Date·Lore

On This Day · The 47th day of the year

February 16

As calendar dates go, February 16 keeps a short memory — its record stays close to the present. Most of the weight falls in the 20th century, where conflict is a recurring thread.

♒ZodiacAquarius ◈BirthstoneAmethyst ❀Birth flowerViolet

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

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed September 6, 2026

What happened on February 16?

February 16 is the 47th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 1804 and 2013. Famous people born on February 16 include Margot Frank, Jayaatu Khan Tugh Temür and Joseph Victor von Scheffel.

Released on February 16

Movies, games, albums & shows

2024

  • Movie Salitan

2023

  • Game Theatrhythm Final Bar Line
  • Game Loretta
  • Game Wild Hearts
  • Game Dust & Neon

2022

  • Game The King of Fighters XV
  • Game Treasure of Nadia

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 1804

    First Barbary War

  2. 1862

    American Civil War

  3. 1899

    Iceland

  4. 1900

    Southern Cross Expedition

  5. 1918

    Council of Lithuania

  6. 1940

    World War II

  7. 1959

    Fidel Castro

  8. 1983

    Ash Wednesday bushfires

  9. 1984

    Iran

  10. 2013

    February 2013 Quetta bombing

Famous birthday twins

Born on February 16

Margot Frank

b. 1926

Jayaatu Khan Tugh Temür

b. 1304

Joseph Victor von Scheffel

b. 1826

Kim Jong Il

b. 1941

Pierre Bouguer

b. 1698

John McEnroe

b. 1959

Sergio Canales

b. 1991

Octave Mirbeau

b. 1848

Deaths

  • 2016Boutros Boutros-Ghali
  • 1980Erich Hückel
  • 1917Octave Mirbeau
  • 1907Giosuè Carducci
  • 1391John V Palaiologos
  • 1247Henry Raspe

Holidays & observances

  • —Christian feast day: Abda of Edessa
  • —Christian feast day: Elias and companions
  • —Christian feast day: Juliana of Nicomedia (Catholic Church)
  • —Christian feast day: Onesimus
  • —Christian feast day: Charles Todd Quintard (Episcopal Church (USA))
  • —Christian feast day: February 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • —Day of the Shining Star (Kim Jong Il's birthday) (North Korea)
  • —Restoration of Lithuania's Statehood Day, celebrate the independence of Lithuania from Russia and Germany in 1918 (Lithuania)

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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