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  • Samara, Russian Empire
    1916
    Josip Broz Tito

    The Ardatov POW (Prisenor of War) camp

    Samara, Russian Empire
    1916

    After recuperating, in mid-1916 he was transferred to the Ardatov POW (Prisoner of War) camp in the Samara Governorate, where he used his skills to maintain the nearby village grain mill. At the end of the year, he was again transferred, this time to the Kungur POW camp near Perm where the POWs were used as labor to maintain the newly completed Trans-Siberian Railway.




  • Figueres, Catalonia, Spain
    1916
    Salvador Dali

    Drawing School

    Figueres, Catalonia, Spain
    1916

    Dalí attended drawing school.




  • United Kingdom
    1916
    Edward VIII

    Military Cross

    United Kingdom
    1916

    Edward witnessed trench warfare first-hand and visited the front line as often as he could, for which he was awarded the Military Cross in 1916.




  • Turkey (then Ottoman Empire)
    Saturday Jan 1, 1916
    Armenian Genocide

    Typhoid inoculation

    Turkey (then Ottoman Empire)
    Saturday Jan 1, 1916

    Typhoid inoculation: The Ottoman surgeon, Dr. Haydar Cemal wrote "on the order of the Chief Sanitation Office of the Third Army in January 1916, when the spread of typhus was an acute problem, innocent Armenians slated for deportation at Erzincan were inoculated with the blood of typhoid fever patients without rendering that blood 'inactive'".




  • Ireland
    1916
    Irish War of Independence

    Plan for revolt was realised in the Easter Rising of 1916

    Ireland
    1916

    The plan for revolt was realised in the Easter Rising of 1916, in which the Volunteers launched an insurrection whose aim was to end British rule.




  • England, United Kingdom
    Jan, 1916
    Winston Churchill

    Churchill was promoted to lieutenant-colonel

    England, United Kingdom
    Jan, 1916

    Churchill decided to join the Army and was attached to the 2nd Grenadier Guards, on the Western Front. In January 1916, he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel and given command of the 6th Royal Scots Fusiliers. After a period of training, the battalion was moved to a sector of the Belgian Front near Ploegsteert. For over three months, they faced continual shelling although no German offensive. Churchill narrowly escaped death when, during a visit by his staff officer cousin the 9th Duke of Marlborough, a large piece of shrapnel fell between them.




  • Columbus, New Mexico, U.S.
    1916
    Mexican Revolution

    Villa Attacked Columbus

    Columbus, New Mexico, U.S.
    1916

    In 1916, Villa attacked Columbus, New Mexico.


  • U.S.
    1916
    Memorial day

    Celebrated around the country

    U.S.
    1916

    By 1916, ten states celebrated it, on June 3, the birthday of CSA President Jefferson Davis. Other states chose late April dates, or May 10, commemorating Davis' capture.


  • Mojkovac, Montenegro
    Thursday Jan 6, 1916
    World War 1

    Battle of Mojkovac

    Mojkovac, Montenegro
    Thursday Jan 6, 1916

    Montenegro covered the Serbian retreat towards the Adriatic coast in the Battle of Mojkovac in 6–7 January 1916, but ultimately the Austrians also conquered Montenegro. The surviving Serbian soldiers were evacuated by ship to Greece.


  • San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
    1916
    Dwight D. Eisenhower

    Eisenhower was a football coach for St. Louis College

    San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
    1916

    In 1916, while stationed at Fort Sam Houston, Eisenhower was a football coach for St. Louis College, now St. Mary's University.


  • El Paso, Texas, U.S.
    Thursday Jan 13, 1916
    Mexican Revolution

    Huerta's Death

    El Paso, Texas, U.S.
    Thursday Jan 13, 1916

    In exile, Huerta sought to return to Mexico via the United States; U.S. authorities arrested him and he was imprisoned in Fort Bliss, Texas. He died in January 1916, six months after going into exile.


  • Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
    Jan, 1916
    Carter G. Woodson

    Woodson began publication of the scholarly Journal of African-American History

    Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
    Jan, 1916

    In January 1916, Woodson began publication of the scholarly Journal of African-American History. It has never missed an issue, despite the Great Depression, loss of support from foundations, and two World Wars.


  • Japan
    Jan, 1916
    Yasunari Kawabata

    Boarding House

    Japan
    Jan, 1916

    In January 1916, he moved into a boarding house near the junior high school (comparable to a modern high school) to which he had formerly commuted by train.


  • Verdun, France
    Feb, 1916
    World War 1

    Battle of Verdun

    Verdun, France
    Feb, 1916

    In February 1916 the Germans attacked French defensive positions at the Battle of Verdun, lasting until December 1916. The Germans made initial gains, before French counter-attacks returned matters to near their starting point. Casualties were greater for the French, but the Germans bled heavily as well, with anywhere from 700,000 to 975,000 casualties suffered between the two combatants. Verdun became a symbol of French determination and self-sacrifice.


  • U.S.
    Monday Feb 14, 1916
    Dwight D. Eisenhower

    Eisenhower proposed to Mamie Doud

    U.S.
    Monday Feb 14, 1916

    While Eisenhower was stationed in Texas, he met Mamie Doud of Boone, Iowa. They were immediately taken with each other. He proposed to her on Valentine's Day in 1916.


