This Day In History, October 16th.
Five Historical Events That Happened on October 16th
During the French Revolution, Queen Marie Antoinette of France is killed by guillotine.
1859: John Brown launches an assault on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in an attempt to spark a slave uprising. Brown is later hung after the attack fails.
Thomas Edison, an American inventor, invents the first workable two-way telegraph in 1901.
The Cuban Missile Crisis began in 1962, when the US finds Soviet missiles in Cuba.
Cardinal Karol Wojtyla of Poland is elected Pope John Paul II in 1978, making him the first non-Italian pope in 455 years.
1793: Queen Marie Antoinette of France is beheaded by guillotine during the French Revolution.
During the French Revolution, Queen Marie Antoinette of France was killed by guillotine on October 16, 1793. She was the wife of King Louis XVI, who had been guillotined nine months previously. Marie Antoinette was a divisive figure in France, because to her luxurious lifestyle and her disregard to the suffering of the French people. She was charged with treason and other crimes against the French nation, and after a trial, the revolutionary tribunal condemned her to death. Her execution was a watershed moment in French Revolution and European history.
1859: John Brown leads a raid on Harpers Ferry in Virginia, with the aim of starting a slave rebellion. The raid fails and Brown is later hanged.
Abolitionist John Brown launched an assault on the government armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, on October 16, 1859, with the goal of sparking a slave uprising. Brown hoped that by taking the armory and its weapons, he might arm enslaved people and launch a slave insurrection. The raid, however, failed, and Brown and his companions were caught and apprehended by federal forces headed by Colonel Robert E. Lee. Brown was later prosecuted, found guilty of treason, and executed on December 2, 1859. The attack on Harpers Ferry was a key incident in the run-up to the American Civil War, highlighting tensions in the United States between abolitionists and advocates of slavery.
1901: American inventor Thomas Edison invents the first practical two-way telegraph.
On October 16, 1901, the first functional two-way telegraph, created in partnership with the American Telegraph and Telephone Company, was successfully demonstrated by American inventor Thomas Edison. This device enabled messages to be delivered and received over the same line at the same time, improving communication and laying the way for the creation of contemporary telecommunications. The two-way telegraph was crucial in the early growth of the telegraph business, and it helped to transform long-distance communication.
1962: The Cuban Missile Crisis begins as the United States discovers Soviet missiles in Cuba.
The Cuban Missile Crisis began on October 16, 1962, when President John F. Kennedy learned that the Soviet Union had surreptitiously deployed ballistic missiles in Cuba. The revelation of the missiles sparked a 13-day political and military stalemate between the US and the Soviet Union, with nuclear Armageddon approaching. The situation was eventually resolved when the Soviet Union agreed to withdraw the missiles in exchange for a US guarantee not to invade Cuba and to remove US missiles from Turkey. The Cuban Missile Crisis is regarded as one of the most perilous episodes of the Cold War and a watershed point in world history.
1978: Cardinal Karol Wojtyla of Poland is elected Pope John Paul II, becoming the first non-Italian pope in 455 years.
Cardinal Karol Wojtyla of Poland was elected Pope John Paul II by the College of Cardinals on October 16, 1978, following the death of Pope John Paul I after only 33 days in office. Pope John Paul II was the first pope from a Slavic country and the first non-Italian pope in 455 years. His papacy was distinguished by his attempts to promote interfaith communication, social fairness, and human rights, and he was instrumental in the fall of communism in Eastern Europe. Pope John Paul II was the longest-serving pope in history, having been in office for almost 26 years. His legacy continues to have an impact on the Catholic Church and the rest of the world today.