Holidays
Feast Day of Saint Bernadette
Celebrated especially at Lourdes, France where the location of healing waters was revealed to her.
In 1858, 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous claimed to experience a series of visions of a young lady identified as the "Immaculate Conception". The vision asked for a chapel to be built at the nearby cave-grotto.
Several churches were built around the cave where the apparitions occurred, forming the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes. The water streaming inside the cave from a spring discovered by Bernadette during the apparitions is said to have healing properties, attracting millions of sick pilgrims each year.
What Happened On
Mad Cowpoke Disease
April 16, 1996
Oprah Winfrey does a segment on her television show about mad cow disease, in which she states, "It has just stopped me cold from eating another burger." She was then sued by a Texas cattleman claiming the show made false and disparaging remarks about beef. The plaintiff noted that cattle futures dropped 10 percent the day after the episode, and that beef prices fell from 62 cents to 55 cents per pound. Oprah was sued under a Texas food libel law known as the "False Disparagement of Perishable Food Products Act of 1995" which allowed the suing of people who make disparaging remarks about food products.
Oprah eventually won the lawsuit.
First Woman Inducted into the National Comedy Hall of Fame
April 16, 1994
Minnie Pearl, known for her trademark "Howdeeeee!" and a price tag of $1.98 hanging from her hats, is inducted into the National Comedy Hall of Fame.
She had been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame back in 1975.
Salk administering the vaccine
Salk administering the vaccine
Polio Vaccine
April 16, 1955
Nationwide vaccinations against the disease begin, using Jonas Salk's vaccine.
Before the vaccine, there were about 15,000 cases of paralysis and 1,900 deaths annually from polio in the U.S.
Salk chose to not patent the vaccine in order to maximize its distribution. When asked who owned the patent, Salk replied, "Well, the people I would say. There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?" It is estimated the patent would have been worth billions had it been patented.
Texas City Disaster
April 16, 1947
The French ship SS Grandcamp, loaded with 2,200 tons ammonium nitrate, catches fire and explodes in a Texas City, Texas port, leading to a chain of fires and explosions, including a chemical plant, killing over 500 people and virtually destroying the town. All but one member of the 28-man Texas City volunteer fire department were killed in the disaster.
It was the deadliest industrial accident in U.S. history, and one of history's largest non-nuclear explosions.
A fire was discovered on the Grandcamp about 8:00 a.m. Attempts to put out the fire were unsuccessful and she exploded at 9:12 a.m. The blast produced a 15-foot (4.5 m) wave and leveled nearly 1,000 buildings. The ship's 2-short-ton (1.8-metric-ton) anchor was hurled 1.62 miles (2.61 km). The explosion also ignited the 961 short tons (872 metric tons) of ammonium nitrate and 1,800 short tons (1,600 metric tons) of sulfur in the cargo ship SS High Flyer docked about 600 feet (200 m) away. The High Flyer exploded about 15 hours after the initial explosion.
Photo Credit: Siddharth Patil
Photo Credit: Siddharth Patil
First LSD Trip
April 16, 1943
Swiss chemist, and co-discoverer of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD, 1938), Albert Hofmann accidentally rubs against some LSD and experiences "…an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of colors." He would give himself an intentional dose several days later and experience the first bad acid trip.
Photo Credit: André Karwath aka Aka
Photo Credit: André Karwath aka Aka
Emancipation Day In Washington DC
April 16, 1862
The District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act ending slavery in Washington D.C. is signed by Abraham Lincoln. It allocated $300 per slave (about $7,500 in today's money) to compensate slave owners and to provided $100 (about 2,500 in today's money) to former slaves wishing to immigrate to other countries. It freed 3,185 slaves.
Genetic Engineering
April 16, 1987
The U.S. government announces that new forms of animal life created through gene splicing are patentable.
First U.S. Birth of a Surrogate Test-tube Baby
April 16, 1986
At Mt. Sinai Hospital in Ohio.
