July 16 Fun Facts, Trivia and History
July 16 History Highlights
- 622 – The beginning of the Islamic (354 day) calendar.
- 1790 – The District of Columbia was established as the capital of the United States.
- 1945 – The ‘Fat Boy’ atomic bomb was tested near Alamogordo, New Mexico.
- 1969 – Apollo 11 was launched to the Moon.
- 1994 – Comet Shoemaker-Levy crashed into Jupiter.
- On July 16, 2186, astronomers predict to be the longest solar eclipse in 10,000 years.
- If you were born on July 16th,
You were likely conceived the week of… October 23rd (prior year)
Guinea Pig Appreciation Day
Guinea pigs have been a popular household pet since their introduction to Europe and North America by European traders in the 16th century. Guinea pigs are among the most popular pets, and for good reason. They’re very friendly animals that enjoy human interaction; they’ll follow you around, squeak when they want attention or food, and will even play with toys on their own.
Scientists have been using guinea pigs for experiments since the 17th century. They were so frequently used as model organisms in both 19th and 20th centuries that people started calling humans test subjects “guinea pigs.” Since then, they’ve replaced them with other rodents like mice or rats.
July 16 is…
National Corn Fritter Day
National Fresh Spinach Day
National Personal Chef Day
World Snake Day
July 16 Birthday Quotes
“Not money, or success, or position or travel or love makes happiness… service is the secret.”
– Kathleen Norris
“I ain’t afraid to tell the world that it don’t take school stuff to help a fella play ball.”
– Shoeless Joe Jackson
“I never like other people to clean for me. I don’t want them to invade my own privacy.”
– Bess Myerson
“Things will get better if you just hold out long enough.”
– Desmond Dekker
“I do everything the man does, only backwards and in high heels!”
– Ginger Rogers
“No matter how much you screw up your life, you can fix it.”
– Will Ferrell
“Every once in a while, someone will mail me a single popcorn kernel that didn’t pop. I’ll get out a fresh kernel, tape it to a piece of paper and mail it back to them.”
– Orville Redenbacher
“I try to feed my hunger rather than my appetite.”
– Ginger Rogers
“I’m more than an actor. I’m an icon, an industry.”
– Corey Feldman
July 16 Birthdays
1887 – Shoeless Joe Jackson, American baseball player (died in 1951)
1902 – Mary Philbin, American actress (died in 1993)
1907 – Orville Redenbacher, American farmer and businessman, founded Orville Redenbacher’s (died in 1995)
1907 – Barbara Stanwyck, American actress (died in 1990)
1911 – Ginger Rogers, American actress, singer, and dancer (died in 1995)
1911 – Sonny Tufts, American actor (died in 1970)
1924 – Bess Myerson, American model, actress, game show panelist, Miss America 1945 (died in 2014)
1941 – Desmond Dekker, Jamaican singer-songwriter (died in 2006)
1952 – Stewart Copeland, American drummer and songwriter
1957 – Faye Grant, American actress
1963 – Phoebe Cates, American actress
1965 – Sherri Stoner, American actress
1967 – Will Ferrell, American comedic actor
1968 – Barry Sanders, American football player
1968 – Larry Sanger, American philosopher and businessman, co-founded Wikipedia
1971 – Corey Feldman, American actor
1987 – AnnaLynne McCord, American actress
July 16 History
The European banknotes were issued by the Swedish bank Stockholms Banco.
1769
Father JunÃpero Serra founded California’s first mission, Mission San Diego de Alcalá, later known as San Diego, California.
1790
The District of Columbia was established as the capital of the United States with the Residence Act.
1862
David Farragut was promoted to rear admiral, becoming the first officer in United States Navy to hold the rank.
1915
The Boy Scout’s First Order of the Arrow ceremony took place, and the Order of the Arrow was founded.
1935
The world’s first parking meter was installed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Roger W. Babson filed the first US patent for the device on August 30, 1928.
1941
Joe DiMaggio hit safely for the 56th consecutive game, an MLB record that still stands.
1945
(Manhattan Project) The United States successfully detonated a plutonium-based test nuclear weapon near Alamogordo, New Mexico.
1951
Little, Brown, and Company published The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger for the first time.
1956
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus closed its last “Big Tent” show in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1965
The Mont Blanc Tunnel linking France and Italy opened.
1966
#1 Hit July 16, 1966 – July 29, 1966: Tommy James and the Shondells – Hanky Panky
1969
Apollo 11 (July 16-24, 1969) Crew: Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin
1974
July 16, 1974 – In TV’s first live suicide, news presenter Christine Chubbuck, during her TV broadcast, suddenly stopped reading the teleprompter and said, “In keeping with Channel 40’s policy of bringing you the latest in blood and guts, and in living color, you are going to see another first: an attempted suicide.” She died about 14 hours later.
1977
#1 Hit July 16, 1977 – July 22, 1977: Shaun Cassidy – Da Doo Ron Ron
1994
Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 collided with Jupiter on July 16-22.
1999
John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife, Carolyn, and her sister, Lauren Bessette, died when the Piper Saratoga PA-32R aircraft he was piloting crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard.
2004
Millennium Park was opened to the public by Mayor Richard M. Daley.
July 16, 2004 – Stuck in the Suburbs aired on The Disney Channel
2011
#1 Hit July 16, 2011 – August 26, 2011: LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett and GoonRock – Party Rock Anthem
Today’s Random Trivia and Shower Thoughts
“Mr. McCallister, here’s your very own cheese pizza.” – Cedric the Bellman in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York #moviequotes
The newspaper serving Frostbite Falls, Minnesota, the home of Rocky and Bullwinkle, is the Picayune Intelligence.
Do You Realize?? by The Flaming Lips is the official state rock song of Oklahoma.
Beauty and the Beast was the first animated film in history to be nominated for a Best Picture at the Academy Awards
The area of the base of the Great Pyramid in Egypt is 13 Acres.
Why are sci-fi movie laser blasts slower than bullets?
Joseph Conrad – Real Name: Jozef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski
“Nobody comes here anymore, it’s too crowded” – Yogi Berra
The S.O.S in the S.O.S brand soap pads stands for ‘save our saucepans’.
I have a step ladder, I never knew my real ladder.
There are approximately 1.4 trillion dollars in circulation.