On 16th July 1911
Ginger Rogers, American actress and dancer was born.
On 16th July 1945
The United States tested the first atomic bomb near Alamogordo, New Mexico, and the following month dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, hastening the end of World War II.
On 16th July 1951
J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, which centred on the sensitive, rebellious adolescent Holden Caulfield, was published and later became a classic.
On 16th July 1965
The Mont Blanc Tunnel officially opened, linking France and Italy; at the time, it was the world’s longest vehicular tunnel, spanning 7.3 miles (11.7 km).
On 16th July 1967
Will Ferrell, American actor and writer was born.
On 16th July 1969
Apollo 11 lifted off from NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and four days later two of its astronauts, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, became the first humans to set foot on the Moon.
On 16th July 1979
Saddam Hussein became president of Iraq, and his brutal rule, which lasted 24 years, was marked by costly and unsuccessful wars with neighbouring countries as well as atrocities against the Iraqi people.
On 16th July 2001
Jacques Rogge of Belgium was chosen to replace Juan António Samaranch as the president of the International Olympic Committee.
On 16th July 2004
Chicago officially opened its Millennium Park, which featured fountains, eye-catching sculptures, and a large outdoor concert facility designed by architect Frank Gehry.
On 16th July 2017
American filmmaker George A. Romero—who was known for his horror films, notably Night of the Living Dead (1968), which launched a series of related movies—died at age 77.
