March 16: Holidays, Historical Events, Famous Birthdays & Zodiac Sign
On March 16, 1926, Robert Goddard launched the world's first liquid-fueled rocket in a Massachusetts cabbage field — a quiet moment that opened the door to spaceflight.
About March 16
March 16 is a day of bold firsts and unlikely visionaries. In 1621, an Abenaki man named Samoset strode into Plymouth Colony and startled the struggling English settlers with a greeting in English: "Welcome, Englishmen! My name is Samoset." His visit marked one of the earliest peaceful contacts between the Wampanoag world and the colonists who would reshape North America.
Three centuries later, Robert Goddard stood in a frozen field in Auburn, Massachusetts, and ignited the first liquid-fueled rocket ever flown. It climbed only 41 feet, but the principle behind it would carry humans to the Moon. Fittingly, on this same day in 1966, Gemini 8 — crewed by Neil Armstrong and David Scott — achieved the first docking of two spacecraft in orbit, extending Goddard's legacy into the space age.
Pisces, the zodiac sign for March 16, is associated with imagination and quiet persistence. Few figures embody that better than Caroline Herschel, born this day in 1750, who became the first woman to discover a comet, or James Madison, born in 1751, whose patient intellect helped frame the U.S. Constitution. From the first FA Cup final in 1872 to Mississippi finally ratifying the Thirteenth Amendment in 1995, this day has often been about long-awaited milestones finally taking flight.
Holidays & Observances on March 16
- Day of the Book Smugglers (Lithuania)
- Remembrance day of the Latvian legionnaires (Latvia)
- Saint Urho's Day (Finnish Americans and Finnish Canadians)
Fun & National Days on March 16
- Everything You Do is Right Day — Cancel your self-doubt — today every choice you make is officially correct. Enjoy the guilt-free confidence.
- National Artichoke Heart Day — Celebrate the tender center of the thistle. Steam, grill, or dip — artichoke hearts deserve their moment.
- Freedom of Information Day — Honor your right to know by looking up a government record or thanking a journalist who fought for transparency.
- Goddard Day — Look skyward and tip your hat to Robert Goddard, whose backyard rocket experiment launched humanity toward the stars.
- Lips Appreciation Day — Pucker up, smile, or apply your favorite balm — give your lips the gratitude they quietly deserve.
- Act Happy Day
- Black Press Day
- Curlew Day
- Dribble to Work Day
- National Curl Crush Day
On This Day in History
- -597 — Jerusalem surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar II's Neo-Babylonian forces, ending the first siege of the city and ushering in a pivotal chapter of exile.
- 1621 — Samoset, an Abenaki sagamore, walked into Plymouth Colony and greeted the English settlers in English, offering an astonishing moment of early contact.
- 1660 — England's Long Parliament was dissolved, clearing the path for the Convention Parliament that would restore the monarchy under Charles II.
- 1802 — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was established to found and operate the Military Academy at West Point, shaping American military education.
- 1815 — Prince Willem declared himself monarch of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, becoming the country's first constitutional king after Napoleonic rule.
- 1872 — Wanderers F.C. defeated Royal Engineers 1–0 at The Oval to win the inaugural FA Cup, launching the world's oldest football knockout competition.
- 1898 — Representatives of five Australian colonies meeting in Melbourne adopted a constitution that would form the foundation of the future Commonwealth of Australia.
- 1926 — Robert Goddard launched the first liquid-fueled rocket in Auburn, Massachusetts, a modest 41-foot flight that pioneered the future of spaceflight.
- 1966 — Gemini 8 lifted off with Neil Armstrong and David Scott, achieving the first docking of two spacecraft in orbit — a vital step toward lunar missions.
- 1988 — Oliver North and John Poindexter were indicted on conspiracy charges tied to the Iran–Contra affair, one of the era's defining political scandals.
- 1995 — Mississippi officially ratified the Thirteenth Amendment, becoming the last state to approve the abolition of slavery — 130 years after it became law.
- 2012 — Sachin Tendulkar became the first batter in cricket history to score 100 international centuries, a milestone many believed would never be reached.
Famous Birthdays on March 16
- 1750 — Caroline Herschel, German-English astronomer who became the first woman to discover a comet and a pioneering cataloger of nebulae.
- 1751 — James Madison, Fourth U.S. president and principal architect of the Constitution, whose Federalist Papers still shape American governance.
- 1774 — Matthew Flinders, English navigator who first circumnavigated Australia and championed the name we use for the continent today.
- 1789 — Georg Ohm, German physicist who formulated Ohm's Law, the foundational relationship between voltage, current, and resistance in electricity.
- 1941 — Bernardo Bertolucci, Italian director whose films including Last Tango in Paris and The Last Emperor won multiple Academy Awards.
- 1953 — Richard Stallman, American programmer who founded the Free Software Movement and created the GNU Project, transforming software culture.
- 1953 — Isabelle Huppert, French actress whose decades-long career spans arthouse classics and mainstream cinema, earning multiple César Awards.