◆ On this day

October 16

4 sourced moments from October 16 in history: Marie Antoinette was guillotined during the French Revolution (1793); Ether Day 1846: the first successful public anesthetic; The Walt Disney Company was founded with a four-page contract (1923), plus 1 more.

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4 things happened on October 16

newest first ↓

1968 Sports · Olympics

Athletes Raised Fists in Protest at the Mexico City Olympics

On the medal podium in 1968, two American sprinters turned a victory ceremony into one of sport's most enduring acts of protest.

1923 Society & Economy · Business & Markets

The Walt Disney Company was founded with a four-page contract

Two brothers signing a modest distribution deal in a Hollywood living room quietly launched what became an entertainment empire.

1846 Human Body & Mind · Medicine & Disease

Ether Day 1846: the first successful public anesthetic

On 16 October 1846 a Boston patient slept through surgery under ether. Ten weeks later London surgeons were using the 'Yankee dodge' too.

1793 History · Modern

Marie Antoinette was guillotined during the French Revolution

Tried as a traitor and paraded through Paris in an open cart, the former queen met the guillotine just past noon.