  • Verdun, France
    Thursday Mar 2, 1916
    Charles de Gaulle

    De Gaulle was a company commander at Douaumont

    Verdun, France
    Thursday Mar 2, 1916

    De Gaulle was a company commander at Douaumont (during the Battle of Verdun) on 2 March 1916.


  • Munich, Germany
    Tuesday Mar 7, 1916
    BMW

    Foundation

    Munich, Germany
    Tuesday Mar 7, 1916

    The company is now known as BMW or Bayerische Motoren Werke. Aircraft engine manufacturer Rapp Motorenwerke became Bayerische Motorenwerke in 1916.


  • Spokane, Washington, U.S.
    1916
    Father's Day

    President Woodrow Wilson went to Spokane to speak at a Father's Day celebration

    Spokane, Washington, U.S.
    1916

    In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson went to Spokane to speak at a Father's Day celebration and he wanted to make it an officially recognized federal holiday, but Congress resisted, fearing that it would become commercialized.


  • Ireland
    Friday Mar 17, 1916
    St. Patrick's Day

    1916 Parades

    Ireland
    Friday Mar 17, 1916

    On St Patrick's Day 1916, the Irish Volunteers—an Irish nationalist paramilitary organization—held parades throughout Ireland. The authorities recorded 38 St Patrick's Day parades, involving 6,000 marchers, almost half of whom were said to be armed. The following month, the Irish Volunteers launched the Easter Rising against British rule. This marked the beginning of the Irish revolutionary period and led to the Irish War of Independence and the Civil War. During this time, St Patrick's Day celebrations in Ireland were muted, although the day was sometimes chosen to hold large political rallies. The celebrations remained low-key after the creation of the Irish Free State; the only state-organized observance was a military procession and trooping of the colors, and an Irish-language mass attended by government ministers.


  • U.S.
    Mar, 1916
    Marcus Garvey

    Marcus sailed to U.S.

    U.S.
    Mar, 1916

    Marcus became increasingly aware of how UNIA had failed to thrive in Jamaica and decided to migrate to the United States, sailing there aboard the SS Tallac in March 1916.


  • Harlem, New York City, New York, U.S.
    1916
    Marcus Garvey

    Arrived U.S.

    Harlem, New York City, New York, U.S.
    1916

    Arriving in the United States, Garvey initially lodged with a Jamaican expatriate family living in Harlem, a largely black area of New York City. He began lecturing in the city, hoping to make a career as a public speaker, although at his first public speech was heckled and fell off the stage.


  • Ireland
    Saturday Apr 1, 1916
    Irish War of Independence

    Irish republicans launched the Easter Rising against British rule

    Ireland
    Saturday Apr 1, 1916

    In April 1916, Irish republicans launched the Easter Rising against British rule and proclaimed an Irish Republic. Although it was crushed after a week of fighting, the Easter Rising and the British response led to greater popular support for Irish independence.


  • U.S.
    1916
    Anna May Wong

    Wong had come up with her stage name of Anna May Wong

    U.S.
    1916

    By the age of 11, Wong had come up with her stage name of Anna May Wong, formed by joining both her English and family names.


  • U.S.
    1916
    Marcus Garvey

    Speaking tour, crossing 38 states

    U.S.
    1916

    From New York City, Marcus embarked on a U.S. speaking tour, crossing 38 states. At stopovers on his journey he listened to preachers from the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the Black Baptist churches. While in Alabama, he visited the Tuskegee Institute and met with its new leader, Robert Russa Moton.


  • Harlem, New York City, New York, U.S.
    Apr, 1916
    Marcus Garvey

    UNIA also obtained Liberty Hall

    Harlem, New York City, New York, U.S.
    Apr, 1916

    UNIA also obtained a partially-constructed church building at 114 West 138 Street in Harlem, which Garvey named "Liberty Hall" after its namesake in Dublin, Ireland, which had been established during the Easter Rising of 1916.


  • Russia
    1916
    World War 1

    Decimation of the Russian economy

    Russia
    1916

    By mid-1916, two years of war had decimated the Russian economy. It triggered downturns in agrarian production, triggered problems in the transportation network, fuelled currency inflation and created critical food and fuel shortages in the cities.


  • North Sea, near to Denmark
    Wednesday May 31, 1916
    World War 1

    Battle of Jutland

    North Sea, near to Denmark
    Wednesday May 31, 1916

    The Battle of Jutland (German: Skagerrakschlacht, or "Battle of the Skagerrak") in May/June 1916 developed into the largest naval battle of the war. It was the only full-scale clash of battleships during the war, and one of the largest in history.


  • Beijing, China
    Tuesday Jun 6, 1916
    Chinese Civil War

    Death of Yuan Shikai

    Beijing, China
    Tuesday Jun 6, 1916

    Following the collapse of the Qing dynasty in the aftermath of the Xinhai Revolution, China fell into a brief period of civil war before Yuan Shikai assumed the presidency of the newly formed Republic of China. The administration became known as the Beiyang Government, with its capital in Peking. Yuan Shikai was frustrated in a short-lived attempt to restore monarchy in China, with himself as the Hongxian Emperor. After the death of Yuan Shikai in 1916, the following years were characterized by the power struggle between different cliques in the former Beiyang Army. In the meantime, the Kuomintang, led by Sun Yat-sen, created a new government in Guangzhou to resist the rule of Beiyang Government through a series of movements.


