16 November in Indian and World History

16 November in Indian and World History is celebrated, observed, and remembered for various reasons. 16 November is the birth anniversary of Syed Akbar Hussain, Shambhu Maharaj, Mihir Sen, Pullela Gopichand, and Aditya Roy Kapur.

16 November is also observed as the death anniversary of Uda Devi, Kartar Singh Sarabha, and Panditrao Agashe.

Birth Anniversary on 16 November

16 November in Indian history is celebrated as the birth anniversary of the following personalities:

Syed Akbar Hussain (16 November 1846 โ€“ 9 September 1921), popularly known as Akbar Allahabadi was an Indian Urdu poet in the genre of satire.

Shambhu Maharaj (16 November 1907 โ€“ 4 November 1970), was a famous guru and dancer of the Indian classical dance form Kathak. He belonged to Lucknow Gharana. His real name was ‘Shambhunath Mishra’. Singing thumri with dance, Shambhu Maharaj used to display its expressions in different ways in such a way that the audience could not remain enchanted. He was born on 16 November 1907 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

Mihir Sen (16 November 1930 โ€“ 11 June 1997), was an Indian long-distance swimmer. He swam 77 kilometers from one end of the Panama Canal to the other in 1966. Mihir Sen was not only the first Indian but also the first Asian to swim across the English Channel in 1958. He had made 5 important records by achieving unique proficiency in ‘saltwater swimming. He was awarded ‘Padma Shri’ in 1959 and was honored with ‘Padma Bhushan’ in 1967. He was born on 16 November 1930 in Purulia, West Bengal.

Pullela Gopichandย is a famous Indian badminton player. India’s star shuttler Pullela Gopichand wrote a new history in the Indian sports world by winning the All-England Badminton Championship on 11 March 2001. He was born on 16 November 1973.

Aditya Roy Kapur is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. After working as a VJ, he made his acting debut with the musical drama London Dreams. Kapur had his first commercial success with the romance Aashiqui 2. He was born on 16 November 1985.

Read More: 15 November in Indian and World History

Death Anniversary on 16 November

16 November in Indian history is observed as the death anniversary of the following personalities:

Uda Devi, a heroine belonging to the ‘Pasi’ caste, participated prominently in the ‘Indian War of Independence’ of 1857. She was a member of the women’s squad of the Nawab of Awadh, Wajid Ali Shah. Uda Devi was a resident of Lucknow and killed more than two dozen British soldiers by climbing a tree in Sikander Bagh, Lucknow. Although Uda Devi also became a martyr after fighting for a long time in this battle. It is said that British Calvin Cambell took off his hat and paid tribute to the martyr Uda Devi, overwhelmed by his astonishing bravery. She died on 16 November 1857.

Kartar Singh Sarabha (24 May 1896 โ€“ 16 November 1915), was one of the famous revolutionaries of India. He will always be remembered for his bravery, courage, sacrifice and sacrifice. Just as the heroic Abhimanyu had embraced death while performing his duty in the war of Mahabharata, similarly Sarabha also sacrificed his life for the country laughing like Abhimanyu only at the age of nineteen on 16 November 1915

Panditrao Agashe (8 March 1936 โ€“ 16 November 1986) was an Indian industrialist, best remembered for succeeding his father Chandrashekhar Agashe as the joint managing director of the Brihan Maharashtra Sugar Syndicate Ltd. from 1970 to 1978. He died on 16 November 1986.

Read More: 14 November in Indian and World History

Notable events on 16 November in Indian and World History

16 November 1810 – Niguel Hidalgo began the struggle for the independence of Mexico from Spain.

16 November 1821 – Mexico’s independence was recognized.

16 November 1849 – The world-famous Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky was sentenced to death for being a member of an underground organization.

16 November 1870 – Oklahoma became the 46th US state.

16 November 1914 – The Federal Reserve system was formally launched in the United States.

16 November 1938 – Albert Hofmann’s invention of the drug lysergic acid diethylamide came into existence on this day.

16 November 1945 – The Second World War was not even over yet, it was the year 1942 when the governments of some European countries organized a conference in Britain.

16 November 1908 – General Motors Corporation was established.

16 November 1922 โ€“ Jose Saramago, a Portuguese writer, and Nobel Prize Laureate, was born.

16 November 1947 – Cyclone Kathleen, which hit Saitama, Tokyo, killed 1,930 people.

16 November 1965 – The first public announcement about Walt Disney World occurred.

16 November 1973 – Skylab-4 was launched into Earth orbit.

16 November 1975 – Cape Verde, Mozambique, So Tomรฉ and Principe joined the United Nations.

16 November 1975 – Papua New Guinea gained independence from Australia.

16 November 1982 – America’s fifth spacecraft, Columbia-5, landed at Edwards Military Base.

16 November 1988 – Benazir Bhutto won the first general election in Pakistan in 11 years.

16 November 1995 – Vasudev Pandey of Indian origin became the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago.

16 November 1987 โ€“ ย Zubir Said โ€“ a Singaporean composer most notable for composing the national anthem of his country โ€“ died.

16 November 1997 – China’s pro-democracy leader Jing Sheng was released after 18 years.

16 November 1999 – Daniel Nathans, a German dramatist, and Nobel Prize Laureate, died.

16 November 2001 – India was included in the 21-member UN team for Afghanistan.

16 November 2002 – Musharraf took the oath of office for a second term of five years.

16 November 2002 – Hussein Amin Bicar, one of Egypt’s most prominent artists, died.

16 November 2005 – Henry Taube, a German dramatist, and Nobel Prize Laureate, died.

16 November 2007 – The severe cyclonic storm ‘Cedar’, which rose from the Bay of Bengal, caused severe devastation in Bangladesh.

16 November 2008 – Chandrayaan’s Lunar Laser Raising Instrument started functioning successfully from this day.

16 November 2013 โ€“ After Sachin Tendulkar resolved to retire from cricket in Mumbai, the Government of India officially announced the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award. He is the youngest person and the first player to receive this honor at the age of 40. It is worth noting that earlier this honor was not given in the field of sports.

16 November Historical Significance

November 16 has seen several significant events throughout history. On this day in 1532, Francisco Pizarro, the Spanish conquistador, captured the Inca Emperor Atahualpa at the Battle of Cajamarca, marking a crucial turning point in the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. Additionally, in 1938, Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann synthesized lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) for the first time, a substance that would later have a profound impact on psychedelic research and culture. Furthermore, on November 16, 1988, Estonia declared its sovereignty from the Soviet Union, paving the way for its eventual independence in 1991 amidst the dissolution of the USSR. These events underscore the diverse range of historical milestones associated with November 16.

Important Days of 16 November in History

International Day for Tolerance: This day is observed to promote and uphold the principles of tolerance and mutual respect among cultures and peoples.

National Button Day: A day to celebrate the humble button, which has been an essential fastening device for clothing for centuries.

World Philosophy Day: Recognized by UNESCO, this day aims to underline the enduring value of philosophy for the development of human thought, for each culture, and for each individual.


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