November 16 in History

Artemis Program: NASA launches Artemis 1 on the first flight of the Space Launch System, the start of the program's future missions to the moon.

Space Shuttle program: Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on mission STS-129 to the International Space Station.

Following a 31-year wait, Australia defeats Uruguay in a penalty shootout to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Half-Life 2 is released, a game winning 39 Game of the Year awards and being cited as one of the best games ever made.

The first cases of the 2002–2004 SARS outbreak are traced to Foshan, Guangdong Province, China.

After nearly 18 years of incarceration, China releases Wei Jingsheng, a pro-democracy dissident, from jail for medical reasons.

The Hoxne Hoard is discovered by metal detectorist Eric Lawes in Hoxne, Suffolk.

Pop group Milli Vanilli are stripped of their Grammy Award because the duo did not sing at all on the Girl You Know It's True album. Session musicians had provided all the vocals.

El Salvadoran army troops kill six Jesuit priests and two others at Jose Simeon Canas University.

The Supreme Soviet of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic declares that Estonia is "sovereign" but stops short of declaring independence.

In the first open election in more than a decade, voters in Pakistan elect populist candidate Benazir Bhutto to be Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Aeroflot Flight 3603 crashes during landing at Norilsk Airport, killing 99.

The first line of Bucharest Metro (Line M1) is opened from Timpuri Noi to Semănătoarea in Bucharest, Romania.

The Arecibo message is broadcast from Puerto Rico.

Skylab program: NASA launches Skylab 4 with a crew of three astronauts from Cape Canaveral, Florida for an 84-day mission.

U.S. president Richard Nixon signs the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act into law, authorizing the construction of the Alaska Pipeline.

Aeroflot Flight 2230 crashes near Koltsovo Airport, killing 107.

The Temptations release their Greatest Hits album, which goes on to be the Billboard Year-End R&B album of 1967.

Venera program: The Soviet Union launches the Venera 3 space probe toward Venus, which will be the first spacecraft to reach the surface of another planet.

National Airlines Flight 967 explodes in mid-air over the Gulf of Mexico, killing all 42 aboard.

Aeroflot Flight 315 crashes on approach to Lviv Airport, killing all 40 people on board.

UNESCO is founded.

World War II: In support of the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, the town of Düren is destroyed by Allied aircraft.

The Jussi Awards, the Finnish film award ceremony, is held for the first time at Restaurant Adlon in Helsinki.

World War II: In response to the leveling of Coventry by the German Luftwaffe two days before, the Royal Air Force bombs Hamburg.

The Holocaust: In occupied Poland, the Nazis close off the Warsaw Ghetto from the outside world.

New York City's "Mad Bomber" George Metesky places his first bomb at a Manhattan office building used by Consolidated Edison.

LSD is first synthesized by Albert Hofmann from ergotamine at the Sandoz Laboratories in Basel.

The United States and the Soviet Union establish formal diplomatic relations.

Qantas, Australia's national airline, is founded as Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited.

The Federal Reserve Bank of the United States officially opens.

Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory join to form Oklahoma, which is admitted as the 46th U.S. state.

English engineer John Ambrose Fleming receives a patent for the thermionic valve (vacuum tube).

Canadian rebel leader of the Métis and "Father of Manitoba" Louis Riel is executed for treason.

The National Rifle Association of America receives its charter from New York State.

American Civil War: In the Battle of Campbell's Station, Confederate troops unsuccessfully attack Union forces which allows General Ambrose Burnside to secure Knoxville, Tennessee.

Fisgard Lighthouse, built in the Colony of Vancouver Island, shines its first light, becoming the first permanent lighthouse in present-day British Columbia

Second relief of Lucknow: Twenty-four Victoria Crosses are awarded, the most in a single day.

David Livingstone becomes the first European to see the Victoria Falls in what is now Zambia-Zimbabwe.

A Russian court sentences writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky to death for anti-government activities linked to a radical intellectual group; his sentence is later commuted to hard labor.

Greek War of Independence: The London Protocol entails the creation of an autonomous Greek state under Ottoman suzerainty, encompassing the Morea and the Cyclades.

