2026 Maiduguri bombings
A series of Boko Haram bombings leave 26 dead and 146 injured in Maiduguri, Nigeria.
What happened on March 16
37 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 1621 to 2026.
Standout on March 16
2025
Kočani nightclub fire
A fire breaks out in a nightclub in Kočani, North Macedonia, killing at least 59 people and injuring 155 others.
About March 16
March 16 is the 75th day of the year. These facts are computed from the calendar, not copied from anywhere.
- Day of the year
- Day 75 of 365 (76 in leap years)290 days left in the year (290 in leap years)
- Falls on
- Monday in 2026, Tuesday in 2027, Thursday in 2028, Friday in 2029, Saturday in 2030
- Week
- ISO week 12 of 2026 · Q1
- Zodiac sign
- ♓ Pisces (February 19 – March 20)
- Season
- Winter in the north · Summer in the south
- March birthstone
- Aquamarine / Bloodstoneserenity, courage and health
- March birth flower
- Daffodil / Jonquilnew beginnings and rebirth
- Next occurrence
- In 143 days
- Roman numerals
- XVI.IIIday.month — see the Roman numeral date tool
Anniversaries in 2026
- 30thAjiona Alexus1996
- 30thIvan Toney1996
- 30thTim David1996
- 25th2001 Shijiazhuang bombings2001
- 25thKyle Hamilton2001
- 10th2016 Peshawar bus bombing2016
- 10thAlexander Esenin-Volpin2016
- 10thFrank Sinatra Jr.2016
March 16 through the years
- 10 years ago2016
- March 2016 Maiduguri bombings · 2016 Peshawar bus bombing · Alexander Esenin-Volpin
- 25 years ago2001
- 2001 Shijiazhuang bombings · Kyle Hamilton
- 50 years ago1976
- Nothing recorded
- 100 years ago1926
- Nothing recorded
- 200 years ago1826
- Nothing recorded
Born on March 16 — ages this year
- 2001Kyle Hamiltonturns 25
- 2000Jalen Smithturns 26
- 1999Vladimir Guerrero Jr.turns 27
- 1997Florian Neuhausturns 29
- 1997Tyrel Jackson Williamsturns 29
- 1997Dominic Calvert-Lewinturns 29
Historical events 37
A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Kočani nightclub fire
A fire breaks out in a nightclub in Kočani, North Macedonia, killing at least 59 people and injuring 155 others.
Mariupol theatre airstrike
Mariupol theatre airstrike during the siege of Mariupol.
2022 Fukushima earthquake
A 7.4-magnitude earthquake occurs off the coast of Fukushima, Japan, killing 4 people and injuring 225.
2021 Atlanta spa shootings
Atlanta spa shootings: Eight people are killed and one is injured in a trio of shootings at spas in and near Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. A suspect is arrested the same day.
2020 stock market crash
The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls by 2,997.10, the single largest point drop in history and the second-largest percentage drop ever at 12.93%, an even greater crash than Black Monday (1929). This follows the U.S. Federal Reserve announcing that it will cut its target interest rate to 0–0.25%.
March 2016 Maiduguri bombings
Two suicide bombers detonate their explosives at a mosque during morning prayer on the outskirts of Maiduguri, Nigeria, killing 24 and injuring 18.
2016 Peshawar bus bombing
A bomb detonates in a bus carrying government employees in Peshawar, Pakistan, killing 15 and injuring at least 30.
Teddy Sinclair
Natalia Kills and Willy Moon were fired as judges on the second series of The X Factor New Zealand, following public backlash over comments they made to a contestant during the first live show.
Crimea
Crimea votes in a controversial referendum to secede from Ukraine to join Russia.
Sachin Tendulkar
Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar becomes the first batter in history to score 100 centuries in international cricket.
Kasubi Tombs
The Kasubi Tombs, Uganda's only cultural World Heritage Site, are destroyed in a fire.
Israel
Israel officially hands over Jericho to Palestinian control.
Rachel Corrie
American peace activist Rachel Corrie was crushed to death by an Israel Defense Forces armored bulldozer in Rafah while protesting the demolition of a Palestinian house.
Sofia Gubaidulina
Sofia Gubaidulina's Johannes-Ostern was premiered in Hamburg, together with her Johannes-Passion, by soloists, choirs and orchestras from the Mariinsky Theatre and the NDR.
2001 Shijiazhuang bombings
A series of bomb blasts in the city of Shijiazhuang, China, killed 108 people.
Mississippi
Mississippi formally ratifies the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, becoming the last state to approve the abolition of slavery. The Thirteenth Amendment was officially ratified in 1865.
The Troubles
The Troubles: Ulster loyalist militant Michael Stone attacks a Provisional IRA funeral in Belfast with pistols and grenades. Three persons, one of them a member of PIRA, are killed, and more than 60 others are wounded.
Michael Stone (loyalist)
Michael Stone, an Ulster loyalist, attacked the funeral of three Provisional IRA members, killing three attendees and injuring at least sixty others.
Iran–Iraq War
Iran–Iraq War: Iraqi forces began attacking the Kurdish town of Halabja with chemical weapons, killing up to 5,000 people.