Lightning Strikes
April 16, 1972
Roy C. Sullivan is struck by lightning for the 4th of his record-breaking 7 times. Source: Guinness Book of World Records
Book of the Month Club
April 16, 1926
The Book-of-the-Month Club is founded. Their first selection was Lolly Willowes, or the Loving Huntsman by Sylvia Townsend Warner.
First Book Stamps
April 16, 1900
Issued by the U.S. Post Office. They contained 12, 24, or 48 2¢ stamps.
Birthdays
First James Bond
Barry Nelson (Robert Nielsen)
Born April 16, 1917 d. 2007
American actor. He played 007 in the 1954 live TV-version of Casino Royale making him the first James Bond (8 years before Sean Connery). It was an episode of the TV anthology series Climax! and was intended as a pilot for a possible James Bond series.
TV: My Favorite Husband (1953-55, George Cooper - the favorite husband). Film: Airport (1970, Captain Anson Harris) and The Shining (1980, hotel manger who interviews Jack Nicholson's character for the job).
Sir Charles Chaplin
Born April 16, 1889 d. 1977
British silent film actor who endeared audiences with his "little tramp" character. He also co-founded United Artists (1919).
Orville piloting, Wilbur on ground.
Orville piloting, Wilbur on ground.
Wilbur Wright
Born April 16, 1867 d. 1912
American aviator. He and his brother Orville Wright are credited with building and flying the first manned heavier-than-air flying machine (1903). However, there is evidence that Gustave Whitehead made a powered, heavier-than-air-flight two years earlier.
Selena (Selena Quintanilla Pérez)
Born April 16, 1971 d. 1995
Mexican-American singer. She was murdered by the president of her fan club.
Jimmy Osmond
Born April 16, 1963
American singer, the youngest of The Osmonds.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr.)
Born April 16, 1947
American basketball player. He appeared in the movies Airplane (1980) and Fletch (1985). He was also Bruce Lee's ultimate opponent in Game of Death (1978).
Greg Howard
Born April 16, 1944
American cartoonist, attorney. Creator of Sally Forth (1982-99).
Bobby Vinton
Born April 16, 1935
American singer. Music: Roses Are Red (1962, #1) and Blue Velvet (1963, #1).
Edie Adams (Elizabeth Edith Enke)
Born April 16, 1927 d. 2008
American actress, singer. TV: The '60s Muriel cigar commercials - Why don't you pick one up and smoke it sometime?
Photo Credit: Kancelaria Prezydenta RP
Photo Credit: Kancelaria Prezydenta RP
Benedict XVI (Joseph Alois Ratzinger)
Born April 16, 1927 d. 2022
265th Pope (2005-13). He resigned in 2013 due to ill health, making him the first Pope to resign since Pope Gregory XII in 1415. After resigning, Benedict retained his papal name rather than reverting to his birth name and chose to be known by the title "pope emeritus".
In 1990, while still a Cardinal, he gave a speech supporting the prosecution of Galileo Gallilei for claiming the Earth revolved around the Sun, stating, "Her (the Roman Catholic Church) verdict against Galileo was rational and just, and the revision of this verdict can be justified only on the grounds of what is politically opportune." However, in 1992, the Catholic Church admitted they were wrong in this decision.
Henry Mancini
Born April 16, 1924 d. 1994
American Oscar-Grammy-winning composer. Music: Moon River (1961) and The Pink Panther (1964).
Peter Ustinov
Born April 16, 1921 d. 2004
British Oscar-Emmy-Grammy winning actor. Film: Spartacus (1960, Oscar) and Topkapi (1964, Oscar).
Billy De Beck (William Morgan De Beck)
Born April 16, 1890 d. 1942
American cartoonist. Creator of Barney Google (1919) and Snuffy Smith (1934).
Anatole France (Jacques Anatole Thibault)
Born April 16, 1844 d. 1924
French Nobel-winning author. Writings: Penguin Island (1908), The Gods Are Athirst (1912), and Revolt of the Angels (1913).
Sir Hans Sloane
Born April 16, 1660 d. 1753
English physician. Upon his death, he gave a collection of items which formed the nucleus of the British Museum.
