On This Day
What Happened on November 16 in History
9 events that happened on November 16, oldest first. Every entry is written in our own words and links to its source.
Colonial America and the Revolution
1532 (Julian calendar)
Francisco Pizarro's Spanish force ambushed and captured the Inca emperor Atahualpa at Cajamarca.
With fewer than 200 men, Pizarro lured Atahualpa to a feast and opened fire on his unarmed followers. The emperor was held captive and later killed as Spain moved to conquer the Inca Empire.
Source: history.com
1776
British and Hessian troops captured Fort Washington in Manhattan, taking nearly 3,000 Patriot prisoners.
General Wilhelm von Knyphausen led the assault on the fort at the northern tip of Manhattan. Many of the captured Americans later died aboard British prison ships in New York Harbor.
Source: history.com
The Early 1900s and the World Wars
1907
Oklahoma joined the Union as the 46th state, combining Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory.
The state's name comes from Choctaw words meaning red people. The United States had acquired the land as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.
Source: history.com
1933
The United States recognized the Soviet Union, ending nearly 16 years of nonrecognition.
President Franklin Roosevelt opened diplomatic relations after talks in Washington with Soviet Foreign Commissar Maxim Litvinov.
Source: history.state.gov; fdrlibrary.marist.edu
1945
Delegates signed the constitution of UNESCO, the United Nations agency for education, science and culture.
Its preamble declared that since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be built.
Source: avalon.law.yale.edu
The Cold War
1973
Skylab 4 launched the third and final crew to America's first space station.
Gerald Carr, Edward Gibson and William Pogue stayed aboard for 84 days before splashing down in the Pacific in February 1974.
Source: nasa.gov
1974
Scientists beamed the Arecibo message into space, humanity's first deliberate radio signal to possible alien life.
The message went out from the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico during a ceremony marking upgrades to its giant radio telescope. Its creators saw it as a symbolic display of technology, not a serious attempt at contact.
Source: history.com; news.cornell.edu
The Modern Era
2001
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone opened in American theaters, launching the boy wizard's film series.
Daniel Radcliffe starred in the adaptation of J.K. Rowling's best-selling first novel, which became one of the highest-grossing movies in history.
Source: history.com
2022
NASA's Space Launch System made its first flight, sending the uncrewed Orion capsule on Artemis I.
The rocket lifted off from Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center. Orion flew beyond the Moon and splashed down off San Diego on December 11.
Source: nasa.gov