February 16

Today in History
• 374 - 9th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet
• 1486 - Maximilian I is elected King of the Romans at Frankfurt
• 1512 - Battle at Valeggio: French troops beat Venetianen
• 1559 - Pope Paul IV calls for deposition of sovereigns supporting heresy
• 1641 - English king Charles I accepts Triennial Act
• 1646 - Battle of Great Torrington, Devon
• 1741 - Benjamin Franklin's General Magazine begins publishing
• 1852 - Studebaker Brothers wagon company established


Holidays - Traditional and Obscure
• Archbishop Janani Luwum Day
• Fat Thursday
• Feast of Saint Vartan
• Innovation Day
• Kyoto Protocol Day
• National Almond Day
• Restoration of the State Day in Lithuania
• World Anthropology Day

Birthdays
• 1075 - Ordericus Vitalis, French monk/historian/poet
• 1222 - Nichiren, Japanese Buddhist priest and saint
• 1620 - Frederick William, Great Elector, founder of Brandenburg-Prussia
• 1633 - King Narai 'the Great' of the Ayutthaya Kingdom (Siam)
• 1761 - Charles Pichegru, French general who plotted to overthrow Napoleon
• 1812 - Henry Wilson, American politician, 18th VP (1873-75)
• 1852 - Charles Taze Russell, religion founder, Jehovah's Witnesses
• 1909 - Richard McDonald, American fast food pioneer (McDonalds)