February 16: Facts & Historical Events On This Day

February 16^th is known as Innovation Day as well as Do a Grouch a Favor Day.

Welcome to day 47 of 365! We’re still 318 days away from celebrating the new year, but we’ve gotta look forward to something right?

What better way to inspire that impact than with these incredible events and facts about this day? Tap into these amazing events to tap into your full potential.

Did you know that on this day in 1968, the first ever 911 call was made in the US? The call was made in Haleyville, Alabama by Senator Rankin Fite.

Keep reading for more interesting facts about February 16^th in history!

What Events Happened On February 16 In History?

2005 Reality documentary The Apprentice (UK) premiered with businessman Lord Alan Sugar as the leading judge.

1980 The world’s longest traffic jam from Lyon to Paris, France, extended a lengthy 104 miles (167 km).

1968 The first-ever 911 call was made in the US.

The service went live on this day in Haleyville, Alabama.

1961 NASA’s Explorer 9 satellite launched from the Wallops Flight Facility in eastern Virginia.

The satellite looked like something straight out of a science fiction film, as it was a giant 12-foot (3.66 m) metallic sphere covered in white dots to aid thermal control. The purpose of Explorer 9 was to study the composition and density of Earth's lower exosphere and upper atmosphere. It was the first spacecraft to launch successfully from the Wallops Flight Facility and the first to reach orbit atop a launch vehicle that only used solid fuel.

1959 Fidel Castro was sworn in as Prime Minister of Cuba.

After leading a Communist guerilla campaign that forced dictator Fulgencio Batista into exile, Castro then became the leader and was sworn in.

1946 The first commercial helicopter, Sikorsky S51, had its first test flight.

The test took place in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA.

1943 Winston Churchill fell ill with pneumonia.

1934 The Austrian Civil War came to an end after four days of bloodshed.

Also known as the February Uprising, this was more a series of conflicts between Austrian socialists and the fascist government than an outright war. The socialists ultimately surrendered after as many as 1,000 casualties.

1923 Egyptian King Tutankhamun’s coffin was discovered.

English archeologist Howard Carter entered the tomb on November 22, where everything was fully intact, untouched for over 3,000 years. Inside there were four rooms, and upon opening the last chamber on this day, they found the golden coffin belonging to King Tutankhamun.

1899 Iceland’s first football club, Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkurv (Reykjavík Football Club), was founded.

1862 The Battle of Fort Donelson ended, with nearly 14,000 Confederate soldiers surrendering.

Even though nearly 1,000 soldiers on both sides were killed at the Battle of Fort Donelson in Tennessee, the Confederate soldiers surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant.

1840 American explorer Charles Wilkes discovered the Shackleton Ice Shelf in Antarctica.

1659 The first known British check was written for the amount of £400.

In today's money, that's equivalent to £48,000 ($62,525). The check is currently on display at Westminster Abbey.

February 15 Feb 15 February 17 Feb 17

Famous People Born On February 16

Is today is your birthday? If so, you share the same birthday with Ava Max. Here are a few other famous people born on this day.

1990 The Weeknd

Canadian Singer

Age:: 32 years old
Born In:: Ontario, Canada

1989 Elizabeth Olsen

American Actress

Age:: 33 years old
Born In:: California, USA

1994 Ava Max

American Singer

Age:: 28 years old
Born In:: Wisconsin, USA

1941 Kim Jong-il

North Korean Politician

Died On:: Dec 17, 2011 (Age 70)
Born In:: Khabarovsk, Russia

Special Holidays On February 16

If you can spare some time today, here are some unique holidays you could get involved with.

National Innovation Day

How many times have you had a light-bulb idea, and before you know it, you’ve forgotten it? Today is Innovation Day, so pull out a notebook and get the ideas written down! Who knows - you could be sitting on a small fortune!

National Do a Grouch a Favor Day

We all have that friend in our lives who can be a little bit grumpy at times. So today, on Do a Grouch a Favor Day, try to do something nice for them, you might just lift them out of their bad mood!

February 16 Birthday Facts, Zodiac & Birthstone

If you were born on February 16^th, your zodiac sign is Aquarius.

Being a lone thinker can make Aquarians somewhat detached from their world, and the world everybody else lives in.

If you were born in February, your birthstone is the Amethyst. Ancient Greeks believed that the Amethyst protected the person wearing it from drunkenness and helped keep the wearer sober-minded.

People born on February 16 were likely conceived on or around May 26 in the previous year.