History for February 16

History for February 16 - On-This-Day.com

Sonny Bono 1935 - Singer (Sonny and Cher)

• 1804 - A raid was led by Lt. Stephen Decatur to burn the U.S. Navy frigate Philadelphia. The ship had been taken by Muslim pirates at Tripoli.
• 1857 - The National Deaf Mute College was incorporated in Washington, DC. It was the first school in the world for advanced education of the deaf. The school was later renamed Gallaudet College.
• 1937 - Wallace H. Carothers received a patent for nylon. Carothers was a research chemist for Du Pont.
• 1946 - The first commercially designed helicopter was tested in Connecticut.
• 1959 - Fidel Castro seized power in Cuba after the overthrow of President Fulgencio Batista.
• 1968 - In the U.S., the first 911 emergency telephone system was inaugurated in Haleyville, AL.