Iran–Contra affair
Iran–Contra affair: Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North and Vice Admiral John Poindexter are indicted on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States.
Halabja massacre
Halabja chemical attack: The Kurdish town of Halabja in Iraq is attacked with a mix of poison gas and nerve agents on the orders of Saddam Hussein, killing 5,000 people and injuring about 10,000 people.
Associated Press
Associated Press newsman Terry Anderson is taken hostage in Beirut; he is not released until December 1991.
William Francis Buckley
William Buckley, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency station chief in Beirut, Lebanon, was kidnapped by Islamic fundamentalists.
Aldo Moro
Former Prime Minister of Italy Aldo Moro was kidnapped in Rome by Mario Moretti and the Red Brigades.
Vietnam War
Vietnam War: American soldiers killed hundreds of unarmed civilians in the Sơn Mỹ village in the Sơn Tịnh District of South Vietnam.
Flying Tiger Line Flight 739
Flying Tiger Line Flight 739, a charter flight carrying U.S. and South Vietnamese soldiers, disappeared without a trace, prompting one of the largest searches in the history of the Pacific.
African Americans
African American civil rights activists in Savannah, Georgia, conducted a sit-in, commencing the Savannah Protest Movement.
World War II
World War II: Operation Appearance took place to re-establish British Somaliland in Africa.
Conscription
Conscription was re-introduced in Germany by the Nazi regime, and the German military was renamed the Wehrmacht.
1872 FA Cup final
In the inaugural final of the FA Cup Wanderers defeated Royal Engineers 1–0 in London.
Bank for Savings in the City of New-York
The Bank for Savings in the City of New-York, the first savings bank in New York City, was incorporated.
United States Congress
Congress passed the Military Peace Establishment Act, authorizing the establishment of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to operate the U.S. Military Academy (pictured) at West Point, New York.
American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War: Spain captured the island of Roatán from England off the coast of what is now Honduras.
Royal Welch Fusiliers
The Royal Welch Fusiliers, one of the oldest line-infantry regiments of the British Army, was founded.
Long Parliament
The Long Parliament, originally called by King Charles I of England in 1640 following the Bishops' Wars, dissolved itself.
Samoset
Samoset, a member of the Abenaki tribe, walked into Plymouth Colony and greeted the Pilgrims in English.
Births 20
A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
Deaths 20
A notable person who died on this day.
Louise Slaughter
Louise Slaughter, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York (born 1929)
Alexander Esenin-Volpin
Alexander Esenin-Volpin, Russian-American mathematician and poet (born 1924)
Jack Haley (basketball)
Jack Haley, American basketball player and sportscaster (born 1964)
Yulisa Pat Amadu Maddy
Yulisa Pat Amadu Maddy, Sierra Leonean author, poet, and playwright (born 1936)
Jamal Nazrul Islam
Jamal Nazrul Islam, Bangladeshi physicist and cosmologist (born 1939)
José Alfredo Martínez de Hoz
José Alfredo Martínez de Hoz, Argentinian economist and politician, Minister of Economy of Argentina (born 1925)
Holidays & observances 8
A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
Eusebia of Hamage
Christian feast day: Eusebia of Hamage
Finian Lobhar
Christian feast day: Finian Lobhar (Finian the Leper)
Julian of Antioch
Christian feast day: Julian of Antioch
Beatification
Christian feast day: Blessed John Amias and Robert Dalby
Hilarius of Aquileia
Christian feast day: Hilarius of Aquileia
Jean de Brébeuf
Christian feast day: Jean de Brébeuf
March 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Christian feast day: March 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Heribert of Cologne
Christian feast day: Heribert of Cologne
Spread across the centuries
- 17th century3
- 18th century1
- 19th century3
- 20th century33
- 21st century37
Earliest: Samoset (1621). Most recent: 2026 Maiduguri bombings (2026).
What the categories mean, and how the standout is chosen
- Historical events
- A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
- Births
- A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
- Deaths
- A notable person who died on this day.
- Milestones
- A first, a founding or a turning point our editors flagged as a landmark moment.
- Holidays & observances
- A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
- Standout / notable
- Editor-written entries come first, then entries covered by the most Wikipedia language editions. For the standout tile we prefer an entry that has a picture.
Nearby and related
Questions about March 16
What day of the year is March 16?
March 16 is the 75th day of the year, with 290 days left after it.
What star sign is March 16?
March 16 falls under Pisces (February 19 – March 20), a water sign ruled by Neptune (traditionally Jupiter). The birthstone for the month is Aquamarine or Bloodstone.
How many things happened on March 16?
We record 85 entries for March 16: 37 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 1621 to 2026.
Who was born on March 16?
Kyle Hamilton (2001) is among the notable births on March 16. The births section lists the rest.
How often is the March 16 page updated?
The day is filled the first time anyone opens it and then re-checked for new entries about every 90 days. Computed facts such as the weekday and the anniversaries update every year.
Get a daily entry like March 16
One short email a day from this calendar. Kept for this site only.
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.