American Old West: Missouri trader William Becknell arrives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, over a route that became known as the Santa Fe Trail.

Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Schöngrabern: Russian forces under Pyotr Bagration delay the pursuit by French troops under Joachim Murat.

The Prussian heir apparent, Frederick William, becomes King of Prussia as Frederick William III.

French Revolution: Ninety dissident Roman Catholic priests are executed by drowning at Nantes.

American Revolutionary War: British and Hessian units capture Fort Washington from the Patriots.

King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden was killed at the Battle of Lützen during the Thirty Years' War.

Francisco Pizarro and his men capture Inca Emperor Atahualpa at the Battle of Cajamarca.

An auto-da-fé, held in the Brasero de la Dehesa outside of Ávila, concludes the case of the Holy Child of La Guardia with the public execution of several Jewish and converso suspects.

While travelling during the Ninth Crusade, Prince Edward becomes King of England upon Henry III of England's death, but he will not return to England for nearly two years to assume the throne.

Emperor Li Jing sends a Southern Tang expeditionary force of 10,000 men under Bian Hao to conquer Chu. Li Jing removes the ruling family to his own capital in Nanjing, ending the Chu Kingdom.

Mason Ramsey, American singer

Josh Green, Australian basketball player

Bol Bol, South Sudanese-American basketball player

Mats Wieffer, Dutch footballer

Bruno Guimarães, Brazilian footballer

Ivan Baran, Croatian writer

Boulaye Dia, Senegalese footballer

Trinovi Khairani, Indonesian politician

André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Cameroonian footballer

Yoshiki Yamamoto, Japanese footballer

C. J. Beathard, American football player

Nélson Semedo, Portuguese footballer

Denzel Valentine, American basketball player

George Akpabio, Nigerian footballer

Matthew Allwood, Australian rugby league player

Marcelo Brozović, Croatian footballer

Shane Prince, American-Belarusian ice hockey player

Nemanja Gudelj, Serbian footballer

Tomomi Kasai, Japanese actress and singer

Arjo Atayde, Filipino actor

Dénes Dibusz, Hungarian football player

Iamsu!, American rapper and producer

Eitan Tibi, Israeli footballer

Jordan Walden, American baseball player

Omar Mateen, Islamic terrorist, perpetrator of the Orlando nightclub shooting (died 2016)

Maxime Médard, French rugby player

Aditya Roy Kapur, Indian actor

Sanna Marin, Finnish politician, former Prime Minister of Finland

Gemma Atkinson, English model and actress

Mark Bunn, English footballer

Tamawashi Ichiro, Mongolian sumo wrestler

Kool A.D., American rapper

Kari Lehtonen, Finnish ice hockey player

Britta Steffen, German swimmer

Nonito Donaire, Filipino-American boxer

Jannie du Plessis, South African rugby player

Ronald Pognon, French sprinter

Amar'e Stoudemire, American-Israeli basketball player

Fernando Cabrera, Puerto Rican baseball player

Allison Crowe, Canadian singer-songwriter

Caitlin Glass, American voice actress, singer, and director

Kate Miller-Heidke, Australian singer-songwriter

Osi Umenyiora, English-American football player

Moris Carrozzieri, Italian footballer

Kayte Christensen, American basketball player

Nicole Gius, Italian skier

Carol Huynh, Canadian wrestler

Hasan Üçüncü, Turkish footballer

Bruce Irons, American surfer

Kip Bouknight, American baseball player

Mehtap Doğan-Sızmaz, Turkish runner

Takashi Nagayama, Japanese actor

Gary Naysmith, Scottish footballer and manager

Carolina Parra, Brazilian guitarist and drummer

Gigi Edgley, Australian singer-songwriter and actress

Mauricio Ochmann, Mexican actor and producer

Dan Black, English singer-songwriter

Juha Pasoja, Finnish footballer

Martijn Zuijdweg, Dutch swimmer

Julio Lugo, Dominican baseball player (died 2021)

