1202
Politics
Succeeded as Countess of Angoulême
By her father’s death, Isabella became Countess of Angoulême in her own right.
View detailsThis Day
16April
37 indexed achievements across recorded history.
1607
Medicine
Delivered Nicolas Henri, Duke of Orléans
Bourgeois managed the birth of Nicolas Henri, Duke of Orléans, on 16 April 1607.
View details1689
Science
Death in London
Aphra Behn died in London on 16 April 1689 and was buried in Westminster Abbey, remembered as a pioneering professional woman writer.
View details1755
Arts
Birth of Élisabeth Louise Vigée in Paris
Élisabeth Louise Vigée, future celebrated portraitist, was born in Paris, France, on 16 April 1755.
View details1755
Arts
Birth of Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun
Birth of renowned French portraitist Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun.
View details1755
Arts
Birth of Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun in Paris
Élisabeth Louise Vigée was born in Paris, later becoming one of the most celebrated portrait painters of the 18th century.
View details1763
Science
Death in Newport, Rhode Island
Ann Smith Franklin died in Newport, Rhode Island, on April 16, 1763; her Newport Mercury obituary praised her 'great integrity.'
View details1823
Activism
Birth of Esther Pariseau
Esther Pariseau, later Mother Joseph, was born on April 16, 1823.
View details1841
Arts
Marriage to Louis Viardot
Pauline García married theater director and writer Louis Viardot on April 16, 1841, adopting the name by which history would remember her.
View details1845
Science
1845 patent for Submarine Telescope and Lamp
Sarah P. Mather receives a U.S. patent on April 16, 1845 for her “Submarine Telescope and Lamp,” the earliest known patented underwater telescope/periscope-like device.
View details1850
Arts
Death of Marie Tussaud
Marie Tussaud died on April 16, 1850, leaving behind her legacy.
View details1891
1893
Literature
Birth of Elisaveta Bagrjana
Elisaveta Bagrjana was born on April 16, 1893, in Sofia.
View details1906
Activism
Presentation of the 1905 Nobel Peace Prize
The 1905 Nobel Peace Prize was formally presented to Bertha von Suttner at a ceremony held on this date.
View details1906
Activism
Ceremonial presentation of Nobel Peace Prize
Bertha von Suttner receives the Nobel Peace Prize medal and diploma.
View details1912
Aviation
First woman to fly solo across the English Channel
Quimby flies a Blériot monoplane solo from Dover to the French coast, becoming the first woman to cross the English Channel by air.
View details1928
Sports
Sets Washington state record in 100-yard freestyle
Madison set a Washington state record of 1:08.1 in the 100-yard freestyle at Crystal Natatorium, also winning the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard backstroke.
View details1930
Medicine
Death of Linda Richards
Linda Richards died on April 16, 1930, in Boston, Massachusetts.
View details1935
Literature
Birth of Sarah Kirsch in Limlingerode, Germany
Sarah Kirsch, born Ingrid Bernstein, was born on 16 April 1935 in Limlingerode, Thuringia, Germany.
View details1937
Arts
Becomes director of Harlem Community Art Center
Savage became the first director of the Harlem Community Art Center, a WPA-backed training ground for Black artists.
View details1943
Science
Captured by the Gestapo
Odette and Peter Churchill were arrested by the Gestapo at Saint-Jorioz, beginning a period of brutal imprisonment and torture.
View details1958
Science
Death of Rosalind Franklin
Rosalind Franklin died in London at age 37 from ovarian cancer complications.
View details1968
Literature
Death of Edna Ferber in New York City
Edna Ferber died on April 16, 1968, in New York City at age 82, reportedly from stomach cancer.
View details1969
Arts
Induction into the Television Hall of Fame
Lucille Ball was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame for her pioneering work in television comedy and production.
View details1971
Arts
Birth of Selena Quintanilla-Pérez
Birth of Selena Quintanilla-Pérez in Lake Jackson, Texas, to Abraham and Marcella Quintanilla.
View details1980
Science
Chemical Pioneer Award presented
Kwolek received the Chemical Pioneer Award from the American Institute of Chemists.
View details1981
Sports
Death of Effa Manley
Effa Manley died in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 84, decades before her posthumous Hall of Fame recognition.
View details1992
Activism
End of 47-day hunger strike
Dunham ended her 47-day hunger strike on April 16, 1992, after officials pledged to review U.S. policy toward Haitian refugees.
View details2002
Science
Innovative Lives presentation at the Smithsonian
Presented at the Smithsonian Lemelson Center on pioneering contributions.
View details2009
Science
First woman Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme
Clark formally assumed office as Administrator of the UNDP on 16 April 2009, becoming the first woman to lead the organization.
View details2013
Medicine
Albany Medical Center Prize Announcement
Rowley was named a co-winner of the 2013 Albany Medical Center Prize for discovering the first consistent chromosome translocation in human cancer.
View details2013
Science
Professional Speaking Profile Published
A speaking profile described Jessica O. Matthews as the inventor of the Soccket at age 19 and as founder of a renewable-energy company.
View details2013
Exploration
Reached North Pole
Vanessa O'Brien reached the North Pole on April 16, 2013, completing the Explorers Grand Slam.
View details2013
Science
Formal Recognition of First Consistent Chromosomal Translocation in Human Cancer
Albany Medical College formally recognized Rowley's identification of the first consistent chromosomal translocation in any human cancer.
View details2015
Arts
Named to Time 100 Most Influential People list
Time magazine named Björk to its 2015 Time 100 list of the world's most influential people on April 16, 2015.
View details2016
Science
Westminster Abbey commemorates death anniversary
On 16 April 2016, Westminster Abbey publicly marked the anniversary of Behn's death, honoring her as one of the first women to earn a living by writing.
View details2025
Science
Death of Jane Goodall
Jane Goodall died on April 16, 2025, marking the end of an era in conservation science.
View details