Saint Felix of Valois
Born April 16, 1127 d. 1212
French Monk and hermit. Co-founder with Saint John of Matha of the Trinitarians (c1197). The Trinitarians were originally devoted to freeing Christian slaves from Muslim captivity.
Deaths
Neville Brand
Died April 16, 1992 b. 1920
American actor. TV: Laredo (1965-67, Ranger Reese Bennett) and The Untouchables (1959-61, Al Capone). As Al Capone in The Untouchables, he gave TV's first Man-to-Man Kiss on the lips to his hit man as played by Frank de Kova.
The Missing Link
Krao Farini
Died April 16, 1926 b. 1876
American sideshow performer. Born with hypertrichosis (extra body hair), she was billed as the "missing link" between humans and apes and proof of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. Krao was claimed to have come from a primitive tribe of humans called "Kraos-monink" all of whom were covered in hair and lived in trees. She was also said to have other unusual features in addition to her body hair including an extra thoracic vertebra, an extra pair of ribs, cheek pouches, hypermobility of her joints, and lacking cartilage in her ears and nose.
Madame Tussaud (Marie Grosholtz)
Died April 16, 1850 b. 1761
French wax sculptor. Her wax museum (founded 1835) is one of the major tourist attractions in London, and now has branches in Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, Copenhagen, and New York City. She was imprisoned for being a royalist during the French Revolution and sentenced to execution by guillotine. However, she was saved for her talents in wax and employed to make death masks of others who were victims of the guillotine, including Marie Antoinette, Marat, and Robespierre.
Felix Silla
Died April 16, 2021 b. 1937
Italian actor, circus performer. At a height of 3 foot 11 inches (1.19 m) he often doubled for children in movies and TV.
TV: The Addams Family (Cousin Itt - voiced by Anthony Magro) and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979-81, Twiki, physical performance - voiced by Mel Blanc and Bob Elyea). Film: Return of the Jedi (1983, one of the Ewoks).
At age 18, he toured with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, performing as a bareback horse rider, trapeze artist, and tumbler.
Harry Anderson
Died April 16, 2018 b. 1952
American actor, magician. TV: Night Court (1984-92 Judge Harry Stone), Cheers (Harry "The Hat" Gittes), and Dave's World (1993-97, Dave Barry).
George Beverly Shea
Died April 16, 2013 b. 1909
Canadian-born American gospel singer. George Beverly Shea was a featured performer for the Billy Graham ministry. Due to the Billy Graham's Crusades, Shea has sung live in front of more people than anyone else in history.
Robert Urich
Died April 16, 2002 b. 1946
American Emmy-winning actor. TV: Vega$ (Dan Tanna) and Spencer: For Hire (title role).
Ralph Waldo Ellison
Died April 16, 1994 b. 1914
American author. His book Invisible Man (1952) about an African-American man whose color renders him invisible, chronicling a black man's humiliations in the South and Harlem won the National Book Award.
Sir David Lean
Died April 16, 1991 b. 1908
British director. His films have won 28 Oscars. Film: Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), and Dr. Zhivago (1965).
Scott Brady (Gerald Tierney)
Died April 16, 1985 b. 1924
American actor. He turned down the role of Archie Bunker on All in the Family. TV: Laverne & Shirley (Shirley Feeney's dad).
Edna Ferber
Died April 16, 1968 b. 1885
American Pulitzer-winning author. Writings: So Big (1924, Pulitzer), Show Boat (1926), and Giant (1952).
Samuel Smiles
Died April 16, 1904 b. 1812
Scottish author. Writings: Thrift (1875), containing the adage "A place for everything, and everything in its place."
Francisco Goya (Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes)
Died April 16, 1828 b. 1746
Spanish painter.
America's First Woman Newspaper Editor
Ann Smith Franklin
Died April 16, 1763 b. 1696
America's first woman newspaper editor. She and her husband, James Franklin who was Benjamin Franklin's brother, brought the first printing press to the Rhode Island colony and published its first newspaper, The Rhode Island Gazette. She took over the Newport Rhode Island Mercury in 1762 after the death of her husband, making her America's first woman newspaper editor. She was also the first woman to write an almanac, the Rhode Island Almanack (1737-41).