  • Arabian Peninsula, Ottoman Empire
    Saturday Jun 10, 1916
    Ottoman Empire

    Arab Revolt

    Arabian Peninsula, Ottoman Empire
    Saturday Jun 10, 1916

    The Arab Revolt began in 1916 with British support. It turned the tide against the Ottomans on the Middle Eastern front, where they seemed to have the upper hand during the first two years of the war. On the basis of the McMahon–Hussein Correspondence, an agreement between the British government and Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca, the revolt was officially initiated at Mecca on 10 June 1916.


  • Mecca, Saudi Arabia
    Tuesday Jun 13, 1916
    World War 1

    Battle of Mecca

    Mecca, Saudi Arabia
    Tuesday Jun 13, 1916

    The Arab Revolt, instigated by the Arab bureau of the British Foreign Office, started June 1916 with the Battle of Mecca, led by Sherif Hussein of Mecca, and ended with the Ottoman surrender of Damascus. Fakhri Pasha, the Ottoman commander of Medina, resisted for more than two and half years during the Siege of Medina before surrendering in January 1919.


  • U.S.
    1916
    W. E. B. Du Bois

    Du Bois and his supporters prevailed, and he continued in his role as editor

    U.S.
    1916

    During the years 1915 and 1916, some leaders of the NAACP – disturbed by financial losses at The Crisis, and worried about the inflammatory rhetoric of some of its essays – attempted to oust Du Bois from his editorial position. Du Bois and his supporters prevailed, and he continued in his role as editor.


  • Somme river, France
    Wednesday Jun 21, 1916
    World War 1

    Battle of Somme

    Somme river, France
    Wednesday Jun 21, 1916

    The Battle of the Somme was an Anglo-French offensive of July to November 1916. The opening day of the offensive (1 July 1916) was the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army, suffering 57,470 casualties, including 19,240 dead. The entire Somme offensive cost the British Army some 420,000 casualties. The French suffered another estimated 200,000 casualties and the Germans an estimated 500,000.


  • Denver, Colorado, U.S.
    Saturday Jul 1, 1916
    Dwight D. Eisenhower

    Wedding

    Denver, Colorado, U.S.
    Saturday Jul 1, 1916

    A November wedding date in Denver was moved up to July 1 due to the pending U.S. entry into World War I. They moved many times during their first 35 years of marriage.


  • Ontario, Canada
    Saturday Jul 29, 1916
    Disasters with highest death tolls

    Matheson Fire

    Ontario, Canada
    Saturday Jul 29, 1916

    The great Matheson Fire was a deadly forest fire that passed through the region surrounding the communities of Black River-Matheson and Iroquois Falls, Ontario, Canada, on July 29, 1916. 223 people were killed according to the official estimate.


  • New York, U.S.
    Sunday Jul 30, 1916
    Statue of Liberty

    Damage to the statue during WWI

    New York, U.S.
    Sunday Jul 30, 1916

    On July 30, 1916, during World War I, German saboteurs set off a disastrous explosion on the Black Tom peninsula in Jersey City, New Jersey, in what is now part of Liberty State Park, close to Bedloe's Island. Carloads of dynamite and other explosives that were being sent to Britain and France for their war efforts were detonated. The statue sustained minor damage, mostly to the torch-bearing right arm, and was closed for ten days. The cost to repair the statue and buildings on the island was about $100,000 (equivalent to about $2,350,000 in 2019). The narrow ascent to the torch was closed for public-safety reasons, and it has remained closed ever since.


  • Romania
    Friday Aug 4, 1916
    World War 1

    Romania's Political Treaty

    Romania
    Friday Aug 4, 1916

    Romania had been allied with the Central Powers since 1882. When the war began, however, it declared its neutrality, arguing that because Austria-Hungary had itself declared war on Serbia, Romania was under no obligation to join the war. On 4 August 1916, Romania and the Entente signed the Political Treaty and Military Convention, that established the coordinates of Romania's participation in the war. In return, it received the Allies' formal sanction for Transylvania, Banat and other territories of Austria-Hungary to be annexed to Romania. The action had large popular support.


  • Gorizia, Gorizia, Italy
    Sunday Aug 6, 1916
    World War 1

    Battle of Doberdo

    Gorizia, Gorizia, Italy
    Sunday Aug 6, 1916

    In the summer of 1916, after the Battle of Doberdò, the Italians captured the town of Gorizia. After this victory, the front remained static for over a year, despite several Italian offensives, centred on the Banjšice and Karst Plateau east of Gorizia.


  • Romania
    Sunday Aug 27, 1916
    Hungarian–Romanian War

    Romania Entered The World War I

    Romania
    Sunday Aug 27, 1916

    In 1916, Romania entered World War I on the side of the Allies. In doing so, Romania's goal was to unite all the territories with a Romanian national majority into one state. In the Treaty of Bucharest (1916), terms for Romania's acquisition of territories within Austria-Hungary were stipulated.


