2 / 16 History Vault
Discover public domain milestones, art masterworks, and wisdom quotes. (13)
Famous Pioneer Born on 2/16
Born under Aquarius (♒ Aquarius), possessing unique vision and inspiration.
"We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once."
—— Aquarius Pioneer
Bal du moulin de la Galette
Bal du moulin de la Galette is a world-class museum collection item preserved at Musée d'Orsay.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir (Oil on canvas)
Historical Milestone of 2/16
On this day in history (2/16), significant global milestones and breakthroughs were recorded across science, culture, and human society.
The Ash Wednesday bushfires burned over half a million acres (over 2,000 km2) each in both South Australia and Victoria, killing 75 people and injuring 2,676 others.
The Ash Wednesday bushfires, known in South Australia as Ash Wednesday II, were a series of bushfires that occurred in south-eastern Australia in 1983 on 16 February. Within twelve hours, more than 180 fires fanned by hot winds of up to 110 km/h (68 mph) caused widespread destruction across the states of Victoria and South Australia. Years of severe drought and extreme weather combined to create one of Australia's worst fire days in a century. The fires were the deadliest in Australian history until the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009.
The Lebanese Shia political and paramilitary organization Hezbollah released a manifesto describing its ideology and goals.
Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It is rooted in the belief that the Islamic prophet Muhammad explicitly designated his cousin and son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib as his rightful political successor (caliph) and the divinely guided spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). Shia Muslims maintain that Ali's divine right to leadership was unjustly usurped at the meeting of Saqifa, where certain companions of Muhammad apparently acted against the Prophet's mandate to appoint Abu Bakr as caliph. While Sunni Muslims accept the rule of Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman, Shia Muslims remain steadfast in honouring what they perceive to be the Prophet's wishes, recognizing Ali alone as Muhammad's true and legitimate successor.
Eleven people died in a train collision in Silver Spring, Maryland, leading to the creation of comprehensive U.S. federal rules for the design of passenger cars.
On February 16, 1996, a MARC commuter train collided with Amtrak's Capitol Limited passenger train in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States, killing three crew and eight passengers on the MARC train; a further eleven passengers on the same train and fifteen passengers and crew on the Capitol Limited were injured. Total damage was estimated at $7.5 million.
While on approach to Chiang Kai-shek International Airport, China Airlines Flight 676 crashed due to an over-reliance of the autopilot, which resulted in the deaths of 202 people.
Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is the main international airport serving Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, as well as the northern region. Located in Dayuan, Taoyuan, approximately 40 km (25 mi) west of Taipei, the airport is the busiest and largest in Taiwan. In 2016, it was ranked the best airport for its size in the Asia-Pacific region by Airports Council International.
Original_Koffee Born
Mikayla Victoria Simpson, who performs under the stage name Original Koffee and formerly as Koffee, is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, rapper, and guitarist from Spanish Town. She released her debut single "Burning" in 2017, and signed with Columbia Records after releasing another single the following year. Her 2019 debut EP Rapture won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. Her most recent album, Gifted was released on 25 March 2022.
「Mikayla Victoria Simpson, who performs under the stage name Original Koffee and forme...」
—— Original_Koffee
Coby_White Born
Alec Jacoby "Coby" White is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels. White was a top high school player in North Carolina, finishing his career as the top prep scorer in state history. After being selected by the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 2019 NBA draft with the seventh overall pick, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2020. In 2024, White finished second in NBA Most Improved Player award behind Tyrese Maxey.
「Alec Jacoby "Coby" White is an American professional basketball player for the Charlo...」
—— Coby_White
Carlos_Yulo Born
Carlos Edriel Poquiz Yulo is a Filipino artistic gymnast. He is the 2024 Olympic gold medalist at the floor exercise and vault events. He is the first Filipino and the first male Southeast Asian gymnast to medal at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships with his floor exercise bronze medal finish in 2018, as well as the first Filipino and Southeast Asian to achieve a gold medal finish for the same criteria in 2019 at the same event. With multiple medals on the international stage, Yulo is the second person to win an Olympic gold medal for the Philippines and the first Southeast Asian athlete to win multiple gold medals at the Olympic Games.
「Carlos Edriel Poquiz Yulo is a Filipino artistic gymnast. He is the 2024 Olympic gold...」
—— Carlos_Yulo
Yuki_Naito Born
Yuki Naito is a Japanese tennis player. Naito has been ranked as high as world No. 169 in singles and No. 224 in doubles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA).
「Yuki Naito is a Japanese tennis player. Naito has been ranked as high as world No. 1...」
—— Yuki_Naito
The Kyoto Protocol comes into force, following its ratification by Russia.
The Kyoto Protocol (Japanese: 京都議定書, Hepburn: Kyōto Giteisho) was an international treaty which extended the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that commits state parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, based on the scientific consensus that global warming is occurring and that human-made CO2 emissions are driving it. The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, on 11 December 1997 and entered into force on 16 February 2005. There were 192 parties (Canada withdrew from the protocol, effective December 2012) to the Protocol in 2020.
Kyoto_Protocol
At least 91 people were killed and 190 others injured after a bomb hidden in a water tank exploded at a market in Hazara Town, Pakistan.
On 16 February 2013, at least 91 people were killed and 190 injured after a bomb hidden in a water tank exploded at a market in Hazara Town on the outskirts of Quetta, the capital city of Balochistan, Pakistan. Most of the victims were members of the predominantly Twelver Shia Hazara community, and authorities expected the death toll to rise due to the large number of serious injuries. The Lashkar-e-Jhangvi group claimed responsibility for the blast, the second major attack against the Shia Hazaras in a month.
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