Browse Historical Events by Day: What Happened on November 16th?

A massive earthquake strikes Syria, resulting in significant destruction.

Edward I of England departs on the Ninth Crusade, which eventually leads to his death in 1277.

Edward I of England, also known as Edward Longshanks, ascends to the throne after the death of his father, Henry III.

Pope Clement V, in his papal bull "Vox in Excelso," suppresses the Knights Templar, leading to their dissolution.

The Inca Atahualpa, taken completely by surprise is attacked and captured by Spanish conquistadors under Francisco Pizarro in Cajamarca, Peru. The Spanish forced him to pay a large ransom of tons of gold and silver. Although Atahualpa produced the ransom, the Spanish executed him anyway. More

Mary, Queen of Scots, is imprisoned in England after seeking refuge there and remains in captivity for 19 years.

British forces capture Fort Washington in New York during the American Revolutionary War.

Sint Eustatius, then a Dutch possession island in the north eastern Caribbean Sea, becomes the first foreign government to officially recognize the nascent United States of America as the cannon at Fort Oranje fired a salute to the brig Andrew Doria, which was flying the new Stars and Stripes flag. The island was probably the major source of supplies for the rebelling North American British colonies. Sint Eustatius was considered to be speaking for the Netherlands in the matter and Great Britain lodged a complaint with The Hague in early 1777. Sint Eustatius is now a special municipality within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Oklahoma is admitted to the United States of America becoming the 46th State of the Union.

Benazir Bhutto is elected prime minister of Pakistan, becoming the first woman in modern history to lead a Muslim country. She went on to serve as prime minister from 1988 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 1996. Bhutto was murdered on 27 December 2007 by a 15-year-old suicide bomber. More