  • Transylvania, Romania
    Sunday Aug 27, 1916
    World War 1

    Romania Attacks

    Transylvania, Romania
    Sunday Aug 27, 1916

    On 27 August 1916, the Romanian Army launched an attack against Austria-Hungary, with limited Russian support. The Romanian offensive was initially successful in Transylvania.


  • Flers and Courcelette, France
    Friday Sep 15, 1916
    World War 1

    Battle of Flers–Courcelette

    Flers and Courcelette, France
    Friday Sep 15, 1916

    Tanks were developed by Britain and France and were first used in combat by the British during the Battle of Flers–Courcelette (part of the Battle of the Somme) on 15 September 1916, with only partial success. However, their effectiveness would grow as the war progressed; the Allies built tanks in large numbers, whilst the Germans employed only a few of their own design, supplemented by captured Allied tanks.


  • New York City, New York, U.S.
    1916
    Marcus Garvey

    Marcus returned to New York City

    New York City, New York, U.S.
    1916

    After six months traveling across the U.S. lecturing, Marcus returned to New York City.


  • Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
    1916
    Kroger

    Kroger company began self-service shopping

    Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
    1916

    In 1916 Kroger company began self-service shopping. Before this, all articles were kept behind counters, and customers would ask for them, and then clerks would deliver them to customers.


  • Tokyo, Japan
    Thursday Nov 2, 1916
    Hirohito

    Hirohito was formally proclaimed Crown Prince and Heir Apparent

    Tokyo, Japan
    Thursday Nov 2, 1916

    Hirohito was formally proclaimed Crown Prince and heir apparent on 2 November 1916; but an investiture ceremony was not strictly necessary to confirm this status as heir to the throne.


  • Bitolia, Macedonia
    Sunday Nov 19, 1916
    World War 1

    Bitolia recapturing

    Bitolia, Macedonia
    Sunday Nov 19, 1916

    French and Serbian forces retook limited areas of Macedonia by recapturing Bitola on 19 November 1916 following the costly Monastir Offensive, which brought stabilisation of the front.


  • New York, U.S.
    Saturday Dec 2, 1916
    Statue of Liberty

    Lighting the Statue

    New York, U.S.
    Saturday Dec 2, 1916

    In 1916, Ralph Pulitzer, who had succeeded his father Joseph as the publisher of the World, began a drive to raise $30,000 (equivalent to $705,000 in 2019) for an exterior lighting system to illuminate the statue at night. He claimed over 80,000 contributors but failed to reach the goal. The difference was quietly made up by a gift from a wealthy donor—a fact that was not revealed until 1936. An underwater power cable brought electricity from the mainland and floodlights were placed along the walls of Fort Wood. Gutzon Borglum, who later sculpted Mount Rushmore, redesigned the torch, replacing much of the original copper with stained glass. On December 2, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson pressed the telegraph key that turned on the lights, successfully illuminating the statue.


  • Bucharest, Romania
    Wednesday Dec 6, 1916
    World War 1

    Battle of Bucharest

    Bucharest, Romania
    Wednesday Dec 6, 1916

    The Battle of Buchares was the last battle of the Romanian Campaign of 1916 in World War I, in which the Central Powers' combatants, led by General Erich von Falkenhayn, occupied the Romanian capital and forced the Romanian Government, as well as the remnants of the Romanian Army to retreat to Moldavia and re-establish its capital at Iaşi.


  • London, England, United Kingdom
    Wednesday Dec 6, 1916
    Winston Churchill

    Asquith resigned as Prime Minister and was succeeded by Lloyd George

    London, England, United Kingdom
    Wednesday Dec 6, 1916

    In December 1916, Asquith resigned as Prime Minister and was succeeded by Lloyd George who, in May 1917, sent Churchill to inspect the French war effort.


  • Germany
    Tuesday Dec 12, 1916
    World War 1

    Rejected Negotiations

    Germany
    Tuesday Dec 12, 1916

    On 12 December 1916, after ten brutal months of the Battle of Verdun and a successful offensive against Romania, Germany attempted to negotiate a peace with the Allies. However, this attempt was rejected out of hand as a "duplicitous war ruse".


  • Italy
    Wednesday Dec 13, 1916
    05:30:00 AM
    Disasters with highest death tolls

    White Friday Avalanches

    Italy
    Wednesday Dec 13, 1916
    05:30:00 AM

    White Friday occurred during the Italian Front of World War I, when an avalanche struck an Austrian barracks on Mount Marmolada, killing 270 soldiers. Other avalanches the same day struck Italian and other Austrian positions, killing hundreds. An accurate estimation of the number of casualties from the White Friday avalanches is not available. Historical documents suggest at least 2,000 victims among the soldiers and a few dozens among civilians.


  • U.S.
    1916
    W. E. B. Du Bois

    Waco Horror

    U.S.
    1916

    The "Waco Horror" article covered the lynching of Jesse Washington, a mentally impaired 17-year-old African American. The article broke new ground by utilizing undercover reporting to expose the conduct of local whites in Waco, Texas.