Yuki Uchida, Japanese actress, model, and singer

Maurizio Margaglio, Italian ice dancer and coach

Paul Scholes, English footballer and sportscaster

Christian Horner, English race car driver and manager

Brendan Laney, New Zealand-Scottish rugby player and sportscaster

Tanja Damaske, German javelin thrower and shot putter

Mustapha Hadji, Moroccan footballer and manager

Annely Peebo, Estonian soprano and actress

Alexander Popov, Russian swimmer and coach

Waqar Younis, Pakistani cricketer and coach

Logan Mader, Canadian-American guitarist and producer

Shobha Nagi Reddy, Indian politician (died 2014)

Melvin Stewart, American swimmer

Craig Arnold, American poet and academic (died 2009)

Joey Cape, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer

Christian Lorenz, German keyboard player

Dean McDermott, Canadian-American actor and producer

Tahir Shah, English journalist, author, and explorer

Mika Aaltonen, Finnish footballer

Waheed Alli, Baron Alli, English businessman and politician

Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Italian-French actress, director, and screenwriter

Dwight Gooden, American baseball player

Maeve Quinlan, American actress

Steve Argüelles, English drummer and producer

William Bonner, Brazilian newscaster, publicist and journalist

Zina Garrison, American tennis player

Darwyn Cooke, Canadian writer and artist (died 2016)

Sergei Agashkov, Turkmen football player and manager (died 2026)

Frank Bruno, English boxer

Glenda Bailey, English journalist

Francis M. Fesmire, American cardiologist and physician (died 2014)

Boris Krivokapić, Serbian author and academic

Jacques Gamblin, French actor

Terry Labonte, American race car driver and businessman

Héctor Cúper, Argentine footballer, coach, and manager

Pierre Larouche, Canadian ice hockey player and coach

Guillermo Lasso, Ecuadoran businessman, 47th President of Ecuador

Jun Kunimura, Japanese actor

Esteban Trapiello, Venezuelan businessman

Andrea Barrett, American novelist and short story writer

Dick Gross, Australian lawyer and politician

Griff Rhys Jones, Welsh comedian, actor, and author

Andy Dalton, New Zealand rugby player

Harvey Martin, American football player (died 2001)

Manuel Zamora, Filipino farmer and politician

Horst Bertram, German footballer and manager (died 2023)

Chi Coltrane, American singer-songwriter and pianist

Bonnie Greer, American-English playwright and critic

Ken James, Australian actor

Omar Ruiz Hernández, Cuban journalist and activist

Colin Burgess, Australian drummer and songwriter (died 2023)

Terence McKenna, American botanist, philosopher, and author (died 2000)

Barbara Smith, American writer

Beverly Smith, American writer

Jo Jo White, American basketball player and coach (died 2018)

Teenie Hodges, American guitarist and songwriter (died 2014)

Lynn Hunt, American historian, author, and academic

Oliver Braddick, English psychologist and academic (died 2022)

Willie Carson, Scottish jockey and sportscaster

Joanna Pettet, English actress (died 2026)

Angelo Gilardino, Italian guitarist, composer, and musicologist (died 2022)

Gerry Marshall, English race car driver (died 2005)

Dan Penn, American singer-songwriter and producer

Michael Billington, English author and critic

Ahmed Bouanani, Moroccan filmmaker (died 2011)

Kang Ning-hsiang, Taiwanese politician

Walter Learning, Canadian actor (died 2020)

Robert Nozick, American philosopher, author, and academic (died 2002)

Troy Seals, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

Alan Budd, English economist and academic (died 2023)

John Moore, Australian businessman and politician

Elizabeth Drew, American journalist and author

Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah, Iraqi-Lebanese cleric, educator, and author (died 2010)

Magdi Yacoub, Egyptian-English surgeon and academic

Garnet Mimms, American R&B singer

Seydou Madani Sy, Senegalese jurist and politician (died 2026)

Beatriz González, Colombian painter, sculptor and art historian (died 2026)

Luciano Bottaro, Italian author and illustrator (died 2006)

Hubert Sumlin, American singer and guitarist (died 2011)

