Appreciate a Dragon Day
Appreciate a Dragon Day is celebrated annually on January 16th and is a fun, imaginative holiday dedicated to dragons in literature, mythology, and popular culture. The day encourages people of all ages to appreciate dragons and their rich presence in stories, art, games, and films.
Fig Newton Day
National Fig Newton Day is celebrated on January 16th every year, honoring the classic fig-filled cookie that has been a beloved treat for over a century. The name “Newton” is derived from Newton, Massachusetts, where the cookies were first created. Fig Newtons were introduced in 1891 by the Kennedy Biscuit Company, which later became part of Nabisco. The cookies were designed as a fig roll pastry filled with sweet fig paste, inspired by a centuries-old European confection.
Here are some notable historical events, births, and observances that took place on January 16th.
Historical Events
1547: Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) was crowned as the first Tsar of Russia.
1786: The Virginia General Assembly adopted the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, authored by Thomas Jefferson, a significant step in establishing the separation of church and state in the U.S.
1919: The United States ratified the 18th Amendment, leading to the prohibition of alcohol.
1920: Prohibition officially began in the U.S. with the enactment of the Volstead Act.
1945: Adolf Hitler moved into the Führerbunker, his underground bunker in Berlin, during the final months of World War II.
1979: The Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, fled Iran amid growing unrest, leading to the Iranian Revolution.
1991: The Gulf War began as allied forces launched Operation Desert Storm to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi occupation.
2003: The Space Shuttle Columbia launched on its final mission, STS-107. The shuttle disintegrated during re-entry on February 1, 2003.
Famous Birthdays
1706: Benjamin Franklin, American Founding Father, polymath, inventor, and diplomat.
1901: Fulgencio Batista, Cuban military officer and politician, President of Cuba (d. 1973).
1932: Dian Fossey, American primatologist and conservationist known for her work with mountain gorillas (d. 1985).
1948: John Carpenter, American film director and screenwriter (Halloween, The Thing).
1959: Sade Adu, British-Nigerian singer-songwriter and actress.
1974: Kate Moss, British supermodel.
Notable Deaths
27 BCE: Gaius Octavius (Octavian), later known as Augustus Caesar, the first Roman Emperor, traditionally considered to have died on this day, although some sources contest this.
1794: Edward Gibbon (b. 1737), English historian and author of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
1901: Arnold Böcklin (b. 1827), Swiss symbolist painter known for works like The Isle of the Dead.
1942: Carole Lombard (b. 1908), American actress known for her roles in screwball comedies, died in a plane crash.
1962: Ivan Meštrović (b. 1883), Croatian sculptor and architect, considered one of the most important sculptors of the 20th century.
1979: Ted Cassidy (b. 1932), American actor known for playing Lurch on The Addams Family.
2001: Laurent-Désiré Kabila (b. 1939), President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, assassinated.
2017: Eugene Cernan (b. 1934), American astronaut and the last person to walk on the Moon during Apollo 17.