  • Samara, Russian Empire
    1916
    Josip Broz Tito

    The Ardatov POW (Prisenor of War) camp

    Samara, Russian Empire
    1916

    After recuperating, in mid-1916 he was transferred to the Ardatov POW (Prisoner of War) camp in the Samara Governorate, where he used his skills to maintain the nearby village grain mill. At the end of the year, he was again transferred, this time to the Kungur POW camp near Perm where the POWs were used as labor to maintain the newly completed Trans-Siberian Railway.


  • Figueres, Catalonia, Spain
    1916
    Salvador Dali

    Drawing School

    Figueres, Catalonia, Spain
    1916

    Dalí attended drawing school.


  • United Kingdom
    1916
    Edward VIII

    Military Cross

    United Kingdom
    1916

    Edward witnessed trench warfare first-hand and visited the front line as often as he could, for which he was awarded the Military Cross in 1916.


  • Turkey (then Ottoman Empire)
    Saturday Jan 1, 1916
    Armenian Genocide

    Typhoid inoculation

    Turkey (then Ottoman Empire)
    Saturday Jan 1, 1916

    Typhoid inoculation: The Ottoman surgeon, Dr. Haydar Cemal wrote "on the order of the Chief Sanitation Office of the Third Army in January 1916, when the spread of typhus was an acute problem, innocent Armenians slated for deportation at Erzincan were inoculated with the blood of typhoid fever patients without rendering that blood 'inactive'".


  • Ireland
    1916
    Irish War of Independence

    Plan for revolt was realised in the Easter Rising of 1916

    Ireland
    1916

    The plan for revolt was realised in the Easter Rising of 1916, in which the Volunteers launched an insurrection whose aim was to end British rule.


  • England, United Kingdom
    Jan, 1916
    Winston Churchill

    Churchill was promoted to lieutenant-colonel

    England, United Kingdom
    Jan, 1916

    Churchill decided to join the Army and was attached to the 2nd Grenadier Guards, on the Western Front. In January 1916, he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel and given command of the 6th Royal Scots Fusiliers. After a period of training, the battalion was moved to a sector of the Belgian Front near Ploegsteert. For over three months, they faced continual shelling although no German offensive. Churchill narrowly escaped death when, during a visit by his staff officer cousin the 9th Duke of Marlborough, a large piece of shrapnel fell between them.


  • Columbus, New Mexico, U.S.
    1916
    Mexican Revolution

    Villa Attacked Columbus

    Columbus, New Mexico, U.S.
    1916

    In 1916, Villa attacked Columbus, New Mexico.


  • U.S.
    1916
    Memorial day

    Celebrated around the country

    U.S.
    1916

    By 1916, ten states celebrated it, on June 3, the birthday of CSA President Jefferson Davis. Other states chose late April dates, or May 10, commemorating Davis' capture.


  • Mojkovac, Montenegro
    Thursday Jan 6, 1916
    World War 1

    Battle of Mojkovac

    Mojkovac, Montenegro
    Thursday Jan 6, 1916

    Montenegro covered the Serbian retreat towards the Adriatic coast in the Battle of Mojkovac in 6–7 January 1916, but ultimately the Austrians also conquered Montenegro. The surviving Serbian soldiers were evacuated by ship to Greece.


  • San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
    1916
    Dwight D. Eisenhower

    Eisenhower was a football coach for St. Louis College

    San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
    1916

    In 1916, while stationed at Fort Sam Houston, Eisenhower was a football coach for St. Louis College, now St. Mary's University.


  • El Paso, Texas, U.S.
    Thursday Jan 13, 1916
    Mexican Revolution

    Huerta's Death

    El Paso, Texas, U.S.
    Thursday Jan 13, 1916

    In exile, Huerta sought to return to Mexico via the United States; U.S. authorities arrested him and he was imprisoned in Fort Bliss, Texas. He died in January 1916, six months after going into exile.


  • Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
    Jan, 1916
    Carter G. Woodson

    Woodson began publication of the scholarly Journal of African-American History

    Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
    Jan, 1916

    In January 1916, Woodson began publication of the scholarly Journal of African-American History. It has never missed an issue, despite the Great Depression, loss of support from foundations, and two World Wars.


  • Japan
    Jan, 1916
    Yasunari Kawabata

    Boarding House

    Japan
    Jan, 1916

    In January 1916, he moved into a boarding house near the junior high school (comparable to a modern high school) to which he had formerly commuted by train.


  • Verdun, France
    Feb, 1916
    World War 1

    Battle of Verdun

    Verdun, France
    Feb, 1916

    In February 1916 the Germans attacked French defensive positions at the Battle of Verdun, lasting until December 1916. The Germans made initial gains, before French counter-attacks returned matters to near their starting point. Casualties were greater for the French, but the Germans bled heavily as well, with anywhere from 700,000 to 975,000 casualties suffered between the two combatants. Verdun became a symbol of French determination and self-sacrifice.


  • U.S.
    Monday Feb 14, 1916
    Dwight D. Eisenhower

    Eisenhower proposed to Mamie Doud

    U.S.
    Monday Feb 14, 1916

    While Eisenhower was stationed in Texas, he met Mamie Doud of Boone, Iowa. They were immediately taken with each other. He proposed to her on Valentine's Day in 1916.


