March 16 in History

• 1802

  March 16, 1802:

  The United States Military Academy is established in West Point, New York.

• 1850

  March 16, 1850:

  Nathaniel Hawthorne’s historical fiction, “The Scarlet Letter” is published for the first time.

• 1867

  March 16, 1867:

  British surgeon Joseph Lister publishes the first article in a series on antiseptic surgery in “The Lancet”.

• 1894

  March 16, 1894:

  The opera, “Thaïs” by Jules Massenet is debuted at the Opera Garnier in Paris.

• 1921

  March 16, 1921:

  The Soviet Union and government of Turkey sign the Treaty of Moscow to establish friendly relations between them.

• 1926

  March 16, 1926:

  The first successful rocket to be propelled by liquid is launched by American inventor, Robert H. Goddard.

• 1934

  March 16, 1934:

  The 6th edition of the Academy Awards ceremony is held at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.

• 1968

  March 16, 1968:

  US soldiers kill an estimated 500 inhabitants of the village of My Lai during the Vietnam War.

• 2005

  March 16, 2005:

  A jury acquits American actor Robert Blake of the murder of his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley.  

• 2014

  March 16, 2014:

  Crimea votes in a referendum to secede from Ukraine and join the Russian Federation instead.