June 16

What happened that day?

• 2013: A multi-day cloudburst centered on the North Indian state of Uttarakhand caused devastating floods and landslides becoming the country's worst natural disaster since the 2004 tsunami.
• 2012: The United States Air Force's robotic Boeing X-37B spaceplane returns to Earth after a classified 469-day orbital mission.
• 2012: China successfully launches its Shenzhou 9 spacecraft, carrying three astronauts, including the first female Chinese astronaut Liu Yang, to the Tiangong-1 orbital module.
• 2010: Bhutan becomes the first country to institute a total ban on tobacco.
• 2000: Israel complies with United Nations Security Council Resolution 425 22 years after its issuance, which calls on Israel to completely withdraw from Lebanon. Israel does so, except the disputed Shebaa farms.
• 1997: Daïat Labguer (M'sila) massacre_massacre) in Algeria: Fifty people die.
• 1989: Revolutions of 1989: Imre Nagy, the former Hungarian Prime Minister, is reburied in Budapest following the collapse of Communism in Hungary.
• 1981: U.S. President Ronald Reagan awards the Congressional Gold Medal to Ken Taylor, Canada's former ambassador to Iran, for helping six Americans escape from Iran during the hostage crisis of 1979-81; he is the first foreign citizen bestowed the honor.
• 1977: Oracle Corporation is incorporated in Redwood Shores, California, as Software Development Laboratories (SDL) by Larry Ellison, Bob Miner and Ed Oates.
• 1976: [Soweto](https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Soweto) uprising: A non-violent march by 15,000 students in Soweto, South Africa turns into days of rioting when police open fire on the crowd.
• 1972: The largest single-site hydroelectric power project in Canada is inaugurated at Churchill Falls Generating Station.
• 1963: Soviet Space Program: Vostok 6 Mission: Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space.
• 1961: Rudolf Nureyev defects from the Soviet Union.
• 1958: Imre Nagy, Pál Maléter and other leaders of the 1956 Hungarian Uprising are executed.
• 1955: In a futile effort to topple Argentine President Juan Perón, rogue aircraft pilots of the Argentine Navy drop several bombs upon an unarmed crowd demonstrating in favor of Perón in Buenos Aires, killing 364 and injuring at least 800. At the same time on the ground, some soldiers attempt to stage a coup but are suppressed by loyal forces.
• 1948: Members of the Malayan Communist Party kill three British plantation managers in Sungai Siput; in response, British Malaya declares a state of emergency.
• 1944: At age 14, George Junius Stinney, Jr. becomes the youngest person executed in the United States in the 20th century.
• 1940: A Communist government is installed in Lithuania.
• 1940: World War II: Marshal Henri Philippe Pétain becomes Chief of State of Vichy France (Chef de l'État Français).
• 1933: The National Industrial Recovery Act is passed. It would later be declared unconstitutional.
• 1930: Sovnarkom establishes decree time in the USSR.
• 1925: The most famous Young Pioneer camp of the Soviet Union, Artek, is established.
• 1922: General election in the Irish Free State: The pro-Treaty Sinn Féin win a large majority.
• 1911: IBM founded as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company in Endicott, New York.
• 1904: Irish author James Joyce begins a relationship with Nora Barnacle and subsequently uses the date to set the actions for his novel Ulysses; this date is now traditionally called "Bloomsday".
• 1904: Eugen Schauman assassinates Nikolay Bobrikov, Governor-General of Finland.
• 1903: Roald Amundsen commences the first east-west navigation of the Northwest Passage, leaving Oslo, Norway.
• 1903: The Ford Motor Company is incorporated.
• 1897: A treaty annexing the Republic of Hawaii to the United States is signed; the Republic would not be dissolved until a year later.
• 1884: The first purpose-built roller coaster, LaMarcus Adna Thompson's "Switchback Railway", opens in New York's Coney Island amusement park.
• 1883: The Victoria Hall theatre panic in Sunderland, England kills 183 children.
• 1871: The University Tests Act allows students to enter the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Durham without religious tests (except for those intending to study theology).
• 1858: The Battle of Morar takes place during the Indian Mutiny.
• 1858: Abraham Lincoln delivers his House Divided speech in Springfield, Illinois.
• 1846: The Papal conclave of 1846 elects Pope Pius IX, beginning the longest reign in the history of the papacy.
• 1836: The formation of the London Working Men's Association gives rise to the Chartist Movement.
• 1815: Battle of Ligny and Battle of Quatre Bras, two days before the Battle of Waterloo.
• 1795: Cornwallis's Retreat, also known as the First Battle of Groix.
• 1779: Spain declares war on the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Great Siege of Gibraltar begins.
• 1774: Foundation of Harrodsburg, Kentucky.
• 1755: French and Indian War: The French surrender Fort Beauséjour to the British, leading to the expulsion of the Acadians.
• 1746: War of the Austrian Succession: Austria and Sardinia defeat a Franco-Spanish army at the Battle of Piacenza.
• 1745: War of the Austrian Succession: New England colonial troops under the command of William Pepperrell capture the Fortress of [Louisbourg](https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisbourg) in Louisbourg, New France (Old Style date).
• 1586: Mary, Queen of Scots, recognizes Philip II of Spain as her heir and successor.
• 1487: Battle of Stoke Field, the final engagement of the Wars of the Roses.
• 1407: Ming-Hồ War: Retired King Hồ Quý Ly and his son King Hồ Hán Thương of Hồ dynasty are captured by the Ming armies.
• 632: Yazdegerd III ascends to the throne as king (shah) of the Persian Empire. He becomes the last ruler of the Sasanian dynasty (modern Iran).
• 363: Emperor Julian marches back up the Tigris and burns his fleet of supply ships. During the withdrawal Roman forces suffered several attacks from the Persians.