This Day in History – 16th November

Every day has been a significant one in the foibles of History. Let’s take a tour of “This Day in History – 16th of November”.

1519 City of Havana moved to its current location to avoid mosquito infestations

Due to mosquito infestations, the present-day capital of Cuba was moved twice during its first four years. Therefore, the place wasn’t permanently established on its present site until November 16, 1519.

1771 The division of Suriname takes places

On this day in History, the West Indian Company and Amsterdam divide Suriname, a country presently located on the northern coast of South America. Suriname is one of the smallest countries in South America, but its population is one of the most ethnically diverse in the region.

1776 First gun salute for an American warship

This day in History marks the first-ever gun salute for an American warship in a foreign port. During its halt at the Dutch Caribbean islands, the gun-shot was for US Andrew Doria at Fort St. Eustatius.

1798 Kentucky becomes the first state to nullify an act of Congress

The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions of 1798 were Democratic-Republican responses to the Alien and Sedition Acts passed earlier that same year by a Federalist-dominated Congress. Drafted in secret by future Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, the resolutions condemned the Alien and Sedition Acts as unconstitutional and claimed that because these acts overstepped federal authority under the Constitution, they were null and void.

1835 A collection of letters written by Charles Darwin is published

Written during his voyage on the Beagle, extracts from Charles Darwin’s letters to Henslow get published.

1840 New Zealand officially becomes a British colony

New Zealand officially became a separate colony within the British Empire, severing its link to New South Wales. Also, the Legislative Council of New South Wales passed an Act extending to New Zealand the laws of New South Wales on 16 June 1840 and established customs duties and courts of justice here.

1901 Washingtons dine with Roosevelts

During the promotion of the condemnation from the South, Booker T. Washington and his family were invited to dine at the White House with Teddy and Edith Roosevelt,

1907 Oklahoma becomes the United States 46th state

Referred to as “the land of fertility and progress, the cowboy culture and capitol complex of Oklahoma become a part of the United States on this day in History.

1918 Hungarian People’s Republic declared

The Hungarian People’s Republic was a one-party socialist republic from 20 August 1949 to 23 October 1989. It was governed by the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party. Above all, it  was under the influence of the Soviet Union.

1922 End of the Ottoman Empire 

The Ottoman Empire came to an end in 1922 with the collapse of the title of the Ottoman Sultan. Turkey became a republic on October 29, 1923, when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881-1938), an army officer, laid the foundation of the independent Republic of Turkey.

1933 Brazilian President Getulio Vargas declares himself dictator

Getúlio Dornelles Vargas was a Brazilian lawyer and politician, who was the President of Brazil during two periods: the first was from 1930 to 1945, as an interim president from 1930 to 1934, constitutional president from 1934 to 1937, and dictator from 1937 to 1945.

1933 Roosevelt establishes diplomatic relations with USSR

On this day in 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ended nearly 16 years of frozen American relations with the Soviet Union. In addition, the countries had a deliberation over what later came to be known as the “Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty”.

1945 Founding of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

The founding of UNESCO, an acronym for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) takes place on November 16, 1945. Therefore, the constitution, which entered into force in 1946, called for the promotion of international collaboration in education, science, and culture.

1945 Discovery of two new chemical elements

Two new elements discovered by Glenn Seaborg, James, Morgan, and Albert Ghiorso – Americium (atomic number 95) and Curium (atomic number 96). Therefore, the tally of Periodic Table elements.

1948 Operation Magic Carpet

Operation Magic Carpet begins with 1st plane from Yemen carrying Jews to Israel.

1950 UN gets US government approval to issue postage stamps

The United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) is the postal agency of the United Nations. It issues postage stamps and postal stationery, denominated in United States dollars for the office in New York, in Swiss francs for the office in Geneva, and in euros (formerly schillings) for the office in Vienna.

1957 Highest number of rebounds

Celtic Bill Russell sets NBA record of 49 rebounds beats Philadelphia 111-89.

1957 All Eyes on Birthplace of British Rock ‘n’ Roll

The broadcast of the BBC’s 1st pop music show, the “Six-Five Special” takes place at the tiny 2i’s Coffee Bar in London.

1961 United Kingdom limits immigration from Commonwealth countries

Until the Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962, all Commonwealth citizens could enter and stay in the UK without any restriction. The Act made Citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies, whose passports did not fall into the jurisdiction of the UK Government (i.e., passports issued by the Governor of a colony or by the Commander of a British protectorate), subject to immigration control.

