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March 16
in history

James Madison is born in Port Conway, Virginia (1751), and Israel hands over Jericho to Palestinian control (2005). Born on this day: James Madison, Richard Stallman and Sully Prudhomme. Died: Selma Lagerlöf, Tiberius and Charles-Albert Gobat.

32 events, 67 births and 48 deaths on this date.

1751

James Madison is born in Port Conway, Virginia

Born into a Virginia planter family, Madison later drafted much of the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights, earning him the nickname Father of the Constitution. He went on to serve as the fourth president from 1809 to 1817.

John Vanderlyn · Public domain

Events

  1. 2005

    Israel hands over Jericho to Palestinian control

    Under the Oslo accords, Israel transferred the West Bank town of Jericho to the Palestinian Authority, one of the first concrete steps in handing Palestinian towns to local rule. The move was a small but symbolic start to the wider withdrawal the agreements had promised.

  2. 1898

    Five colonies adopt constitution for Australian federation in Melbourne

    Delegates from the colonies meeting in Melbourne agreed the text that later became Australia's founding document. Voters in each colony still had to approve it, and it later underpinned the single nation the colonies formed.

  3. 1960

    Savannah civil rights activists begin a sit-in

    Black activists in Savannah, Georgia, sat in to protest segregated facilities, launching a local protest movement that drew on the wider civil rights campaign of the period. The action showed how direct, non-violent tactics were spreading across Southern cities.

  4. 1850

    Nathaniel Hawthorne publishes The Scarlet Letter

    The novel follows Hester Prynne, a woman made to wear a scarlet letter A for adultery in a Puritan community. It explores guilt and hidden sin, themes that run through much of Hawthorne's fiction.

    Mathew Benjamin Brady · Public domain
  5. 1926

    American comedian Jerry Lewis is born

    Born Joseph Levitch, he became one of the most celebrated comedians of the twentieth century, first as half of a double act with Dean Martin. Later he directed films and hosted a long-running telethon that raised more than $2.45 billion for muscular dystrophy charity.

    According to Bonhams, the reverse side was stamped with " Paramount Photo by Bud Fraker". According to mptvimages.com , Fraker was born in 1916, died in 2002, and worked as Director of Still Photography at Columbia and later Paramount. · Public domain
  6. 1935

    Germany reintroduces conscription and renames its army the Wehrmacht

    In the app
  7. 1802

    United States Military Academy founded at West Point

    In the app
  8. 1815

    Willem proclaims himself king of the United Netherlands

    In the app

26 more events on March 16

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Born on March 16

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  • James Madison
    1751 – 1836 · Politician

    James Madison

    Madison was the fourth president of the United States and is remembered as the main architect of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. He also co-wrote The Federalist Papers, essays urging states to ratify the Constitution.

    John Vanderlyn · Public domain
  • Richard Stallman
    1953 · Programmer

    Richard Stallman

    American programmer who launched the GNU Project in 1983 to build a Unix-like operating system from free code alone. He also wrote the GNU General Public License, and still campaigns for computer users' freedoms.

    Patafisik · CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Sully Prudhomme
    1839 – 1907 · Poet

    Sully Prudhomme

    The French poet and essayist became the first ever Nobel laureate in literature, honoured in 1901. Trained as an engineer before turning to philosophy, he aimed to write scientific poetry for modern times, and his sincere, melancholy verse loosely fits the Parnassian school.

    Unknown Unknown , uploaded, stitched and restored by Jebulon · Public domain

Died on March 16

45 more in the app
  • Selma Lagerlöf
    1858 – 1940 · Writer

    Selma Lagerlöf

    Swedish novelist remembered for Gösta Berling's Saga, her first novel, written when she was 33. In 1909 she became the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature, and in 1914 the first woman admitted to the Swedish Academy.

    Atelier Jaeger · Public domain
  • Tiberius
    42 BC – 37 · Military personnel

    Tiberius

    Tiberius was the second Roman emperor, succeeding his stepfather Augustus in AD 14. A capable general and administrator, he is remembered for a reign marked by suspicion, a withdrawal from Rome, and a difficult relationship with the Senate.

    Didier Descouens · Public domain
  • Charles-Albert Gobat
    1843 – 1914 · Politician

    Charles-Albert Gobat

    Swiss lawyer and politician who shared the 1902 Nobel Peace Prize with Élie Ducommun for leading the Permanent International Peace Bureau. He spent his later years promoting international arbitration as a way to settle disputes between nations.

    Unknown author Unknown author · Public domain

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