Paul Foytack, American baseball player (died 2021)

Salvatore Riina, Italian mob boss (died 2017)

Peter Boizot, English businessman (died 2018)

Dolo Coker, American pianist and composer (died 1983)

Sam Farber, American businessman (died 2013)

Mel Patton, American sprinter and coach (died 2014)

Gene Amdahl, American computer scientist, physicist, and engineer (died 2015)

José Saramago, Portuguese novelist and Nobel laureate in Literature (died 2010)

Harold Baigent, New Zealand actor and director (died 1996)

Daws Butler, American voice actor and singer (died 1988)

Al Lucas, Canadian-American bassist (died 1983)

Jean Fritz, Chinese-American author (died 2017)

Eddie Chapman, English spy (died 1997)

Ellen Albertini Dow, American actress (died 2015)

George O. Petrie, American actor and director (died 1997)

W. E. D. Ross, Canadian actor, playwright, and author (died 1995)

Mirza Nasir Ahmad, Indian-Pakistani religious leader (died 1982)

Burgess Meredith, American actor, singer, director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1997)

Nnamdi Azikiwe, Nigerian statesman, 1st President of Nigeria (died 1996)

Eliška Junková, Czech race car driver (died 1994)

Mary Margaret McBride, American radio host (died 1976)

Choudhry Rahmat Ali, Indian-Pakistani academic (died 1951)

Joan Lindsay, Australian author and critic (died 1984)

Oswald Mosley, English fascist leader and politician (died 1980)

Lawrence Tibbett, American actor and singer (died 1960)

Paul Hindemith, German composer, violist and conductor (died 1963)

Bobby Cruickshank, American golfer (died 1975)

Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi, Austrian philosopher and politician (died 1972)

Guo Moruo, Chinese historian, author, and poet (died 1978)

Tazio Nuvolari, Italian race car driver and motorcycle racer (died 1953)

Elpidio Quirino, 6th President of the Philippines (died 1956)

George S. Kaufman, American director, producer, and playwright (died 1961)

Dietrich Kraiß, German general (died 1944)

Luis Cluzeau Mortet, Uruguayan pianist and composer (died 1957)

Emil Breitkreutz, American runner and coach (died 1972)

Alexander Kolchak, Russian admiral and explorer (died 1920)

W. C. Handy, American trumpet player and composer (died 1958)

Charles Turner, Australian cricketer (died 1944)

Luigi Facta, Italian politician and journalist (died 1930)

Georgina Febres-Cordero, Venezuelan nun (died 1925)

Jürgen Kröger, German architect (died 1928)

Minnie Hauk, American-Swiss soprano and actress (died 1929)

Edmund James Flynn, Canadian lawyer and politician (died 1927)

Jules Violle, French physicist and academic (died 1923)

Louis-Honoré Fréchette, Canadian poet, author, and politician (died 1908)

Kalākaua of Hawaii (died 1891)

John Bright, English academic and politician (died 1889)

Jónas Hallgrímsson, Icelandic poet, author and naturalist (died 1845)

Mary Tyler Peabody Mann, American author and educator (died 1887)

Francis Danby, Irish painter of the Romantic era (died 1861)

Georg von Cancrin, German-Russian Minister of Finance (died 1845)

Peter Andreas Heiberg, Danish philologist and author (died 1841)

James McHenry, Irish-American surgeon and politician (died 1816)

Edward Law, 1st Baron Ellenborough, English lawyer, judge, and politician (died 1818)

Carlo Antonio Campioni, French-Italian composer (died 1788)

Jean le Rond d'Alembert, French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher (died 1793)

Girolamo Abos, Maltese-Italian composer and educator (died 1760)

Charles Duncombe, English banker and politician (died 1711)

Jean Chardin, French-English jeweler and explorer (died 1703)

Augustyn Kordecki, Polish monk (died 1673)

Paul Sartorius, German organist and composer (died 1609)

Anna Juliana Gonzaga, Archduchess of Austria and nun (died 1621)

Princess Cecilia of Sweden (died 1627)