1962 Kuwait adopts constitution (1st, Islamitic)

The constitution establishes Kuwait as a Hereditary constitutional monarchy and Islam as the state religion. The Constitution of Kuwait is based on democratic principles and combines aspects of both presidential and parliamentary systems prevalent in advanced democratic countries.

1973 Skylab 4 launched into Earth orbit

The Skylab 4 astronauts completed 1,214 Earth orbits and four EVAs totaling 22 hours, 13 minutes. Most importantly, they traveled 34.5 million miles (55,500,000 km) in 84 days, 1 hour and 16 minutes in space. Skylab 4 was the last Skylab mission, the station fell from orbit in 1979.

1976 End of the longest NBA Free throw streak 

Rick Barry (San Francisco), ends the longest NBA free throw streak of 60 made. During a 110-102 win over the Seattle SuperSonics, Barry scores 33 points, including 9 of 10 from the free-throw line.

1985 President Reagan arrives in Geneva for a summit with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev

The Geneva Summit of 1985 was a Cold War-era meeting in Geneva, Switzerland between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. The two leaders met for the first time to hold talks on international diplomatic relations. In addition, they had a deliberation over the arms race.

1988 Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto’s PPP wins 1st free Pakistani elections in 11 years

Benazir Bhutto was a Pakistani politician who was the Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 1996. In addition, she was the first woman to head a democratic government in a Muslim.

1993 Russian President Yeltsin shuts Lenin museum

President Boris Yeltsin, in addition to the Russian Orthodox Church, intended to close the tomb and bury Lenin next to his mother, Maria Alexandrovna Ulyanova, at the Volkov Cemetery in St. Petersburg. His successor, Vladimir Putin, opposed this, pointing out that a reburial of Lenin would imply that generations of citizens had observed false values during seventy years of Soviet rule

2003 Lionel Messi makes his official debut for FC Barcelona in a friendly against Porto

It was exactly 16 years ago and it was only 15 minutes, but football would never be the same again. On November 16, 2003, a young Lionel Messi came off the bench for Barcelona to make his first-team debut in a pre-season friendly against Jose Mourinho’s Porto.

2009 “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” premieres

Based on the book by Stephenie Meyer, directed by Chris Weitz, starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, premieres in Los Angeles. In addition, tHe cast had made a public appearance in LA.

2010 Engagement announced between Prince William and Catherine [Kate] Middleton at Clarence House, London

On this day in History, the royal engagement was made public in a brief statement by Clarence House. It said: “The Prince of Wales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince William to Miss Catherine Middleton. “The wedding will take place in the spring or summer of 2011, in London”, it said, in addition.

2012 ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops 2’ grosses $500 million in 24 hours to become the biggest entertainment launch of all time

Black Ops II is the ninth game in the Call of Duty franchise of video games. Within 24 hours of going on sale, the game grossed over $500 million. Subsequently, it had remained the largest entertainment launch of all time until September 2013.

2013 Sachin Tendulkar plays his last match.

Master-Blaster Sachin Tendulkar plays his very last cricket match before retiring in Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium against the West Indies.

2015 France declares war against ISIS

French President François Hollande declares the country at war with ISIS in an address to parliament. France pledged to “destroying” the so-called Islamic State group after the deadly Paris attacks.

2015 Largest diamond discovered

In more than a century, a 1,111 carat stone found in the Karowe mine, Botswana, the largest diamond so far.

2018 CIA gives a landmark decision on the killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi

After a lot of controversies, the CIA concludes that it was the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who had ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. However, the royal prince still denied the accusations.

2018 Le Grand K, gets a replacement

During a conference in Paris, the kilogram gets a refinement using abstract constants replacing the Le Grand K, along with the ampere (electrical current) and kelvin (temperature).

2019 Samoa declares state of emergency

Over the measles epidemic, Samoa declares a state emergency. It is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands, Savai’i and Upolu. Also, the country has a rich diversity and an ethnic population.

2019 500th anniversary of the founding of Havana, Cuba

Year after year, the celebration took place by circling around Ceiba. This is the youngest version of the foundational tree in Old Havana. It is the birthplace of the City of Havana. During 2019, the city celebrated the 500th anniversary of its creation with fireworks and a lot of concerts.

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