Elvis left the building for good on this day in 1977.
Today is Friday, August 16, 2019, the 228th day of the year, with 137 days remaining. 38 days until autumn and a mere 445 days until the 2020 Presidential Election.
- Sunrise: 6:26am
- Sunset: 8:02pm ...giving us 13 hours and 38 minutes of daylight. 99% of the moon will be visible, rising at 9:04pm.
Tides at the Golden Gate
- High: 12:16am/1:52pm
- Low: 6:50am/6:53pm
Special celebrations & commemorations today…
- Children's Day - Paraguay
- Independence Day - Gabon
- Restoration Day - Dominican Republic
- Montserrat Annual Pilgrimage - Montserrat
- Bennington Battle Day (Vermont) - US
- Brother's Day
- Men's Grooming Day
- National Airborne Day
- National Rollercoaster Day
- Surveillance Day
- National Bratwurst Day
- National Rum Day
On this day in…
1777 - During the American Revolutionary War, the Battle of Bennington took place. New England's minutemen routed the British regulars.
1812 - Detroit fell to Indian and British troops in the War of 1812.
1829 - The "Siamese twins," Chang and Eng Bunker, arrived in Boston,MA. They had come to the Western world to be exhibited. They were 18 years old and joined at the waist.
1842 - In New York City, the U.S. government took over operations of the City Despatch Post. This was the first congressionally authorized local postage delivery.
1858 - A telegraphed message from Britain's Queen Victoria toU.S. President Buchanan was transmitted over the recently laid trans-Atlantic cable.
1861 -U.S. President Lincoln prohibited the Union states from trading with the states of the Confederacy.
1923 - Carnegie Steel Corporation put into place the eight-hour workday for its employees.
1930 - The first British Empire Games were held at Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The event is now called the British Commonwealth Games.
1954 -Sports Illustrated was published for the first time. It was claimed that 250,000 subscriptions had been sold before the first issue came off of the presses.
1960 - Cyprus was granted independence by Britain.
1960 - The free-fall world record was set by Joseph Kittinger. He fell more than 16 miles (about 84,000 feet) before opening his parachute overNew Mexico.
1984 - TheU.S. Jaycees voted to admit women to full membership in the organization.
1995 - Voters in Bermuda rejected independence from Great Britain.
1999 - In Russia, Vladimir V. Putin was confirmed as prime minister by the lower house of parliament.
Today’s birthday celebrants include (or included)...
- Amos Alonzo Stagg 1862
- Bernard McFadden 1868
- George Meany 1894
- T.E. Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia") 1888
- Menachem Begin (Israel) 1913
- Charles Bukowski 1920
- Shimon Peres 1923 - Israeli politician
- Fess Parker 1925
- Ann Blyth 1928
- Robert Culp 1930
- Eydie Gorme 1931 - Singer
- Julie Newmar 1933 - Actress ("Batman")
- John Standing 1934
- Anita Gillette 1936
- Carole Shelley 1939
- Billy Joe Shaver 1939
- Barbara George 1942
- Robert "Squirrel" Lester 1942 - Singer (The Chi-Lites)
- Bob Balaban 1945 - Actor
- Suzanne Farrell 1945
- Lesley Ann Warren 1946 - Actress
- Joey Spampinato (NRBQ) 1950
- Reginald Vel Johnson 1952
- Kathie Lee Gifford 1953 - Television host ("Today")
- James J.T. Taylor (Kool and The Gang) 1953
- James Cameron 1954 - Director ("Titanic")
- Tim Farriss (INXS) 1957
- Angela Bassett 1958
- Madonna Louise Ciccone 1958 - Singer
- Laura Innes 1959
- Timothy Hutton 1960
- Steve Carell 1962 - Actor ("The Office")
- Donovan Leitch, Jr. 1968 - Actor, son of Donovan (the singer)
- Andy Milder 1968 - Actor ("Weeds")
- Emily Robison 1972 - Singer, musician, songwriter (The Dixie Chicks, Court Yard Hounds)
- Vanessa Carlton 1980 - Singer
- Rumer Willis 1988 - Actress