  • Verdun, France
    Thursday Mar 2, 1916
    Charles de Gaulle

    De Gaulle was a company commander at Douaumont

    Verdun, France
    Thursday Mar 2, 1916

    De Gaulle was a company commander at Douaumont (during the Battle of Verdun) on 2 March 1916.


  • Munich, Germany
    Tuesday Mar 7, 1916
    BMW

    Foundation

    Munich, Germany
    Tuesday Mar 7, 1916

    The company is now known as BMW or Bayerische Motoren Werke. Aircraft engine manufacturer Rapp Motorenwerke became Bayerische Motorenwerke in 1916.


  • Spokane, Washington, U.S.
    1916
    Father's Day

    President Woodrow Wilson went to Spokane to speak at a Father's Day celebration

    Spokane, Washington, U.S.
    1916

    In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson went to Spokane to speak at a Father's Day celebration and he wanted to make it an officially recognized federal holiday, but Congress resisted, fearing that it would become commercialized.


  • Ireland
    Friday Mar 17, 1916
    St. Patrick's Day

    1916 Parades

    Ireland
    Friday Mar 17, 1916

    On St Patrick's Day 1916, the Irish Volunteers—an Irish nationalist paramilitary organization—held parades throughout Ireland. The authorities recorded 38 St Patrick's Day parades, involving 6,000 marchers, almost half of whom were said to be armed. The following month, the Irish Volunteers launched the Easter Rising against British rule. This marked the beginning of the Irish revolutionary period and led to the Irish War of Independence and the Civil War. During this time, St Patrick's Day celebrations in Ireland were muted, although the day was sometimes chosen to hold large political rallies. The celebrations remained low-key after the creation of the Irish Free State; the only state-organized observance was a military procession and trooping of the colors, and an Irish-language mass attended by government ministers.


  • U.S.
    Mar, 1916
    Marcus Garvey

    Marcus sailed to U.S.

    U.S.
    Mar, 1916

    Marcus became increasingly aware of how UNIA had failed to thrive in Jamaica and decided to migrate to the United States, sailing there aboard the SS Tallac in March 1916.


  • Harlem, New York City, New York, U.S.
    1916
    Marcus Garvey

    Arrived U.S.

    Harlem, New York City, New York, U.S.
    1916

    Arriving in the United States, Garvey initially lodged with a Jamaican expatriate family living in Harlem, a largely black area of New York City. He began lecturing in the city, hoping to make a career as a public speaker, although at his first public speech was heckled and fell off the stage.


  • Ireland
    Saturday Apr 1, 1916
    Irish War of Independence

    Irish republicans launched the Easter Rising against British rule

    Ireland
    Saturday Apr 1, 1916

    In April 1916, Irish republicans launched the Easter Rising against British rule and proclaimed an Irish Republic. Although it was crushed after a week of fighting, the Easter Rising and the British response led to greater popular support for Irish independence.


  • U.S.
    1916
    Anna May Wong

    Wong had come up with her stage name of Anna May Wong

    U.S.
    1916

    By the age of 11, Wong had come up with her stage name of Anna May Wong, formed by joining both her English and family names.


  • U.S.
    1916
    Marcus Garvey

    Speaking tour, crossing 38 states

    U.S.
    1916

    From New York City, Marcus embarked on a U.S. speaking tour, crossing 38 states. At stopovers on his journey he listened to preachers from the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the Black Baptist churches. While in Alabama, he visited the Tuskegee Institute and met with its new leader, Robert Russa Moton.


  • Harlem, New York City, New York, U.S.
    Apr, 1916
    Marcus Garvey

    UNIA also obtained Liberty Hall

    Harlem, New York City, New York, U.S.
    Apr, 1916

    UNIA also obtained a partially-constructed church building at 114 West 138 Street in Harlem, which Garvey named "Liberty Hall" after its namesake in Dublin, Ireland, which had been established during the Easter Rising of 1916.


  • Russia
    1916
    World War 1

    Decimation of the Russian economy

    Russia
    1916

    By mid-1916, two years of war had decimated the Russian economy. It triggered downturns in agrarian production, triggered problems in the transportation network, fuelled currency inflation and created critical food and fuel shortages in the cities.


  • North Sea, near to Denmark
    Wednesday May 31, 1916
    World War 1

    Battle of Jutland

    North Sea, near to Denmark
    Wednesday May 31, 1916

    The Battle of Jutland (German: Skagerrakschlacht, or "Battle of the Skagerrak") in May/June 1916 developed into the largest naval battle of the war. It was the only full-scale clash of battleships during the war, and one of the largest in history.


  • Beijing, China
    Tuesday Jun 6, 1916
    Chinese Civil War

    Death of Yuan Shikai

    Beijing, China
    Tuesday Jun 6, 1916

    Following the collapse of the Qing dynasty in the aftermath of the Xinhai Revolution, China fell into a brief period of civil war before Yuan Shikai assumed the presidency of the newly formed Republic of China. The administration became known as the Beiyang Government, with its capital in Peking. Yuan Shikai was frustrated in a short-lived attempt to restore monarchy in China, with himself as the Hongxian Emperor. After the death of Yuan Shikai in 1916, the following years were characterized by the power struggle between different cliques in the former Beiyang Army. In the meantime, the Kuomintang, led by Sun Yat-sen, created a new government in Guangzhou to resist the rule of Beiyang Government through a series of movements.


