August 16
August 16 is the 229th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 137 days remain until the year's end. It falls in summer (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Leo.
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Astronomy
On August 16 the Sun's declination is approximately +13.1°. At this latitude the Sun is north of the celestial equator, giving the Northern Hemisphere longer days than nights.
For specific rise/set times at your location, see the U.S. Naval Observatory, or the NASA APOD archive for any imagery published on a August 16.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
- Bennington Battle Day (Vermont, United States)
- Children's Day (Paraguay)
- Christian feast day: Ana Petra Pérez Florido
- Christian feast day: Armel (Armagillus)
- Christian feast day: Diomedes of Tarsus
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
2020 — The August Complex fire in California burns more than one million acres of land. ↗(6 years ago)more
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.
- 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. ↗(11 years ago)
more
On August 16, 2015, the Syrian Air Force launched strikes on the rebel-held city of Douma, northeast of Damascus, killing at least 96 people and injuring at least 200 others. It was one of the deadliest attacks to have occurred during the Syrian Civil War.
2015 — Trigana Air Flight 267, an ATR 42, crashes in Oksibil, Bintang Mountains Regency, killing all 54 people on board. ↗(11 years ago)more
Trigana Air Flight 267 was a scheduled passenger flight from Sentani to Oksibil in the eastern Indonesian province of Papua. On 16 August 2015, the ATR 42 turboprop operating the service crashed on approach in the Bintang highlands region of Oksibil, killing all 49 passengers and 5 crew members.
2013 — The ferry St. Thomas Aquinas collides with a cargo ship and sinks at Cebu, Philippines, killing 61 people with 59 others missing. ↗(13 years ago)more
MV St. Thomas Aquinas was a Philippine-registered passenger ferry operated by 2GO Travel. On 16 August 2013, the vessel collided with a cargo ship named MV Sulpicio Express Siete of Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corporation and sank. As of 3 September 2013, there were 108 dead and 29 missing with 733 rescued as a result of the accident.
2012 — South African police fatally shoot 34 miners and wound 78 more during an industrial dispute at Marikana near Rustenburg. ↗(14 years ago)more
The South African Police Service (SAPS) is the national police force of the Republic of South Africa. Its 1,154 police stations in South Africa are divided according to the provincial borders, and a Provincial Commissioner is appointed in each province. The nine Provincial Commissioners report directly to the National Commissioner.
2010 — AIRES Flight 8250 crashes at Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport in San Andrés, San Andrés y Providencia, Colombia, killing two people. ↗(16 years ago)more
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.
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. ↗(18 years ago)more
The Trump International Hotel and Tower, or simply the Trump Tower, is a skyscraper condo-hotel in the Near North Side community area in downtown Chicago, Illinois, United States. The building, named for Donald Trump, was designed by architect Adrian Smith of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill.
2005 — West Caribbean Airways Flight 708, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, crashes in Machiques, Venezuela, killing all 160 people on board. ↗(21 years ago)more
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 Ai...
1991 — Indian Airlines Flight 257, a Boeing 737-200, crashes during approach to Imphal Airport, killing all 69 people on board. ↗(35 years ago)more
Indian Airlines Flight 257 was an Indian Airlines domestic passenger flight operating on the Calcutta–Imphal–Dimapur route. On 16 August 1991, the Boeing 737-2A8 registered VT-EFL crashed into the hilly terrain of Thangjing Hill during its descent, killing all 63 passengers and 6 crew members on board.
1989 — A solar particle event affects computers at the Toronto Stock Exchange, forcing a halt to trading. ↗(37 years ago)more
A solar particle event (SPE), also known as a solar energetic particle event or solar radiation storm, is a solar phenomenon that occurs when particles emitted by the Sun, mostly protons, become accelerated either in the Sun's atmosphere during a solar flare or in interplanetary space by a coronal mass ejection shock.
1987 — Northwest Airlines Flight 255, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, crashes after takeoff in Detroit, Michigan, killing 154 of the 155 on board, plus two people on the ground. ↗(39 years ago)more
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. All six crew members and 148 of the 149 passengers, as well as two people on the ground, were killed.
- 1986 — A Sudan Airways Fokker F27 Friendship is shot down near Malakal in present day South Sudan, killing 60. ↗(40 years ago)
more
Sudan Airways is the national airline of Sudan, headquartered in Khartoum. Since 2012, the company has been fully owned by the Government of Sudan.
Notable births
2001 — Jannik Sinner, Italian tennis player ↗(25 years ago)more
Jannik Sinner is an Italian professional tennis player. He is currently ranked world No.1 by Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), and was the year-end No. 1 in 2024. Sinner has won 27 ATP Tour–level singles titles, including four majors, as well as eight Masters 1000 events and two ATP Finals titles.
1999 — Karen Chen, American figure skater ↗(27 years ago)more
Karen Chen is an American figure skater. She is a 2022 Olympic Games team event gold medalist, two-time CS U.S. Classic bronze medalist, the 2015 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb bronze medalist, the 2017 U.S. national champion, 2022 U.S. national silver medalist, and a three-time U.S. national bronze medalist. She graduated from Cornell University in 2025.
1997 — Greyson Chance, American musician ↗(29 years ago)more
Greyson Michael Chance is an American singer-songwriter. He rose to national attention in 2010 as a child singer after his performance of Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" went viral on YouTube and gained over 72 million views.
1996 — Sophie Cunningham, American basketball player ↗(30 years ago)more
Sophie Elizabeth Cunningham is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the Missouri Tigers.
1996 — Caeleb Dressel, American swimmer ↗(30 years ago)more
Caeleb Remel Dressel is an American competitive swimmer who specializes in freestyle, butterfly, and individual medley events. He swims representing the Cali Condors as part of the International Swimming League.
1993 — Cameron Monaghan, American actor and model ↗(33 years ago)more
Cameron Riley Monaghan is an American actor and model. The accolades he has received include nominations for a BAFTA Award and a Critics' Choice Television Award.
Notable deaths
2023 — Howard S. Becker, American sociologist (born 1928) ↗(3 years ago)more
Howard Saul Becker was an American sociologist who taught at Northwestern University. Becker made contributions to the sociology of deviance, sociology of art, and sociology of music. Becker also wrote extensively on sociological writing styles and methodologies. Becker's 1963 book Outsiders provided the foundations for labeling theory.
2021 — Sean Lock, English comedian and actor (born 1963) ↗(5 years ago)more
Sean Lock was an English comedian and actor. He began his comedy career as a stand-up comedian. In 2000, Lock won the British Comedy Award, in the category of Best Live Comic, and was nominated for the Perrier Comedy Award.
2019 — Peter Fonda, American actor, director, and screenwriter. (born 1940) ↗(7 years ago)more
Peter Henry Fonda was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. He was twice an Academy Award nominee, both for acting and screenwriting, and a two-time Golden Globe Award winner for his acting.
2019 — Richard Williams, Canadian-British animator (born 1933) ↗(7 years ago)more
Richard Edmund Williams was a Canadian and British animator, voice actor, and painter. A three-time Academy Award winner, he is best known as the animation director of Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)—for which he won two Academy Awards—and as the director of his unfinished feature film The Thief and the Cobbler (1993).
2018 — Aretha Franklin, American singer-songwriter (born 1942) ↗(8 years ago)more
Aretha Louise Franklin was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Regarded as the "Queen of Soul", she was twice named by Rolling Stone magazine as the greatest singer of all time.
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (229) | 229 · prime |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (137) | 137 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 16082026 · no palindrome in next 200 years |
| Sun declination | +13.12° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 57 days |