Browse Historical Events by Day: What Happened on February 16th?

Death of Edgar Ætheling, the last male member of the Anglo-Saxon royal family of England.

The Tsar of Russia, Peter the Great, founds St. Petersburg, later established as the capital of Russia.

The burial chamber of King Tutankhamun is unsealed and British archaeologist Howard Carter enters the ancient tomb. The tomb had been discovered in the Valley of the Kings the previous year on November 22, more than 3,300 years after Tutankhamun's death and burial. Most pharaohs were plundered by graverobbers in ancient times, however Tutankhamun's tomb was hidden by debris for most of its existence and became the first known largely intact royal burial from ancient Egypt.

Fidel Castro becomes prime minister of Cuba, replacing José Miró Cardona who was the head of the country's new provisional government. Fidel Castro had led the guerrilla campaign that forced right-wing dictator Fulgencio Batista into exile. Castro, had become commander in chief of Cuba’s armed forces after Batista was ousted on January 1, 1959. More

The Web site WikiLeaks begins posting classified U.S. government documents provided by army intelligence analyst Bradley (later Chelsea) Manning. The release of information is believed to be the largest unauthorized release of state secrets in U.S. history.

"Birdman" wins the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 87th Academy Awards.