  • Arabian Peninsula, Ottoman Empire
    Saturday Jun 10, 1916
    Ottoman Empire

    Arab Revolt

    Arabian Peninsula, Ottoman Empire
    Saturday Jun 10, 1916

    The Arab Revolt began in 1916 with British support. It turned the tide against the Ottomans on the Middle Eastern front, where they seemed to have the upper hand during the first two years of the war. On the basis of the McMahon–Hussein Correspondence, an agreement between the British government and Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca, the revolt was officially initiated at Mecca on 10 June 1916.


  • Mecca, Saudi Arabia
    Tuesday Jun 13, 1916
    World War 1

    Battle of Mecca

    Mecca, Saudi Arabia
    Tuesday Jun 13, 1916

    The Arab Revolt, instigated by the Arab bureau of the British Foreign Office, started June 1916 with the Battle of Mecca, led by Sherif Hussein of Mecca, and ended with the Ottoman surrender of Damascus. Fakhri Pasha, the Ottoman commander of Medina, resisted for more than two and half years during the Siege of Medina before surrendering in January 1919.


  • U.S.
    1916
    W. E. B. Du Bois

    Du Bois and his supporters prevailed, and he continued in his role as editor

    U.S.
    1916

    During the years 1915 and 1916, some leaders of the NAACP – disturbed by financial losses at The Crisis, and worried about the inflammatory rhetoric of some of its essays – attempted to oust Du Bois from his editorial position. Du Bois and his supporters prevailed, and he continued in his role as editor.


  • Somme river, France
    Wednesday Jun 21, 1916
    World War 1

    Battle of Somme

    Somme river, France
    Wednesday Jun 21, 1916

    The Battle of the Somme was an Anglo-French offensive of July to November 1916. The opening day of the offensive (1 July 1916) was the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army, suffering 57,470 casualties, including 19,240 dead. The entire Somme offensive cost the British Army some 420,000 casualties. The French suffered another estimated 200,000 casualties and the Germans an estimated 500,000.


  • Denver, Colorado, U.S.
    Saturday Jul 1, 1916
    Dwight D. Eisenhower

    Wedding

    Denver, Colorado, U.S.
    Saturday Jul 1, 1916

    A November wedding date in Denver was moved up to July 1 due to the pending U.S. entry into World War I. They moved many times during their first 35 years of marriage.


  • Ontario, Canada
    Saturday Jul 29, 1916
    Disasters with highest death tolls

    Matheson Fire

    Ontario, Canada
    Saturday Jul 29, 1916

    The great Matheson Fire was a deadly forest fire that passed through the region surrounding the communities of Black River-Matheson and Iroquois Falls, Ontario, Canada, on July 29, 1916. 223 people were killed according to the official estimate.


  • New York, U.S.
    Sunday Jul 30, 1916
    Statue of Liberty

    Damage to the statue during WWI

    New York, U.S.
    Sunday Jul 30, 1916

    On July 30, 1916, during World War I, German saboteurs set off a disastrous explosion on the Black Tom peninsula in Jersey City, New Jersey, in what is now part of Liberty State Park, close to Bedloe's Island. Carloads of dynamite and other explosives that were being sent to Britain and France for their war efforts were detonated. The statue sustained minor damage, mostly to the torch-bearing right arm, and was closed for ten days. The cost to repair the statue and buildings on the island was about $100,000 (equivalent to about $2,350,000 in 2019). The narrow ascent to the torch was closed for public-safety reasons, and it has remained closed ever since.


  • Romania
    Friday Aug 4, 1916
    World War 1

    Romania's Political Treaty

    Romania
    Friday Aug 4, 1916

    Romania had been allied with the Central Powers since 1882. When the war began, however, it declared its neutrality, arguing that because Austria-Hungary had itself declared war on Serbia, Romania was under no obligation to join the war. On 4 August 1916, Romania and the Entente signed the Political Treaty and Military Convention, that established the coordinates of Romania's participation in the war. In return, it received the Allies' formal sanction for Transylvania, Banat and other territories of Austria-Hungary to be annexed to Romania. The action had large popular support.


  • Gorizia, Gorizia, Italy
    Sunday Aug 6, 1916
    World War 1

    Battle of Doberdo

    Gorizia, Gorizia, Italy
    Sunday Aug 6, 1916

    In the summer of 1916, after the Battle of Doberdò, the Italians captured the town of Gorizia. After this victory, the front remained static for over a year, despite several Italian offensives, centred on the Banjšice and Karst Plateau east of Gorizia.


  • Romania
    Sunday Aug 27, 1916
    Hungarian–Romanian War

    Romania Entered The World War I

    Romania
    Sunday Aug 27, 1916

    In 1916, Romania entered World War I on the side of the Allies. In doing so, Romania's goal was to unite all the territories with a Romanian national majority into one state. In the Treaty of Bucharest (1916), terms for Romania's acquisition of territories within Austria-Hungary were stipulated.


