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

Marie Antoinette, the former Queen of France, is executed by guillotine during the French Revolution. More

John Brown, a staunch abolitionist, and a group of his supporters start their march toward the town of Harpers Ferry. In the early hours of October 17, they capture local residents and seized the federal armory and arsenal. Brown was captured two days later and quickly placed on trial and charged with treason against the state of Virginia, murder, and slave insurrection. Brown was sentenced to death for his crimes and hanged on December 2, 1859. More

The first airship flight across the English Channel takes place, with French aviator Ferdinand Ferber piloting the "Ferber I."

Walt Disney signed a contract with M. J. Winkler to produce a series of Alice Comedies — the date is used as the start of the Disney company, first known as “The Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio.” More

The Red Army brakes through the first Nationalist enemy lines surrounding it and sets out on its Long March, a year-long trek to the west and to the north. More

The People's Republic of China (PRC) joined the nuclear club when it tested a nuclear device at its Lop Nur test site in Inner Mongolia. More

The "Miracle Mets" win their first World Series, defeating the Baltimore Orioles in five games.

Cardinal Karol Józef Wojtyła of Poland was elected to be the 264th Pope; he assumed the name John Paul II and was the first non-Italian pontiff in 455 years. More

An estimated 850,000 African American men from across the United States gathered at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The march took place in the context of a larger grassroots movement that set out to win politicians' attention for urban and minority issues through widespread voter registration campaigns. It was the brainchild of Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam, and was organized by the National African American Leadership Summit and a number of other groups. More