Date·Lore

On This Day · The 228th day of the year

August 16

This year marks the 150th anniversary of Richard Wagner — August 16 carries the weight of round numbers. Its center of gravity is the 20th century, and conflict is a recurring thread.

♌ZodiacLeo ◈BirthstonePeridot ❀Birth flowerGladiolus

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

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed September 6, 2026

What happened on August 16?

August 16 is the 228th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between -1 and 1964. Famous people born on August 16 include Madonna, Hongxi Emperor and Zachary Taylor.

Released on August 16

Movies, games, albums & shows

2025

  • Movie The Shadow's Edge

2024

  • Game Castaway
  • Game Farewell North

2022

  • Game Rollerdrome

2021

  • Game Road 96
  • Game Greak: Memories of Azur

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. -1

    Wang Mang

  2. 1777

    American Revolutionary War

  3. 1793

    French Revolution

  4. 1876

    Richard Wagner

  5. 1891

    San Sebastian Church (Manila)

  6. 1920

    Ray Chapman

  7. 1942

    World War II

  8. 1946

    Direct Action Day

  9. 1960

    Cyprus

  10. 1964

    Vietnam War

Famous birthday twins

Born on August 16

Madonna

b. 1958

Hongxi Emperor

b. 1378

Zachary Taylor

b. 1816

Didier Cuche

b. 1974

James Cameron

b. 1954

Arvind Kejriwal

b. 1968

Moussa Sissoko

b. 1989

Helmut Rahn

b. 1929

Deaths

  • 2003Idi Amin
  • 1977Elvis Presley
  • 1956Bela Lugosi
  • 1893Jean-Martin Charcot
  • 1258Theodore II Laskaris

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
  • —Christian feast day: Roch
  • —Christian feast day: Stephen I of Hungary
  • —Christian feast day: Translation of the Acheiropoietos icon from Edessa to Constantinople. (Eastern Orthodox Church)

The factual record above — event titles, dates, names, and observances — is drawn 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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