Saint Turibius of Mongrovejo, Spanish Grand Inquisitioner, Archbishop of Lima (died 1606)

Anna d'Este, Duchess consort of Nemours (died 1607)

Jeanne d'Albret, Queen of Navarre (died 1572)

Elisabeth of the Palatinate, Landgravine of Hesse, German noble (died 1522)

Francesco Cattani da Diacceto, Florentine philosopher (died 1522)

Beatrice of Naples, Hungarian queen (died 1508)

Leonardo Loredan, Italian ruler (died 1521)

Tiberius, Roman emperor (died 37 AD)

Vladimir Shklyarov, Russian ballet dancer (born 1985)

Robert Clary, French-American actor and author (born 1926)

Arthur Ngirakelsong, 2nd Chief Justice of Palau (born 1941)

Jyrki Kasvi, Finnish journalist and politician (born 1964)

Sheila Nelson, English string teacher (born 1936)

John Campbell Brown, Scottish astronomer (born 1947)

Terry O'Neill, British photographer (born 1938)

William Goldman, American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter (born 1931)

Hiromi Tsuru, Japanese actress (born 1960)

Ann Wedgeworth, American actress (born 1934)

Jay Wright Forrester, American computer engineer (born 1918)

Melvin Laird, American politician and writer (born 1922)

Daniel Prodan, Romanian football player (born 1972)

David Canary, American actor (born 1938)

Michael C. Gross, American graphic designer and producer (born 1945)

Bert Olmstead, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1926)

Alton D. Slay, American general (born 1924)

Charles Champlin, American historian, author, and critic (born 1926)

Jovan Ćirilov, Serbian poet and playwright (born 1931)

Ian Craig, Australian cricketer (born 1935)

Juan Joseph, American football player and coach (born 1987)

Jadwiga Piłsudska, Polish soldier, pilot, and architect (born 1920)

Carl Sanders, American soldier, pilot, and politician, 74th Governor of Georgia (born 1925)

Robert Conley, American journalist (born 1928)

Billy Hardwick, American bowler (born 1941)

William McDonough Kelly, Canadian lieutenant and politician (born 1925)

Tanvir Ahmad Khan, Indian-Pakistani diplomat, 19th Foreign Secretary of Pakistan (born 1932)

Oscar Lanford, American mathematician and academic (born 1940)

Arne Pedersen, Norwegian footballer and manager (born 1931)

Louis D. Rubin, Jr., American author, critic, and academic (born 1923)

Charles Waterhouse, American painter, sculptor, and illustrator (born 1924)

John Chapman, Australian evangelist and academic (born 1930)

Subhash Dutta, Bangladeshi actor and director (born 1930)

Patrick Edlinger, French mountaineer (born 1960)

Aliu Mahama, Ghanaian engineer and politician, 3rd Vice President of Ghana (born 1946)

Eliyahu Nawi, Iraqi-Israeli lawyer, judge, and politician (born 1920)

Bob Scott, New Zealand rugby player (born 1921)

Britton Chance, American biologist and sailor (born 1913)

Ronni Chasen, American publicist (born 1946)

Wyngard Tracy, Filipino DJ and talent manager (born 1952)

Antonio de Nigris, Mexican footballer (born 1978)

Sergei Magnitsky, Ukrainian-Russian accountant and lawyer (born 1972)

Edward Woodward, English actor (born 1930)

Jan Krugier; Polish-Swiss art dealer (born 1928)

Reg Varney, English actor and screenwriter (born 1916)

Harold Alfond, American businessman (born 1914)

Grethe Kausland, Norwegian actress and singer (born 1947)

Trond Kirkvaag, Norwegian actor and screenwriter (born 1946)

Vernon Scannell, English boxer, poet, and author (born 1922)

Milton Friedman, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1912)

Yuri Levada, Russian sociologist and political scientist (born 1930)

Ralph Edwards, American radio and television host and producer (born 1913)

Henry Taube, Canadian-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1915)

Donald Watson, English activist, founded the Vegan Society (born 1910)

