Some of the significant events which took place on August 16 taken from the leaf of History:

1384 – Hongwu Emperor of Ming China, Emperor Dong, hears case of couple who tore money bills while fighting over them (equal to act of destroying stamped government documents – law necessitated 100 floggings). Hongwu Emperor decides to pardon them.

1815 – John Bosco Italian priest, educator was born.

1858- The First Transatlantic Telegraph Message is sent: The message sent by Britain’s Queen Victoria to American President James Buchanan, read ‘Europe and America are united by telegraphic communication. Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, goodwill to men.’ The cable, which cut down the time of communication between the two continents was successful only for a few months. Technical difficulties led to the cable being closed in October of 1858.

1898- The United States’ patent office awarded the patent for the loop-the-loop roller coaster to American inventor Edwin Prescott. First installed in Coney Island, New York, the roller coaster was able to carry only 4 people at a time.

1900 – In preparation for war with Great Britain, the Boers had started importing vast quantities of food as early as 1898. Also, munitions were hoarded by those in the Orange Free State and the Transvaal. It appeared that some food was sent to other locations only to be secretly rerouted to the Boers. 

1913 – Menachem Begin Israeli politician, 6th Prime Minister of Israel, Nobel Prize laureate was born.

1920 – Crowds around Dublin Castle tried to shoot their way in at nine o’clock at night. The source of the trouble began when the restive crowd spotted soldiers from the Lancaster fusiliers who they believed were guilty of murdering a boy. The military fired shots over the mob’s heads and a few shots were fired in return. Some soldiers came in trucks and a few were dragged off of the vehicles by the rioters. However, in the end the mob broke up and the crisis was over.

1931 – After the doldrums of world war, Mahatma Gandhi in India offered hope and inspiration to his own people and those around the world. He was empathetic and loyal to those living in poverty and would not participate in the caste system. Even so, wealthy Indians vied to entertain him. Gandhi sold all his possessions and gave them to the poor. His people called him “mahatma” meaning “great soul.”

1945 – A defeated German Reich was carved up into 7 areas so that the allies – France, Britain, the U.S., and Russia could put troops to occupy it. One section of Germany was France’s responsibility and two sections each would go to the rest of the allies.

1951 – In a speech at Chautauqua in the U.S., T.F. Tsiang leader of the Nationalist China party appealed to Americans for financial and technical aid to overthrow the communist regime in China. He warned that 450,000,000 Chinese would be subjugated and pose a threat to its neighbors unless the U.S. intervened.

1952 – The holiday village of Lynmouth in North Devon has been devastated by flooding caused by the local rivers East and West Lyn overflowing due to the torrential rain in the previous 24 hours. Rows of local cottages including the occupants were smashed as the river which had burst its banks came flooding down the local high street. The village has lost all power, phones and gas. There are believed to be 30 people missing presumed dead. 

1954 – The sports magazine which is famous for its annual swimsuit issue was not profitable for the first few years of its existence. The boost in spectator sports eventually helped it become successful.

1954 – James Cameron Canadian film director, screenwriter, producer was born.

1958 – Madonna is one of the world’s top music stars and the best-selling female rock artist of modern times, her career spans three decades and she has managed to stay at the top of the music business by changing her persona, image and music to bring in each new generation. Since her first album “Madonna” to her latest release “Celebration” she has released 11 Studio albums, 2 Live albums, 5 Compilation albums, and 3 Soundtracks amassing “7 Number 1’s in the US” the number 1’s include Like a Virgin (1984), True Blue (1986), Like a Prayer (1989), Music (2000), American Life (2003), Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005) and Hard Candy (2008).  

1960 – The Mediterranean island country first came under British control in the early 20th century as a strategic British outpost. In 1925, it was formally added to the British Empire. The London and Zurich Agreements signed in February 1959 gave independence to Cyprus and set up a system of governance based on ethnicity.

1960 – Costa Rica Communist Infiltration: In San Jose, Costa Rica foreign officials of the American republics met to discuss problems such as the Soviet Union’s infiltration of Cuba and Venezuela. Communism was illegal in Costa Rica, but there were 300 card carrying communists in the country. During the conference police dispersed 100 communists demonstrating outside of the ministers’ hotel. 

