On this day

16 April in history.

5 moments from 1853 to 1963: discovery, creativity and courage, each with a source to read more.

5 moments

1912

Harriet Quimby flies the Channel. American pilot Harriet Quimby flew alone from Dover to France, the first woman to cross the English Channel by plane. The Titanic news the same week left her feat barely noticed.

Photo: Bain / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

1853
India's first passenger train
A train left Bori Bunder in Bombay for Thane, about 34 kilometres away, the first passenger railway journey in India.
Wikipedia: Great Indian Peninsula Railway Wikipedia: Rail transport in India
Photo: RegentsPark / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
1862
Freedom in the capital
A new law freed enslaved people in Washington, D.C., months before the Emancipation Proclamation. The city still marks the day as Emancipation Day.
Wikipedia: District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act Wikipedia: Emancipation Day
Photo: U.S. Government / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
1908
Natural Bridges is protected
Three huge stone bridges carved by water in Utah were made a national monument.
Wikipedia: Natural Bridges National Monument
Photo: Laban712 on en / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
1963
Letter from Birmingham Jail
Held in an Alabama jail cell, Martin Luther King Jr. began a long letter answering clergymen who had told him to wait. It became a classic defence of peaceful protest.
Wikipedia: Letter from Birmingham Jail Wikipedia: Martin Luther King Jr.
Photo: Adam Jones, Ph.D. / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Moments chosen for discovery, creativity and courage. Each one links to a source where you can read more; photos are credited to their owners.