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In 1945, The Alaska Equal Rights Act of 1945, the first anti-discrimination law in the United States, was signed into law. This featured entry focuses on the immediate decision and its direct historical impact.
February 16 in History
48 events
1249 – 2021
Today in history
February 16 spans 48 recorded events across recorded history, from 1249 to 2021. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
1945 — The Alaska Equal Rights Act of 1945, the first anti-discrimination law in the United States, was signed into law
More major events on February 16
The featured story and these ranked highlights form a quick summary. Every recorded event remains available in the chronology below.
- 1940 World War II: Altmark incident: The German tanker Altmark is boarded by sailors from the British destroyer HMS Cossack. A total of 299 British prisoners are freed. Source
- 1942 World War II: In Athens, the Greek People's Liberation Army is established Source
- 1900 The Southern Cross expedition led by Carsten Borchgrevink achieves a new Farthest South of 78° 50'S, making the first landing at the Great Ice Barrier. Source
1249
Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khagan of the Mongol Empire.
13th-century French friar and diplomat
1270
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeats the Livonian Order in the Battle of Karuse.
European state (c. 1236–1795)
1630
Dutch forces led by Hendrick Lonck capture Olinda in what was to become part of Dutch Brazil.
16/17th-century Dutch sea captain and naval hero
1646
Battle of Torrington, Devon: The last major battle of the First English Civil War.
1646 battle of the First English Civil War in Devon, England
1699
First Leopoldine Diploma is issued by the Holy Roman Emperor, recognizing the Greek Catholic clergy enjoyed the same privileges as Roman Catholic priests in the Principality of Transylvania.
Holy Roman Emperor from 1658 to 1705
1742
Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington, becomes British Prime Minister.
Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1742 to 1743
1796
Colombo in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) falls to the British, completing their invasion of Ceylon.
Most populous city of Sri Lanka
1804
First Barbary War: Stephen Decatur leads a raid to burn the pirate-held frigate USS Philadelphia.
War between United States and the Barbary states, 1801–1805
1862
1866
Spencer Compton Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington becomes British Secretary of State for War.
British statesman (1833–1908)
1881
The Canadian Pacific Railway is incorporated by Act of Parliament at Ottawa (44th Vic., c.1).
Class I railway in Canada and the United States
1899
Iceland's first football club, Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur, is founded.
Island country in the Atlantic Ocean
1900
The Southern Cross expedition led by Carsten Borchgrevink achieves a new Farthest South of 78° 50'S, making the first landing at the Great Ice Barrier.
1898–1900 research expedition to Antarctica
1918
The Council of Lithuania unanimously adopts the Act of Independence, declaring Lithuania an independent state.
Governing body of newly-independent Lithuania (1917–20)
1923
Howard Carter unseals the burial chamber of Pharaoh Tutankhamun.
British archaeologist and Egyptologist (1874–1939)
1930
The Romanian Football Federation joins FIFA.
Association football governing body in Romania
1934
The Austrian Civil War ends with the defeat of the Social Democrats and the Republikanischer Schutzbund.
1934 civil war within the First Austrian Republic
1934
The Commission of Government is officially sworn in; ending 79 years of responsible government in Newfoundland.
1934–1949 government of the Dominion of Newfoundland
1940
World War II: Altmark incident: The German tanker Altmark is boarded by sailors from the British destroyer HMS Cossack.
A total of 299 British prisoners are freed.
1942
World War II: In Athens, the Greek People's Liberation Army is established
Capital and largest city of Greece
1942
World War II: Attack on Aruba, first World War II German shots fired on a land based object in the Americas.
World War II battle in the Caribbean
1943
World War II: In the early phases of the Third Battle of Kharkov, Red Army troops re-enter the city.
1943 series of battles on the Eastern Front of World War II
1945
World War II: American forces land on Corregidor Island in the Philippines.
WWII battle in the Pacific Theater
1959
Fidel Castro becomes Premier of Cuba after dictator Fulgencio Batista was overthrown on January 1.
Leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2011
1960
The U.S.
Navy submarine USS Triton begins Operation Sandblast, setting sail from New London, Connecticut, to begin the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe.
1961
Explorer program: Explorer 9 (S-56a) is launched.
Ongoing NASA space exploration program
1962
The Great Sheffield Gale impacts the United Kingdom, killing nine people; the city of Sheffield is devastated, with 150,000 homes damaged.
1962 windstorm in Europe
1962
Flooding in the coastal areas of West Germany kills 315 and destroys the homes of about 60,000 people.
Natural disaster affecting mainly the coastal regions of Germany
1968
In Haleyville, Alabama, the first 9-1-1 emergency telephone system goes into service.
City in Alabama, United States
1968
Civil Air Transport Flight 010 crashes near Shongshan Airport in Taiwan, killing 21 of the 63 people on board and one more on the ground.
1968 aviation accident
1978
The first computer bulletin board system is created (CBBS in Chicago).
Type of computer server system
1983
The Ash Wednesday bushfires in Victoria and South Australia kill 75.
1983 brushfires in Australia
1984
Iran launches Operation Dawn 5, a major offensive during the Iran–Iraq War targeting the Basra–Baghdad highway, resulting in heavy casualties on both sides.
Country in West Asia
1986
The Soviet liner MS Mikhail Lermontov runs aground in the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand.
Country in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991
1986
China Airlines Flight 2265 crashes into the Pacific Ocean near Penghu Airport in Taiwan, killing all 13 aboard.
1986 aviation accident
1991
Nicaraguan Contras leader Enrique Bermúdez is assassinated in Managua.
Country in Central America
1996
A Chicago-bound Amtrak train, the Capitol Limited, collides with a MARC commuter train bound for Washington, D.C., killing 11 people.
American intercity passenger rail operator
1998
China Airlines Flight 676 crashes into a road and residential area near Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taiwan, killing all 196 aboard and six more on the ground.
1998 aviation accident in Taiwan
2000
Emery Worldwide Airlines Flight 17 crashes near Sacramento Mather Airport in Rancho Cordova, California, killing all three aboard.
2000 aviation accident in California
2005
The Kyoto Protocol comes into force, following its ratification by Russia.
1997 international treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
2005
The National Hockey League cancels the entire 2004–05 regular season and playoffs.
North American professional ice hockey league
2006
The last Mobile army surgical hospital (MASH) is decommissioned by the United States Army.
Decommissioned type of U.S. Army medical unit
2013
A bomb blast at a market in Hazara Town, Quetta, Pakistan kills more than 80 people and injures 190 others.
Market bombing in Balochistan, Pakistan
2021
Five thousand people gathered in the town of Kherrata, Bejaia Province to mark the second anniversary of the Hirak protest movement.
Demonstrations had been suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Algeria.