On this day...

1631 Mount Vesuvious, Italy erupts, destroys six villages & kills 4,000
1653 Oliver Cromwell became Lord Protector of England, Scotland & Ireland
1689 English Parliament adopts Bill of Rights after Glorious Revolution
1773 Tea Party in Boston Harbor
1809 Napoleon Bonaparte divorces Empress Josephine by the French Senate
1835 Fire consumes over 600 buildings in New York City
1838 Boers defeat Zulu chieftain Dingaan in South Africa
1857 Earthquake in Naples, Italy
1862 Kingdom of Nepal accepts its constitution
1864 Battle of Nashville, US Civil War
1893 Anton Dvorak's "New World Symphony" premieres
1897 First submarine with an internal combustion engine demonstrated
1903 Majestic Theater, NYC, becomes first in US to employ women ushers
1905 "Variety," covering all phases of show business, first published
1907 Great White Fleet sails from Hampton Downs on its World Cruise
1908 First credit union in US formed, Manchester, NH
1929 First NHL game at Chicago Stadium (Black Hawks)
1941 Sarawak occupied by the Japanese
1943 "Tamiami Champion" trains collide, kills 73 & injures 200
1944 Battle of the Bulge begins in Belgium
1950 Truman proclaims state of emergency against "Communist Imperialism"
1959 Snow falling in Lowarai Pass West Pakistan kills 48
1960 TWA 266 & United 826 collide over Staten Island, kills 134
1965 Gemini 6 returns to Earth
1965 Pioneer 6 launched into solar orbit
1967 Wilt Chamberlain of NBA Philadelphia 76ers scores 68 points vs. Chicago
1971 Pakistan army surrenders to Indian army in Bangladesh
1972 Miami Dolphins become first undefeated NFL team (14-0-0)
1973 O.J. Simpson becomes first to rush 2,000 yard in a season
1976 Governmentt halts swine flu vaccination program following reports of paralysis
1978 Ronald Reagan denounces Jimmy Carter's recognition of China PR
1980 Alexander Haig named Reagan's Secretary of State
1983 Yogi Berra named Yankee manager for second time
1987 Roh Tae Woo wins Presidential Election in South Korea
1988 Political cult leader Lyndon LaRouche convicted of tax, mail fraud
1991 UN reverses ruling that Zionism is racism by 111-25 (13 abstain) vote
1992 Israel orders deportation of 415 Palestinians after escalating terrorist activity

Birthdays which occurred on December 16th:

1485 Catherine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII
1770 Ludwig von Beethoven, Bonn Germany, composer (Ode to Joy)
1775 Jane Austin, England, novelist (Pride & Prejudice)
1857 Edward Emerson Barnard, Tennessee, astronomer (Jupiter's 5th satellite)
1863 George Santayana, Spain, philosopher/poet/humanist (Last Puritan)
1863 Ralph Adams Cram, US, gothic architect (Cathedral of St Joan NYC)
1882 Sir John Berry Hobbs, England, first cricket player knighted (1953)
1900 Victor S. Pritchett, literary critic/author (Myth Makers)
1901 Margaret Mead, Philadelphia, anthropologist (Coming of Age in Samoa)
1917 Arthur C. Clarke, sci-fi author (2001, 2010, Childhood's End)
1928 Philip K. Dick, US, writer (Blade Runner)
1932 Rodion Shchedrin, Moscow, composer (Humpback Horse)
1937 Joyce Bulifant, Newport News VA, actress (Marie-Mary Tyler Moore Show)
1938 Michael Greer, Durham NC, actor (Bobby Gentry Show)
1939 Liv Ullman, Tokyo, actress (Cries & Whispers, 40 Carats)
1941 Lesley Stahl, Lynn Massachusetts, White House correspondent (CBS-TV)
1943 Steven Bochco, producer (Hill St. Blues, LA Law, St. Elsewhere)
1943 Tony Hicks, rocker (Hollies-The Air That I Breathe)
1946 Benny Andersson, Stockholm, singer (ABBA)
1947 Ben Cross, actor (Chariots of Fire)
1947 Vincent Matthews, US, 400m dash (Olympic Gold-1972)
1949 Billy Gibbons, guitarist/vocalist (ZZ Top)
1952 Elayne Boosler, comedienne (Night Court)
1958 Bart Oates, NFL center (NY Giants)
1959 Alison La Placa, actress (Duet)
1962 Maruschka Detmers, Schoonebeek Holland, actress (Devil in the Flesh)
1962 Melanie Smith, Scranton PA, actress (Emily-As the World Turns)
1962 William "The Refrigerator" Perry, NFL, (Chicago Bears)

Deaths which occurred on December 16th:

1916 Grigori Rasputin, Russian monk, is murdered
1922 Gabriel Narutowicz, first President of Polish Republic assassinated
1965 W. Somerset Maugham, English author ("Of Human Bondage"), dies at 91
1976 George, a goose that lived to 49 years 8 months
1985 Paul Castellano, Organized-crime chief, shot dead in a NYC restaurant
1987 Albert P. Morano, (Rep-R-Conn, 1951-59), dies at 79