On This Day · The 106th day of the year

April 16

April 16 carries 10 recorded events spanning between 69 and 2014. Defeated by Vitellius' troops at Bedriacum, Roman emperor Otho commits suicide.

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed July 13, 2026

What happened on April 16?

April 16 is the 106th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 69 and 2014. Famous people born on April 16 include Charlie Chaplin, Pope Benedict XVI and John Franklin.

The shape of the day

25 years on from Bangladesh, April 16 is a date with an anniversary worth pausing on. Most of the weight falls in the 20th century, where conflict is a recurring thread.

Aries is the sign for April 16 — read more on the Aries page, or see April's birthstone & birth flower.

Released on April 16

Movies, games, albums & shows

2026

  • Game Opus: Prism Peak
  • Movie Bhooth Bangla
  • Game Ground Zero
  • Game Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream
  • Game Mouse: P.I. For Hire
  • Game Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss
  • Game The Day I Became a Bird
  • Movie Normal

2025

  • Game Rusty Rabbit
  • Movie Sinners

2024

  • Game Harold Halibut

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 69

    AD 69

    Defeated by Vitellius' troops at Bedriacum, Roman emperor Otho commits suicide.

  2. 1520

    Revolt of the Comuneros

    The Revolt of the Comuneros begins in Spain against the rule of Charles V.

  3. 1799

    French Revolutionary Wars

    French Revolutionary Wars: The Battle of Mount Tabor: Napoleon drives Ottoman Turks across the River Jordan near Acre.

  4. 1912

    Harriet Quimby

    Harriet Quimby becomes the first woman to fly an airplane across the English Channel.

  5. 1941

    World War II

    World War II: The Italian-German Tarigo convoy is attacked and destroyed by British ships.

  6. 1947

    Bernard Baruch

    Bernard Baruch first applies the term "Cold War" to describe the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union.

  7. 1948

    OECD

    The Organization of European Economic Co-operation is formed.

  8. 2001

    Bangladesh

    India and Bangladesh begin a five-day border conflict, but are unable to resolve the disputes about their border.

  9. 2007

    Virginia Tech shooting

    Virginia Tech shooting: Seung-Hui Cho murders 32 people and injures 17 before committing suicide.

  10. 2014

    South Korea

    The South Korean ferry MV Sewol capsizes and sinks near Jindo Island, killing 304 passengers and crew and leading to widespread criticism of the South Korean government, media, and shipping authorities.

Famous birthday twins

Born on April 16

Charlie Chaplin

b. 1889

English actor, director, producer, screenwriter, and composer

Pope Benedict XVI

b. 1927

Head of the Catholic Church from 2005 to 2013

John Franklin

b. 1786

English admiral and politician, fourth Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen's Land

Jules Hardouin-Mansart

b. 1646

French architect (probable;

Freddie Ljungberg

b. 1977

Swedish footballer

Leo Tindemans

b. 1922

Belgian politician, 43rd Prime Minister of Belgium

Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg

b. 1955

Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 2000 to 2025

Selena

b. 1971

American singer-songwriter, actress, and fashion designer

Deaths

  • 1991David Lean
  • 1972Yasunari Kawabata
  • 1958Rosalind Franklin
  • 1828Francisco Goya
  • 1118Adelaide del Vasto

Holidays & observances

  • Christian feast day: Benedict Joseph Labre
  • Christian feast day: Bernadette Soubirous
  • Christian feast day: Drogo
  • Christian feast day: Engratia
  • Christian feast day: Fructuosus of Braga
  • Christian feast day: Isabella Gilmore (Church of England)
  • Christian feast day: Martyrs of Zaragoza
  • Christian feast day: Molly Brant (Konwatsijayenni) (Anglican Church of Canada, Episcopal Church)

Historical facts, event summaries, and biographical lines above are adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. DateLore adds curation, structure, and original editorial commentary. DateLore is not affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation.

About the author

Roman Tailor compiles and reviews every date on DateLore. He's the writer and editor behind the site's editorial essays and the day-by-day almanac. Corrections and questions are welcome — read more about DateLore or get in touch.

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