On this day...

1532 Pizarro seizes Incan emperor Atahualpa after victory at Cajamarca
1676 First colonial prison organized, Nantucket, Massachusetts
1776 Hessians capture Fort Washington, Manhattan
1798 Kentucky becomes first state to nullify an act of Congress
1841 N.E. Guerin of NY patents cork-filled life preserver
1864 Union General William T. Sherman begins march to the sea during Civil War
1894 6,000 Armenians massacred by Turks in Kurdistan
1907 Oklahoma becomes 46th state
1908 Arturo Tuscanini begins conducting NY's Metropolitan Opera
1914 Federal Reserve System formally opens
1918 Hungarian People's Republic declared
1920 Postage meter first used in US in lieu of postage stamps
1924 Cleveland Bulldogs lose to Frankford Yellowjackets, ends 31-game undefeated streak (NFL & major-league football record)
1925 American Association for the Advancement of Atheism formed in NY
1926 NY Rangers' first game, beat Montreal Maroons 1-0
1933 Roosevelt establishes diplomatic relations with USSR
1945 Yeshiva College, chartered in NY, First US Jewish College
1950 UN gets US government approval to issue postage stamps
1955 First speed-boat to exceed 200 mph (D. M. Campbell)
1957 Ed Gein butchers last victim
1959 "Sound of Music" opens on Broadway
1962 Wilt Chamberlain of NBA SF Warriors scores 73 points vs. NY
1965 First public announcement about Walt Disney World
1965 Venera 3 launched, first to land on another planet (crashes into Venus)
1966 Dr. Sam Sheppard freed after 9 years in jail, by a jury
1973 President Nixon authorizes construction of the Alaskan pipeline
1973 Skylab 4 launched into Earth orbit
1974 First intentional interstellar radio message sent, Arecibo telescope towards M 41, a cluster of stars some 25,000 light years away
1974 Milwaukee Bucks lose their 11th straight NBA game (team record)
1976 Rick Barry (SF), ends then longest NBA free throw streak of 60
1978 Major Indoor Soccer League holds its first draft
1981 Luke marries Laura on General Hospital
1982 Agreement reached ending 57 day football strike
1984 Houston blocks 20 Denver shots tying NBA regulation game record
1987 Lisa Bonet marries Lenny Kravitz
1988 Benazir Bhutto wins First free Pakistani elections in 11 years
1988 Estonia declares sovereignty in internal affairs
1988 Robin Givens sues Mike Tyson for $125 million for libel
1989 6 Jesuit priests are killed by El Salvadorian troops
1990 Manuel Noriega claims US denied him a fair trial

Birthdays which occurred on November 16th:

42 -BC- Tiberius Caesar 2nd Roman emperor (14-37 AD)
1873 W(illiam) C(hristopher) Handy Alabama, jazz star (St Louis Blues)
1888 Clinton Golden, Pennsylvania, founder (United Steelworkers of America)
1889 George S. Kaufman, Pittsburgh, playwright (This is Show Business)
1895 Michael Arlen Armenia, English writer (An American Verdict)
1896 Lawrence Tibbett, Bakersfield California, baritone (Metropolitan 1923-50)
1904 Eddie Condon, Goodland Indiana, jazz guitarist (Eddie Condon's Floor Show)
1908 Burgess Meredith, Cleveland, actor (Mr. Novak, Penguin-Batman, Rocky)
1916 Daws Butler, Toledo Ohio, cartoon voice (Elroy Jetson)
1922 Royal Dano, New York, actor (Red Badge of Courage, Cocaine Wars, House II)
1928 Clu Gulager, Holdenville Oklahoma, actor (Virginian, Survivors, Tall Man)
1930 Chinua Achebe, Nigerian writer (Christmas in Biafra)
1933 Guy Stockwell, New York, actor (Chris-Adventures in Paradise)
1935 Elizabeth Drew, journalist (Politics & Money: The Road to Corruption)
1941 Ann Dore McLaughlin, US Secretary of Labor
1942 Donna McKechnie, Pontiac Michigan, actress/dancer (Company)
1944 Joanna Pettit, London, actress (Knots Landing, Cry of the Innocent)
1945 Martine van Hamel, Belgium, ballerina (NYC Ballet Co)
1948 Steve Railsback, actor (Blue Monkey, Green Monkey, Escape 2000)
1950 Carl J. Meade, Illinos, Major USAF/astronaut (STS 38, sk:STS-50)
1950 David Leisure, actor (Joe Isuzu, Airplane, Charley-Empty Nest)
1953 Griff Rhys Jones, British humorist/actor (Morons From Outer Space)
1963 Zina Garrison, Houston, tennis player (1988 Olympics Gold, Bronze)
1964 Dwight Gooden, baseball pitcher (NY Mets)
1966 Tammy Lauren, San Diego, actress (Angie, Out of the Blue)
1966 Tricia Cast, Medford NY, actress (Amanda-Bad News Bears, Young & Restless)
1967 Lisa Bonet, San Francisco, actress (Cosby Show, Different World, Angel Heart)
1969 Bryan Abrams, vocalist (Color Me Badd-I Want to Sex You Up)
1970 Martha Plimpton, actress (Goonies, Mosquito Coast)
1971 Donald Wolf, computer game creator

Deaths which occurred on November 16th:

1885 Louis Riel, French rebel who fought against Canada, executed at 41
1960 Clark Gable dies at 59
1961 Sam Rayburn, Speaker of the House for 17 years
1965 Alexander King, writer (Jack Paar Show), dies at 66
1981 Enid Markey, actress (Aunt Violet-Bringing Up Buddy), dies at 85