The five Studebaker Brothers Two of the brothers, seated in the front from left to right, are Clement and Henry who on February 16, 1852 founded a blacksmith shop in South Bend, Indiana. The operation which began making wagons and carriages evolved over the years to become one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the United States. Interestingly the five Studebaker brothers had five sisters.

Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

On February 16, 1862, Union forces took command of Fort Donelson in Tennessee. That day Ulysses S. Grant replied with the following to his old friend (now enemy) Confederate general Simon Bolivar Buckner upon the Confederate request for a truce: “No terms except unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted.” Buckner was held as a POW for five months.

Image: Grant’s headquarters at Fort Donelson via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

Launching of the USS Alabama on February 16, 1942 at Norfolk Navy Yard via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

On February 16, 1938, Congress established the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation protecting farmers from losses when harvests are diminished due to weather and other factors.

Image: Corn field and rail fence in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in 1938 via Wikimedia Commons, no known restrictions

On February 16, 1786, Elizabeth Kortright married James Monroe in New York City.

Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

9 years after immigrating to the United States, Ng Poon Chew published the first daily Chinese language newspaper printed outside of China on February 16, 1900. The newspaper, Chung Sai Yat Po, promoted American holidays, advertised Liberty bonds during WWI and advocated for equal rights to Chinese Americans.

Image via Wikimedia Commons, no known copyright, public domain in the US.

Born February 16, 1903 Edgar Bergen gained fame on vaudeville stages as a ventriloquist with dummies Charlie McCarthy (left) and Mortimer Snerd. Surprisingly, Bergen’s act was also popular on radio because listening audiences regarded Charlie as a distinct, witty personality. Jim Henson cited Bergen as an inspiration.

Image via Wikimedia Commons, no known copyright, public domain in the US.

Sonny and Cher in 1971 On February 16, 1935 Sonny Bono was born in Detroit, Michigan.

Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

On today’s date February 16, 1960, U.S. Navy Captain Edward L. Beach and his crew of the USS Triton submarine departed New London, Connecticut and began their circumnavigation of the globe. It was the first ever circumnavigation by a submerged vessel, a mission named “Operation Sandblast.”

Image: Captain Beach traces the route of Triton’s submerged circumnavigation Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

“Burning of the Frigate Philadelphia in the Harbour of Tripoli, 16th February, 1804, by 70 Gallant Tars of Columbia commanded by Lieutenant Decatur” https://archive.org/details/gloryofamericacoca00thom/page/194

Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain in The United States

“Equality before the law of all men, no matter where they born, or from what race they sprung, is the sentiment of the people… Wherever and whenever we have the power to do it, I would give to all men, of every clime and race, of every faith and creed, freedom and equality.” – Henry Wilson, 18th Vice President of The United States who was born on today’s date February 16, 1812

Image of Wilson from Brady-Handy Photograph Collection from Library of Congress via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

Cleveland Lakefront, February 16, 1897 — Workers drive pilings and rebuild the Lake Erie shoreline during a major phase of harbor expansion that reshaped the city’s waterfront. This late‑19th‑century industrial push created much of today’s man‑made lakefront, prioritizing docks, rail access, and commercial growth over public space and leaving a legacy that modern revitalization efforts are only now beginning to undo.

On February 16, 1902, Honolulu recorded its all‑time low of 52 °F (11 °C). That temperature would not be reached again until January 20, 1969—ten years after Hawaii became the 50th state.

Image of people standing along Queen Street in Honolulu in the early 1900s via Wikimedia Commons

Released on February 16, 1938, Bringing Up Baby reunited Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant for the second time, following their 1935 pairing in Sylvia Scarlett. This still — lost in the woods, bound together by trouble — captures the duo in full comic flight, a partnership they would refine again in Holiday (1938) and perfect in The Philadelphia Story (1940).

Though now celebrated as a screwball comedy masterpiece, the film struggled on release and contributed to Hepburn being labeled “Box Office Poison.” Yet its reputation didn’t stay buried. A theatrical re‑issue in the early 1940s helped the film finally turn a modest profit, and by the 1950s — as television brought it to a new generation — critics began reassessing it as one of the genre’s defining achievements.

On February 16, 1956, the World Figure Skating Championships opened in West Germany.
That year’s women’s singles title went to American skater Carol Heiss, who began a run of dominance that would define the era. She would win the championship four more times, holding the world title from 1956 through 1960.

Image of Carol Heiss in 1960 via Wikimedia Commons