Historical Events on March 16

Army Corps of Engineers

Here are some historical events that have occurred on March 16:

1521 - Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan reaches the Philippines, where he would eventually be killed during a battle with indigenous tribes.

1621 - Samoset, a Mohegan, visited the settlers of Plymouth Colony and greets them, "Welcome, Englishmen! My name is Samoset."

1802 - The Army Corps of Engineers is established to found and operate the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.

1926 - Physicist Robert H. Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket, in Auburn, Massachusetts.

1935 - Adolf Hitler orders Germany to rearm herself in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Conscription is reintroduced to form the Wehrmacht.

1968 - My Lai Massacre: American troops kill between 347 and 504 unarmed South Vietnamese villagers in My Lai.

1978 - Former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro is kidnapped and is later killed by his captors.

1985 - Associated Press newsman Terry Anderson is taken hostage in Beirut. He is released on December 4, 1991.

1995 - Mississippi formally ratifies the Thirteenth Amendment, becoming the last state to approve the abolition of slavery. The amendment was officially ratified in 1865.

2003 - The largest coordinated worldwide vigil takes place, as part of the international protests against the Iraq War. Millions of people gather to protest in over 600 cities worldwide.

2014 - Crimea votes in a controversial referendum to join Russia, leading to international condemnation and sanctions.

2020 - The World Health Organization declares the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic due to its rapid spread and severity.

These are just a handful of events that have taken place on March 16th throughout history.