1977 – Elvis Presley dies at the age of 42, leaving rock and roll fans worldwide mourning his loss. Elvis was found dead at his Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee. The cause of death is pronounced as cardiac arrhythmia which is a form of heart attack. Since his divorce from Priscilla Presley four years ago he has had problems with ill health which forced him to cancel a number of concerts due to exhaustion. 

1978 – U.S.A. Xerox Fined: Xerox was forced to pay a $25.6 million fine for blocking Smith Corona and other companies from entering the photocopier market by the Federal Trade Commission for not allowing other companies to compete in the market.

1987 – The largest worldwide meditation event lasted for 2 days and was organized by new-age author José Argüelles. The dates for the event were chosen because of their astrological significance – on these days the Sun, the Moon and 6 of the planets were aligned in a triangular position as seen from the Earth.

1991 – G.E.M. Hong Kong singer-songwriter, actress was born.

1977 – Israel Control West Bank: In Jerusalem Prime Minister Menachem Begin declared that his government had an equal treatment policy for both Arabs and Jews alike. However, one official expressed fears that Begin was taking a long term control over the West Bank and Gaza. 

1987 – U.S.A. Plane Crash: Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Michigan kills 156 people.

1989 – U.S.A. Julian Lennon: Julian Lennon, son of the celebrate John Lennon the Beatle is now 26 and is on his third music album. Although his second album “The Secret Value of Daydreaming” was a big disaster, his first album, “Valotte” won him a Grammy nomination. Julian claims that his voice is similar to his father’s. 

1991 – John Paul II and Catholic Woodstock: In Czestochowa, Poland the Polish-born pontiff, John Paul II, rejoiced about the demise of communism in Eastern Europe. At the Roman Catholic World Day of Youth an excess of one million young people attended. It was dubbed the “Catholic Woodstock”. As the pope spoke to the crowd there were 60,000 individuals from Russia and 10,000 from Lithuania and the Ukraine who heard his message. 

2002 – Germany Dresden Flooding: After some of the worst flooding since records began in Europe officials are hoping that the River Elbe in the historic city of Dresden has peaked at record levels cresting 31 feet, but other rivers in Germany are still continuing to rise. The Danube in Hungary is now threatening the city of Budapest. The flooding this summer in the European countries of Germany, Russia, Austria and the Czech Republic have forced nearly one million people to evacuate their homes.

2003 – Libya Accepts Responsibility for Lockerbie Bombing: Libya Accepts Responsibility for Lockerbie Bombing in 1988 in a letter to a United Nations Security Council meeting formally taking responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing in 1988. This follows pressure from UN sanctions applied to Libya which will now be lifted following the Libya statement accepting responsibility. Libya has now agreed to provide compensation to the victims of the tragedy totaling $2.7bn for the 270 victims’ families.

2003 – Reuters cameraman Mazen Dana has been shot dead by US soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison when his camera is mistaken for a rocket propelled grenade launcher. 

2004 – England Flash Flooding: Flash floods in the village of Boscastle, Cornwall have left the area in ruins sending dozens of cars off the coast road straight into the sea. A number of buildings have also collapsed. Reports indicate there are no serious casualties but for the small holiday village it will be some time before they will be able to rebuild for the many thousands of visitors. 

2006 – California More Trees Needed: In California, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Climate Action Team endorsed growing trees to combat climate change brought on by carbon emissions. In particular, it was found that young trees absorb the most carbon. The quicker the leaves develop the more pollution is absorbed. The Action Team recommended better forest management and the growing of trees in cities. They said that more trees might buy society some time until the pollution problem is solved. 

2011 – Syrian Troops Continue Attack on Latakia: Syrian troops fired on the city of Latakia for a fourth day. The crackdown began after citizens gathered in mass protests against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in the city. The protests in Latakia are a continuation of protests that had occurred across the country since March of 2011. 

2012 – Afghanistan Helicopter Crash Kills Eleven: Eleven people died after a Black Hawk helicopter crashed in the Kandahar province in Afghanistan. Seven of them were US soldiers and four were Afghans. The Taliban claimed to have carried out the attack but it was not verified. 

2013 – Austria Giant Panda Gives Birth: The natural birth of a giant panda cub happened at the Schoenbrunn zoo in Vienna, Austria to resident pandas Yang Yang and Long Hui. This was only the third natural panda birth in Europe, and all three took place in Vienna.