February 16 in Pop Culture History

February 16th History, Trivia, and Fun Facts

February 16th History Highlights

  • 1923 – In Thebes, Egypt, English archaeologist Howard Carter entered the sealed burial chamber of the ancient Egyptian ruler King Tutankhamen. He had been looking for King Tut’s tomb since his first trip to Egypt in 1891. The outer chambers were discovered in November 1922.
  • 1959Fidel Castro became the Premier of Cuba after dictator Fulgencio Batista was overthrown (on January 1).
  • February 16, 1967 Birthday (fictional) Phoebe Buffay, Friends, TV
  • 2005 – The Kyoto Protocol came into force.
  • If you were born on February 16th,
    You were likely conceived the week of… May 26th (prior year)

February 16th is…

Do a Grouch a Favor Day
National Almond Day
National Innovation Day

February 16th Birthday Quotes

“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.”
– Henry Adams

“Be authentic to your dreams. Be authentic to your own idea about yourself. Grind away at your own minds and bodies until you become your own invention. Be Mad Scientists.”
– Warren Ellis

“There’s a saying among prospectors: ‘Go out looking for one thing, and that’s all you’ll ever find.”
– Robert Joseph Flaherty

“It’s not about division. It’s not about politics. My concern is how do we come together?”
– LeVar Burton

“We believe a scientist because he can substantiate his remarks, not because he is eloquent and forcible in his enunciation. In fact, we distrust him when he seems to be influencing us by his manner.”
– Ivor Armstrong Richards

“Politics, as a practice, whatever its professions, has always been the systematic organization of hatreds.”
– Henry Adams

“Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a chance?”
– Edgar Bergen

“Heroism is endurance for one moment more.”
– George F. Kennan

“It’s a strange world. Let’s keep it that way.”
– Warren Ellis

February 16th Birthdays

1838 – Henry Brooks Adams, American historian (died in 1918)
1843 – Henry M. Leland, American engineer and businessman, founded Cadillac and Lincoln (died in 1932)
1866 – ‘Sliding’ Billy Hamilton, American baseball player (died in 1940)
1878 – Pamela Colman Smith, English occultist and illustrator (died in 1951)
1884 – Robert Joseph Flaherty, American ‘Father of the Documentary Film’ (died in 1951)
1893 – Ivor Armstrong Richards, English Author (died in 1979)
1901 – Wayne King, American singer-songwriter and conductor (died in 1985)
1903 – Edgar Bergen, American actor and ventriloquist (died in 1978)
1904 – George Keenan, American diplomat (died in 2005)
1909 – Hugh Beaumont, American actor (died in 1982)
1914 – Jimmy Wakely, American country music singer-songwriter (died in 1982)
1920 – Anna Mae Hays, American general (died in 2018)
1931 – Otis Blackwell, American singer-songwriter and pianist (died in 2002)
1935 – Sonny Bono, American actor, singer, and politician (died in 1998)
1952 – William Katt, American actor
1952 – James Ingram, American singer-songwriter (died in 2019)
1954 – Margaux Hemingway, American model and actress (died in 1996)
1957 – LeVar Burton, German-born American actor, director, and producer
1958 – Ice-T (Tracy Lauren Marrow), American rapper and actor
1961 – Andy Taylor, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
1968 – Warren Ellis, English comic book author
1972 – Jerome Bettis, American football player and sportscaster
1982 – Lupe Fiasco, American rapper

February 16th History

1852 – Studebaker Brothers wagon company was established.

1883 – Ladies Home Journal magazine began publication.

1894 – Gunslinger John Wesley Hardin is pardoned after spending 15 years in a Texas prison for murder. Hardin shot and killed a man just for snoring, by firing through the wall at the sleeping snorer.

1923 – Howard Carter unsealed the burial chamber of Pharaoh Tutankhamun.

1959 – Fidel Castro was sworn in as prime minister of Cuba after leading a Communist guerrilla campaign that forced dictator Fulgencio Batista into exile.

1960 – The U.S.S. Triton began the first circumnavigation of the globe underwater and finished on May 10.

1964 – The Beatles appeared in the Ed Sullivan Show for the second time.

1968 – Haleyville, Alabama was the first town to use the 911 emergency number.

1980 – #1 Hits February 16, 1980 – February 22, 1980: Captain & Tennille – Do That to Me One More Time

1983 – The Ash Wednesday brushfires in Southern Austalia took the lives of 71 people, becoming Australia’s worst fire ever.

1985 – #1 Hit February 16, 1985 – March 8, 1985: Wham! featuring George Michael – Careless Whisper

2005 – The National Hockey League canceled the entire 2004-2005 regular season and playoffs.

2006 – The last Mobile army surgical hospital (MASH) was decommissioned by the United States Army.

Today’s Random Trivia and Shower Thoughts

The first VHS release of The Rocky Horror Picture Show in 1990 retailed for $89.95.

Progress is made by lazy men looking for an easier way to do things.

If alien life is ever discovered, ‘aliens don’t exist’ will become the new popular conspiracy theory.

The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds and Bob Dylan’s Blonde On Blonde were both released on May 16, 1966.

“Say ‘hello’ to my little friend!” – Tony Montana (Al Pacino) #moviequotes

“Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” #songlyrics

I have loads of fun doing laundry.

“I am Groot” – Groot (Vin Diesel) #moviequotes

Pedro López, a South American serial killer confirmed to have killed 110 people and confessed to having killed more than 300 between 1969 and 1980, was released in 1998 on good behavior. His whereabouts are currently unknown.

Groucho Marx – Real Name: Julius Marx

A group of Minnows is called a Shoal or Steam or Swarm.

“Well, when I see 5 weirdos dressed in togas stabbing a guy in the middle of the park in full view of 100 people, I shoot the bastards. That’s my policy.” – Frank Drebin #moviequotes

The Capital of the Philippines is Manila

The biggest film of 1979: Kramer vs. Kramer (Drama) earned ~ $106,000,000

A group of Lions is called a Pride or Sault or Troop.

If you are taking your toddler to a crowded place like a market or a theme park, tie a helium balloon to their wrist. If they get lost you will see the balloon from a distance and in a crowd. #LifeProTip

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