Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries/August 16
This is a list of selected August 16 anniversaries that appear in the "On this day" section of the Main Page. To suggest a new item, in most cases, you can be bold and edit this page. Please read the selected anniversaries guidelines before making your edit. However, if your addition might be controversial or on a day that is or will soon be on the Main Page, please post your suggestion on the talk page instead.
Please note that the events listed on the Main Page are chosen based more on relative article quality and to maintain a mix of topics, not based solely on how important or significant their subjects are. Only four to five events are posted at a time and thus not everything that is "most important and significant" can be listed. In addition, an event is generally not posted this year if it is also the subject of the scheduled featured article or picture of the day.
To report an error when this appears on the Main Page, see Main Page errors. Please remember that this list defers to the supporting articles, so it is best to achieve consensus and make any necessary changes there first.
August 16: Raksha Bandhan (Hinduism, 2008); Tu B'Av (Judaism, 2008); Children's Day in Paraguay
- 1777 – American Revolutionary War: The Americans led by General John Stark routed British and Brunswick troops under Friedrich Baum at the Battle of Bennington in Walloomsac, New York.
- 1896 – A group led by Skookum Jim Mason discovered gold near Dawson City, Yukon, Canada, setting off the Klondike Gold Rush.
- 1960 – Joseph Kittinger parachuted from a balloon over New Mexico at 102,800 feet (31,330 m), setting records for high-altitude jump, free-fall height, and fastest speed by a human without an aircraft.
- 1977 – Elvis Presley (pictured), "The King of Rock and Roll", was found dead on the floor of his bathroom. Although it was officially ruled as a fatal heart attack, many people have claimed to have seen Elvis alive since then.
- 1987 – Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashed after takeoff in Detroit, Michigan, USA, killing all of the crew and passengers except one.