Historical eventMarch 161984

William Francis Buckley

William Buckley, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency station chief in Beirut, Lebanon, was kidnapped by Islamic fundamentalists.

Everything on March 16Original source

In context

When
Friday, March 16 198442 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1980s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 1984.

What happened

William Buckley, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency station chief in Beirut, Lebanon, was kidnapped by Islamic fundamentalists.

March 16 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1984William Francis Buckley
  2. 2014Crimea
  3. 2015Teddy Sinclair
  4. 2016March 2016 Maiduguri bombings
  5. 20162016 Peshawar bus bombing
  6. 20202020 stock market crash
  7. 20212021 Atlanta spa shootings
  8. 2022Mariupol theatre airstrike
  9. 20222022 Fukushima earthquake
  10. 2025Kočani nightclub fire
  11. 20262026 Maiduguri bombings

Also in 1984

  • March 14Gerry AdamsGerry Adams, leader of Sinn Féin, was seriously wounded in an assassination attempt by Ulster Freedom Fighters in central Belfast, Northe…
  • September 14Joseph KittingerJoe Kittinger becomes the first person to fly a gas balloon alone across the Atlantic Ocean.
  • September 5STS-41-DSTS-41-D: The Space Shuttle Discovery lands after its maiden voyage.
  • September 5Western AustraliaWestern Australia becomes the last Australian state to abolish capital punishment.
  • October 20Sinking of the Spanish trawler SoniaThe Spanish trawler Sonia sank in British waters after a five-hour chase by the Irish Naval Service patrol vessel Aisling, during which a…
  • November 27Brussels Agreement (1984)Under the Brussels Agreement signed between the governments of the United Kingdom and Spain, the former agrees to enter into discussions…
  • July 5Supreme Court of the United StatesThe United States Supreme Court gives its United States v. Leon decision providing a good-faith exception from the Fourth Amendment exclu…
  • December 10United Nations General AssemblyUnited Nations General Assembly recognizes the Convention against Torture.

Everything we record for 1984 →

Sources

Cite this page

“William Francis Buckley”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/william-francis-buckley-1984-march-16, accessed October 25, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did William Francis Buckley happen?

March 16 1984 — 42 years ago, on a Friday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.