Tommy Flanagan, American pianist and composer (born 1930)

Robert Earl Davis, American hip-hop artist (born 1971)

Ahmet Kaya, Turkish-French singer-songwriter (born 1957)

Daniel Nathans, American microbiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1928)

Chet Powers, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1943)

Lucia Popp, Slovak-German soprano (born 1939)

Achille Zavatta, Tunisia-born French clown (born 1915)

Ege Bagatur, Turkish politician (born 1937)

Jean-Claude Malépart, Canadian lawyer and politician (born 1938)

Jim Brewer, American baseball player and coach (born 1937)

Siobhán McKenna, Irish actress (born 1923)

Panditrao Agashe, Indian businessman (born 1936)

Vic Dickenson, American trombonist (born 1906)

Pavel Alexandrov, Russian mathematician and academic (born 1896)

Jack Foster, English cricketer (born 1905)

Walther Meissner, German physicist and engineer (born 1882)

Alan Watts, English-American philosopher, author, and educator (born 1915)

Vera Karalli, Russian ballerina and actress (born 1889)

Edie Sedgwick, American model and actress (born 1943)

Donald C. Peattie, American botanist and author (born 1898)

Sam Rayburn, American lawyer and politician, 48th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (born 1882)

Clark Gable, American actor (born 1901)

Ōtori Tanigorō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 24th Yokozuna (born 1887)

Bob Smith, American physician and surgeon, co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous (born 1879)

Giuseppe Volpi, Italian businessman and politician, founded the Venice Film Festival (born 1877)

Eduard Eelma, Estonian footballer (born 1902)

Miina Härma, Estonian organist, composer, and conductor (born 1864)

Pierce Butler, American lawyer and jurist (born 1866)

Max Abraham, Polish-German physicist and academic (born 1875)

George Barham, English businessman, founded Express County Milk Supply Company (born 1836)

A. A. Ames, American physician and politician, 9th Mayor of Minneapolis (born 1842)

Lawrence Feuerbach, American shot putter (born 1879)

Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière, French-Canadian lawyer and politician, 4th Premier of Quebec (born 1829)

Robert I, Duke of Parma (born 1848)

Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine (born 1895)

Louis Riel, Canadian lawyer and politician (born 1844)

František Chvostek, Czech-Austrian soldier and physician (born 1835)

Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine (born 1874)

Christiaan Hendrik Persoon, South African-French mycologist and academic (born 1761)

Mustafa IV, Ottoman sultan (born 1779)

Moses Cleaveland, American general, lawyer, and politician, founded Cleveland, Ohio (born 1754)

André Michaux, French botanist and explorer (born 1746)

Frederick William II of Prussia (born 1744)

Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer, American politician (born 1723)

Pehr Kalm, Finnish botanist and explorer (born 1716)

John Hawkesworth, English journalist and author (born 1715)

James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde, Irish general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (born 1665)

Jack Sheppard, English criminal (born 1702)

Pierre Nicole, French philosopher and author (born 1625)

Bengt Gottfried Forselius, Swedish-Estonian scholar and author (born 1660)

Paolo Quagliati, Italian organist and composer (born 1555)

Sofonisba Anguissola, Italian painter (born c. 1532)

Trajano Boccalini, Italian author and educator (born 1556)

Pierre Charron, French Catholic theologian and philosopher (born 1541)

Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland (born 1542)

Marie of Baden-Sponheim, German Noblewoman (born 1507)

Theda Ukena, German noble (born 1432)

John, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach (born 1406)

Prince Hisaaki, Japanese shōgun (born 1276)

Nasr, Sultan of Granada (born 1287)

Henry III of England (born 1207)

Emperor Lizong of Song China (born 1205)

Edmund Rich, English archbishop and saint (born 1175)

Ibn Arabi, Andalusian Arab philosopher (born 1165)

Dobrodeia of Kiev, Rus princess and author of medical books

Saint Margaret of Scotland (born 1045)

Ælfric of Abingdon, Archbishop of Canterbury

Shen Lun, Chinese scholar-official

Gu Yanhui, Chinese warlord