to the facility and the death of a local dog.
Cumbria, United Kingdom · England, United Kingdom · War & conflict · Checked 2026-09-23
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1920 — Battle of Kock (1920)
The Battle of Kock was fought between 14 and 16 August 1920 in the vicinity of the town of Kock in east-central Poland. The town was to serve as a bridgehead across the Wieprz river for Gen. Józef Piłsudski's counter-offensive against the Russian forces storming Warsaw. However, on 14 August it was captured by forces of the Russian Mozyr Group and the Poles withdrew across the river.
Poland · War & conflict · Checked 2026-09-23
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1933 — Christie Pits riot
The Christie Pits riot occurred on 16 August 1933 at the Christie Pits (Willowvale Park) playground in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The riot took place in the context of the Great Depression, antisemitism, "Swastika Clubs" and parades and resentment of "foreigners" in Toronto, and the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis in Germany in 1933.
Canada · Politics & society · Checked 2026-09-23
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1936 — Siege of Gijón
The Siege of Gijón, one of the first actions in the Spanish Civil War, saw the anarchist militia crushing a small Nationalist garrison in Gijón, between July 19 and August 16, 1936. The militia - nominally fighting in defense of the Republic - laid siege to the Simancas barracks in the city of Gijón. These were defended by about 180 soldiers and Guardia Civil officers who had risen in support of General Franco's rebellion and seized the post for the Nationalists. The battle was remarkable for its viciousness and the stubbornness of the besieged.
Asturias, Spain · Gijón, Spain · War & conflict · Checked 2026-09-23
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1969 — 1969 Indian presidential election
The Election Commission of India held indirect fifth presidential elections of India on 16 August 1969. Varahagiri Venkata Giri with 420,077 votes won in a runoff election over his rival Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy who got 405,427 votes.
India · Politics & society · Checked 2026-09-23
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1972 — 1972 Moroccan coup attempt
The 1972 Moroccan coup attempt was an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate King Hassan II of Morocco on 16 August 1972. The attempt was orchestrated by General Mohamed Oufkir, a close advisor to King Hassan. He was assisted by Mohamed Amekrane, commander of the Moroccan air force base at Kenitra. On August 16, four Northrop F-5 jets, acting on Oufkir's orders, intercepted Hassan's Boeing 727 as it returned from France. Reportedly, King Hassan (himself a pilot), grabbed the radio and told the rebel pilots, "Stop firing! The tyrant is dead!" Fooled, the rebel pilots broke off their attack.
Tétouan, Morocco · War & conflict · Checked 2026-09-23
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1985 — Iranian presidential election, 1985
The Iranian presidential election of 1985 took place on August 16, 1985, and resulted in the re-election of the incumbent President Ali Khamenei.
Iran · Politics & society · Checked 2026-09-23
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1986 — 1986 Sudan Airways Fokker F-27 shootdown
On 16 August 1986 a Fokker F-27 Friendship 400M was performing a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Malakal (in present South Sudan) to Khartoum in Sudan, when it was shot down by the SPLA militants. All 60 people on board the aircraft were killed. As of May 2014, the shootdown remains the deadliest incident involving a Fokker F-27 and the deadliest aviation incident in South Sudan.
Sudan · War & conflict · Checked 2026-09-23
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1987 — Northwest Airlines Flight 255
On August 16, 1987, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 operating as Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashed shortly after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport at about 20:46 EDT (00:46 UTC August 17). All six crew members and 148 of the 149 passengers, as well as two people on the ground, were killed. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the probable cause of the accident was the flight crew's failure to set flaps and slats for takeoff.
Michigan, United States · Disasters · Checked 2026-09-23
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1994 — 1994 Sri Lankan parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Sri Lanka on 16 August 1994. They marked the decisive end of seventeen years of United National Party rule and a revival of Sri Lankan democracy.
Sri Lanka · Politics & society · Checked 2026-09-23
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1997 — 1997 Indian vice presidential election
The 1997 Indian vice presidential election was held on 16 August 1997 to elect the vice president of India. Krishan Kant defeated Surjit Singh Barnala to become tenth vice president of India. At the time of the election, VP office was vacant since the incumbent, K. R. Narayanan, had already inaugurated as President following his victory in the presidential election.
India · Politics & society · Checked 2026-09-23
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2005 — West Caribbean Airways Flight 708
West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 was a charter flight that crashed in northwest Venezuela in the early hours of 16 August 2005, killing all 160 passengers and crew on board. The plane, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, registration HK-4374X, was en route from Tocumen International Airport (PTY) in Panama City, Panama, to Martinique Aimé Césaire International Airport in Fort-de-France, Martinique.
Venezuela · Disasters · Checked 2026-09-23
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2010 — AIRES Flight 8250
AIRES Flight 8250 was a domestic scheduled passenger flight that on 16 August 2010 crashed on landing at night in poor weather on the Colombian island of San Andrés, killing two of the 131 people on board. The aircraft, an AIRES-operated Boeing 737-700, was arriving from the Colombian capital Bogotá when it heavily touched down short of the runway, breaking up in three sections.
Colombia · Disasters · Checked 2026-09-23
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2012 — Marikana massacre
The Marikana massacre was the killing of thirty-four miners by the South African Police Service (SAPS) on 16 August 2012 during a six-week wildcat strike at the Lonmin platinum mine at Marikana near Rustenburg in South Africa's North West province. The massacre constituted the most lethal use of force by South African security forces against civilians since the Soweto uprising in 1976 and has been compared to the 1960 Sharpeville massacre.
South Africa · War & conflict · Checked 2026-09-24
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2018 — PFL 6 (2018)
The PFL 6 mixed martial arts event for the 2018 season of the Professional Fighters League was held on August 16, 2018, at the Ocean Resort Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It was the sixth regular season event of 2018 and included only fights in the welterweight and middleweight divisions.
New Jersey, United States · Sport · Checked 2026-09-23
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2020 — August Complex fire
The August Complex fire was a massive wildfire complex that burned in the Coast Range of Northern California, in Glenn, Lake, Mendocino, Tehama, Trinity, and Shasta Counties. The complex originated as 38 separate fires started by lightning strikes on August 16–17, 2020. Four of the largest fires, the Doe, Tatham, Glade, and Hull fires, had burned together by August 30. On September 9, the Doe Fire, the main fire of the August Complex, surpassed the 2018 Mendocino Complex to become both the single-largest wildfire and the largest fire complex in recorded California history.
California, United States · Disasters · Checked 2026-09-23
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2023 — 2023 UEFA Super Cup
The 2023 UEFA Super Cup was the 48th edition of the UEFA Super Cup, an annual football match organised by UEFA and contested by the reigning champions of the top two European club competitions, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. The match featured English club Manchester City, winners of the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League, and Spanish club Sevilla, winners of the 2022–23 UEFA Europa League. It was played at the Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus, Greece, on 16 August 2023.
Greece · Sport · Checked 2026-09-24
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2024 — PFL 8 (2024)
The PFL 8 mixed martial arts event for the 2024 season of the Professional Fighters League was held on August 16, 2024, at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood in Hollywood, Florida, United States. This marked the semi-final playoffs for the Lightweight and Light Heavyweight divisions.
Florida, United States · Sport · Checked 2026-09-23
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2025 — UFC 319
UFC 319: du Plessis vs. Chimaev was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 16, 2025, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, United States.
Chicago, United States · Sport · Checked 2026-09-23
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