On This Day: What happened on 16 June?

Here’s a look at what happened on this day, 16 June, throughout history. We remember the news, events, and people that influenced the course of history forever.

ON THIS DAY: 16 JUNE

2013 | The long-running explosion in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand caused major floods and landslides and was the worst natural disaster since the 2004 tsunami.

2012 | China successfully launched its Shenzhou 9 spacecraft, which carried three astronauts, including China’s first female astronaut Liu Yang, into the Tiangong-1 orbit module.

2012 | The US Air Force Boeing X-37B spacecraft returned to Earth after a designated 469-day orbit.

2010 | Bhutan became the first country to institute a total prohibition on tobacco.

1972 | The largest single-site hydropower project in Canada was launched at the Churchill Falls Production Center.

ALSO READ: What happened on 15 June?

BIRTHDAYS

1973 | American actor, Eddie Cibrian.

1957 | Scottish-American actor, Ian Buchanan.

1974 | Saint Lucian cricketer, Glenicia James.

1940 | American lawyer, and politician, 33rd Governor of Oregon, Neil Goldschmidt.

1958 | American basketball player, Darrell Griffith.

ON THIS DAY: DEATHS

1958 | Hungarian politician, third Prime Minister of Hungary, Imre Nagy, 63.

1994 | American bass player, and songwriter, Kristen Pfaff,  27.

2013 | Bangladesh poet and academic, Khondakar Ashraf Hossain, 63.

1952 | Scottish-American geologist and academic, Andrew Lawson, 91.

1967 | English actor, Reginald Denny, 76.

SPORTS

1982 | England’s Bryan Robson scored after just 27 seconds against France on this day in their first match in the finals of the World Cup since 1974.

ENTERTAINMENT

2006 | Paramount Pictures released “Nacho Libre” on this day in the United States.

AFRICA FACT

The world’s tallest and largest land animals are both found in Africa.