Death of Edgar Ætheling, the last male member of the Anglo-Saxon royal family of England.
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What Happened Today in History on February 16
Explore the historical events that shaped our world on February 16th. From major milestones to cultural achievements, see what happened on this day in history. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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The Dutch East India Company retakes the city of Quilon in India from the Portuguese landing their troops near Palliport and advancing to the main fortress on February 16, 1661 to complete the recapture of the city. The fall of Quilon was only one of the actions in the Dutch takeover of Portuguese strongholds on the Malabar Coast, leading to their dominance in the area.
After months of clearing the outer chambers, on February 16. 1923, British archaeologist Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon opened the sealed door to the burial chamber, the final and most important chamber of the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun (King Tut).
The initial discovery of the tomb in Egypt's Valley of the Kings occurred on November 4, 1922. Most pharaohs graves were plundered by graverobbers in ancient times, however Tutankhamun's tomb was hidden by debris for most of its existence and became the first known largely intact royal burial site found from ancient Egypt.
Fidel Castro becomes prime minister of Cuba, replacing José Miró Cardona who was the head of the country's new provisional government. Fidel Castro had led the guerrilla campaign that forced right-wing dictator Fulgencio Batista into exile. Castro, had become commander in chief of Cuba’s armed forces after Batista was ousted on January 1, 1959. More
The Web site WikiLeaks begins posting classified U.S. government documents provided by army intelligence analyst Bradley (later Chelsea) Manning. The release of information is believed to be the largest unauthorized release of state secrets in U.S. history.
"Birdman" wins the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 87th Academy Awards.