On This Day: 16 June

The Yorkist rebellion against Henry VII, of which Lambert Simnel is the figurehead, is defeated at the Battle of Stoke Field (near Newark–on–Trent, Nottinghamshire) – arguably the last battle in the Wars of the Roses		1487
Mary Queen of Scots recognises Philip II of Spain as her heir		1586
Queen Christina of Sweden abdicates in favour of her cousin Charles X Gustavus		1654
The English and Dutch fleets under Rooke are defeated by the French at St. Vincent		1693
George II defeats the French at the battle of Dettingen		1743
New England colonial troops take Cape Breton Island and Louisburg, at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River		1745
Harrodsburg, Kentucky – considered to be the oldest permanent American settlement west of the Appalachians – is founded		1774
The Siege of Gibraltar begins, after Spain declares war on Great Britain		1779
Napoleon's army under Marshal Ney defeated by the Prince of Orange at the Battle of Quatre Bras; meanwhile, Napoleon defeats the Prussians at Ligny, Belgium (two days before Waterloo)		1815
Over 1,500 lives are lost when a major earthquake strikes the Kutch district of western India; it raises a ridge 6 metres high and 6 km wide, extending for at least 80 km, that was known as the Allah Bund ('Dam of God')		1819
The Insurrection of the Janisaries at Constantinople ends		1826
The London Working Men's Association is founded – the beginning of the Chartist movement		1836
Pope Pius IX is elected, beginning the longest reign in the history of the papacy (31 years and 236 days)		1846
The University Test Act allows students to enter Oxbridge and Cambridge without sitting religious tests		1871
Salvation Army ladies wear their bonnets for the first time as they march through Hackney		1880
183 children die at a theatre in Sunderland, in a stampede for gifts		1883
The first purpose–built roller coaster – LaMarcus Adna Thompson's 'Switchback Railway' – opens in Coney Island amusement park, New York		1884
A treaty annexing the Republic of Hawaii to the United States is signed; the Republic would not be dissolved until a year later		1897
Henry Ford launches his motor company and becomes its first President		1903
The trade name Pepsi–Cola is registered with the US Patents Office		1903
Roald Amundsen leaves Oslo to begin the first east–west navigation of the Northwest Passage		1903
James Joyce begins a relationship with Nora Barnacle; he subsequently uses the date to set the actions for his novel Ulysses; this date is now traditionally known as Ulysses, and it would become known as 'Bloomsday'		1904
The Automobile Association is founded		1905
IBM is founded, as the Computing–Tabulating–Recording Company, in Endicott, New York		1911
The first Congress of Soviets meets in Russia		1917
The first public meeting of the League of Nations takes place in London		1920
Bentleys take the first four places in the 24 hour race at Le Mans		1929
Mixed bathing is permitted for the first time in Lake Serpentine, Hyde Park, London		1930
Roosevelt's 'New Deal' begins		1933
The US House of Representatives passes the Social Security Bill – an important part of Roosevelt's 'New Deal'		1935
Winston Churchill offers France 'indissoluble union' with Britain		1940
Marshal Petain takes over the French government and asks Germany for an armistice		1940
The Soviet Union sends an ultimatum to Estonia; a Communist government is installed in Lithuania		1940
The first aeroplane hi–jack: Chinese bandits force Cathay Pacific's Miss Macao to fly to Hong Kong		1948
Thirteen lives are lost when a submarine sinks in Portsmouth harbour		1955
Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath marry		1956
Imre Nagy, Hungarian Premier 1953–55 and 1956, is executed in Bucharest along with other leaders of the 1956 uprising		1958
Yellow no–waiting lines first come into force on Britain's streets		1958
Rudolf Nureyev, on tour in France with the Kirov Ballet, requests political asylum		1961
Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space, in Vostok 6		1963
Monterey Pop Festival takes place		1967
Ulrika Meinhof, the last member of the Baader–Meinhof gang, is captured by German police		1972
Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev visits the USA		1973
A non–violent march by 15,000 students in Soweto, South Africa, turns into days of rioting when police open fire on the crowd		1976
Software Development Laboratories (SDL) – later renamed Oracle Corporation – is incorporated in Redwood Shores, California by Larry Ellison, Bob Miner and Ed Oates		1977
The Taito Corporation of Tokyo demonstrates Space Invaders		1978
England's Bryan Robson scores the fastest ever goal in a World Cup finals tournament – after 27 seconds, against France		1982
The South Wales coalfield comes to a standstill after about 24,000 miners go on strike in support of health service workers, who are demanding a 12% pay rise		1982
Ariane 1 is launched at Koroun, French Guiana		1983
Imre Nagy, former Communist prime minister of Hungary and the man who symbolises the 1956 uprising, is given a formal public funeral, 31 years after he was executed		1989
Belgian police arrest IRA members suspected of shooting two Australian tourists in Holland on May 28		1990
Andrew Morton publishes his controversial biography of Princess Diana, including claims that she has attempted suicide: "not hearsay … it is what the Princess of Wales has told her friends"		1992
Thabo Mbeki is sworn in as president of South Africa, succeeding Nelson Mandela		1999
Israel withdraws from Lebanon (except the disputed Shebaa farms) – complying with United Nations Security Council Resolution 425, 22 years after its issuance		2000
Bhutan becomes the first country to institute a total ban on tobacco		2010
A multi–day cloudburst, centred on the North Indian state of Uttarakhand, causes devastating floods and landslides – becoming the country's worst natural disaster since the 2004 tsunami		2013
Shanghai Disneyland Park – the first Disney Park in Mainland China – opens to the public		2016

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On This Day: 16 June