Roman Emperor Tiberius dies on March 16, 37 AD and is succeeded by Caligula, his grand-nephew and adopted grandson.
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On This Day in History: March 16
c. 597 BCE
The Babylonian army, led by Nebuchadnezzar II, captures Jerusalem c. 597 BCE and deposes King Jehoiachin exiling him to Babylon. In his place, the Babylonians installed Mattaniah, as a puppet king, changing his name to Zedekiah, a vassal king meant to be loyal to Babylon. Zedekiah would later rebel against Babylon, leading to the final destruction of Jerusalem in 587/586 BCE.
Although there are other dates quoted, this date comes from the Babylonian Chronicle BM 21946, a cuneiform tablet recording the campaigns of Babylonian kings. The chronicle states that:Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem and the city surrendered on the 2nd day of the month Adar in Nebuchadnezzar’s 7th regnal year. When converted from the Babylonian calendar to the modern calendar, that date corresponds to March 16, 597 BC.
A mob of rioters, driven by religious intolerance against the Jewish community and greed, massacre on March 16, 1190. an estimated one hundred and fifty Jewish people in York, England More
Edward II of England defeats the rebellious barons at the Battle of Boroughbridge,, on March 16, 1322, capturing his cousin Thomas of Lancaster, who was later executed on the King's orders.
Samoset, an Abenaki leader was the first American Indian known to make contact with the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony in New England. He walked into the Plymouth Colony on March 16, 1621, and startled them by greeting them in English, saying "Welcome, Englishmen!.
Samoset was visiting from modern-day Maine where he had learned English from fishermen. He went on to become a crucial interpreter, facilitating a peace treaty with the Wampanoag leader Massasoit, and introducing them to Squanto. He went on to help with and provided critical information about the local area, before returning home.
King Gustav III of Sweden is shot by Count Jacob Johan Anckarström on March 16, 1792 during a masked ball at the Opera; motivated by political opposition to the King. He died on March 29.
The U.S. Military Academy is established by Congress at West Point on March 16, 1802, at the site of a Revolutionary-era fort built to protect the Hudson River Valley from British attack.
West Point Academy - In Brief
The United States Military Academy at West Point is one of the most respected military institutions in the world and the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located along the Hudson River in West Point, New York, the academy has played a central role in American military education, leadership development, and national history for more than two centuries.
The site of West Point first gained strategic importance during the American Revolutionary War. Its location on a sharp bend of the Hudson River made it a critical defensive position, as control of the river was essential for movement and communication between New England and the rest of the colonies. American forces fortified the area, including the installation of the Great Chain across the Hudson to prevent British ships from advancing north. The post was also the location associated with Benedict Arnold's failed attempt in 1780 to surrender West Point to British forces.
The United States Military Academy was formally established on March 16, 1802, during the presidency of Thomas Jefferson. Created to train officers in engineering, science, and military leadership, West Point became an important institution for developing a professional United States Army. In its early decades, the academy's engineering program was especially influential, as many graduates contributed to the construction of roads, bridges, canals, and other infrastructure during the nation's expansion.
Throughout American history, West Point graduates have played prominent roles in military and public life. Alumni served on both sides of the American Civil War, including Union generals such as Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman and Confederate leaders such as Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson. The academy has continued to produce influential military commanders, presidents, astronauts, business leaders, and public servants.
West Point's educational approach combines academic study, physical training, character development, and military instruction. Cadets pursue a rigorous curriculum designed to prepare them for service as commissioned officers in the United States Army. The academy emphasizes values such as duty, honor, and country, principles reflected in its well-known motto.
The West Point campus itself is recognized for its historic architecture and scenic setting overlooking the Hudson Highlands. Its grounds include monuments, museums, and landmarks that preserve the legacy of American military history. The academy and surrounding area have been designated as a National Historic Landmark.
Historically, West Point represents more than a military school; it reflects the evolution of the United States from a young republic seeking security into a nation with global responsibilities. Through generations of graduates and its continuing mission of leadership development, the United States Military Academy remains one of America's most significant educational and historical institutions.
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The "Lancet" publishes the first of a series of articles by Doctor Joseph Lister on March 16, 1867; outlining the discovery of antiseptic surgery. Lister was a prominent British surgeon and medical scientist who established the study of antisepsis by applying Louis Pasteur's germ theory of fermentation on wound putrefaction.
He promoted the idea of sterilization in surgery using carbolic acid (phenol) as an antiseptic. Lister had performed the first antiseptic surgery on August 12, 1865. Before the methods promoted by Lister, mortality rates for major operations were roughly 45-50%; dropping to approximately 15% following the introduction of his antiseptic system in his wards at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary. Despite the demonstrated results, Lister faced significant skepticism from the medical community for years, with critics arguing his methods were too complex and "fussy". However, his work eventually laid the foundation for modern sterile (aseptic) surgery. More
American Physicist Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket on March 16, 1926, in Auburn, Massachusetts. The 10-foot rocket used gasoline and liquid oxygen to reach an altitude of 41 feet and flew for 2.5 seconds, proving the feasibility of liquid propulsion for future space travel.
Adolf Hitler, orders the rearmament of the country on March 16, 1935, using the justification that Germany needed to be able to defend itself. The order included army, air force and navy expansions and conscription, all in violation of The Treaty of Versailles, which had limited the German army to 100,000 men and did not allowed a draft. More
Vietnamese villagers including women and children are killed by U.S. soldiers in the village of My Lai by members of an army platoon commanded by Lt. William Calley. On September 5, 1969, he was charged with the premeditated murder in the death of 109 Vietnamese civilians at My Lai.
His court-martial began on November 1970 and he was convicted on March 1971 of the premeditated murder of twenty-two infants, children, women, and old men, and assault with intent to murder a child of about two years. He was sentenced to be dismissed from the Army and to be confined at hard labor for life. On August 1971, Lieutenant General Albert O. Connor, commanding general of Third U.S. Army, reduced Calley’s sentence to twenty years confinement. In April 1974, the Secretary of the Army, Howard H. Callaway, further reduced Calley’s sentence to ten years confinement, making Calley eligible for parole in 6 months. He was pardoned by President Richard Nixon in 1974 after serving about a third of his 10-year sentence and was released in November 1974 having served three years of house arrest for the murders. More
A referendum was conducted on March 16, 2014 in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol (both subdivisions of Ukraine) , after the Russian forces seized control of Crimea. A reported 97 percent of voters in Crimea chose to secede from Ukraine and join the Russian Federation.
The referendum's available choices did not include keeping the status quo of Crimea and Sevastopol as they were at the moment the referendum was hel, not accounting for the fact that The 1992 constitution already granted special powers to the State Council of Crimea, including full sovereign powers to establish relations with other states. The voting was also believed to have been influenced by the presence of the Russian troops.
The referendum was not recognized by the Ukrainian government in Kiev, and only a handful of countries recognized Russia's subsequent annexation of the region.
A gunman attacks massage parlors in the Atlanta area on March 16, 2021, killing eight people, including six Asian women.