  • Transylvania, Romania
    Sunday Aug 27, 1916
    World War 1

    Romania Attacks

    Transylvania, Romania
    Sunday Aug 27, 1916

    On 27 August 1916, the Romanian Army launched an attack against Austria-Hungary, with limited Russian support. The Romanian offensive was initially successful in Transylvania.


  • Flers and Courcelette, France
    Friday Sep 15, 1916
    World War 1

    Battle of Flers–Courcelette

    Flers and Courcelette, France
    Friday Sep 15, 1916

    Tanks were developed by Britain and France and were first used in combat by the British during the Battle of Flers–Courcelette (part of the Battle of the Somme) on 15 September 1916, with only partial success. However, their effectiveness would grow as the war progressed; the Allies built tanks in large numbers, whilst the Germans employed only a few of their own design, supplemented by captured Allied tanks.


  • New York City, New York, U.S.
    1916
    Marcus Garvey

    Marcus returned to New York City

    New York City, New York, U.S.
    1916

    After six months traveling across the U.S. lecturing, Marcus returned to New York City.


  • Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
    1916
    Kroger

    Kroger company began self-service shopping

    Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
    1916

    In 1916 Kroger company began self-service shopping. Before this, all articles were kept behind counters, and customers would ask for them, and then clerks would deliver them to customers.


  • Tokyo, Japan
    Thursday Nov 2, 1916
    Hirohito

    Hirohito was formally proclaimed Crown Prince and Heir Apparent

    Tokyo, Japan
    Thursday Nov 2, 1916

    Hirohito was formally proclaimed Crown Prince and heir apparent on 2 November 1916; but an investiture ceremony was not strictly necessary to confirm this status as heir to the throne.


  • Bitolia, Macedonia
    Sunday Nov 19, 1916
    World War 1

    Bitolia recapturing

    Bitolia, Macedonia
    Sunday Nov 19, 1916

    French and Serbian forces retook limited areas of Macedonia by recapturing Bitola on 19 November 1916 following the costly Monastir Offensive, which brought stabilisation of the front.


  • New York, U.S.
    Saturday Dec 2, 1916
    Statue of Liberty

    Lighting the Statue

    New York, U.S.
    Saturday Dec 2, 1916

    In 1916, Ralph Pulitzer, who had succeeded his father Joseph as the publisher of the World, began a drive to raise $30,000 (equivalent to $705,000 in 2019) for an exterior lighting system to illuminate the statue at night. He claimed over 80,000 contributors but failed to reach the goal. The difference was quietly made up by a gift from a wealthy donor—a fact that was not revealed until 1936. An underwater power cable brought electricity from the mainland and floodlights were placed along the walls of Fort Wood. Gutzon Borglum, who later sculpted Mount Rushmore, redesigned the torch, replacing much of the original copper with stained glass. On December 2, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson pressed the telegraph key that turned on the lights, successfully illuminating the statue.


  • Bucharest, Romania
    Wednesday Dec 6, 1916
    World War 1

    Battle of Bucharest

    Bucharest, Romania
    Wednesday Dec 6, 1916

    The Battle of Buchares was the last battle of the Romanian Campaign of 1916 in World War I, in which the Central Powers' combatants, led by General Erich von Falkenhayn, occupied the Romanian capital and forced the Romanian Government, as well as the remnants of the Romanian Army to retreat to Moldavia and re-establish its capital at Iaşi.


  • London, England, United Kingdom
    Wednesday Dec 6, 1916
    Winston Churchill

    Asquith resigned as Prime Minister and was succeeded by Lloyd George

    London, England, United Kingdom
    Wednesday Dec 6, 1916

    In December 1916, Asquith resigned as Prime Minister and was succeeded by Lloyd George who, in May 1917, sent Churchill to inspect the French war effort.


  • Germany
    Tuesday Dec 12, 1916
    World War 1

    Rejected Negotiations

    Germany
    Tuesday Dec 12, 1916

    On 12 December 1916, after ten brutal months of the Battle of Verdun and a successful offensive against Romania, Germany attempted to negotiate a peace with the Allies. However, this attempt was rejected out of hand as a "duplicitous war ruse".


  • Italy
    Wednesday Dec 13, 1916
    05:30:00 AM
    Disasters with highest death tolls

    White Friday Avalanches

    Italy
    Wednesday Dec 13, 1916
    05:30:00 AM

    White Friday occurred during the Italian Front of World War I, when an avalanche struck an Austrian barracks on Mount Marmolada, killing 270 soldiers. Other avalanches the same day struck Italian and other Austrian positions, killing hundreds. An accurate estimation of the number of casualties from the White Friday avalanches is not available. Historical documents suggest at least 2,000 victims among the soldiers and a few dozens among civilians.


  • U.S.
    1916
    W. E. B. Du Bois

    Waco Horror

    U.S.
    1916

    The "Waco Horror" article covered the lynching of Jesse Washington, a mentally impaired 17-year-old African American. The article broke new ground by utilizing undercover reporting to expose the conduct of local whites in Waco, Texas.


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