August 16

This day in history:

• 1916 – The Migratory Bird Treaty between Canada and the United States is signed.
• 1930 – The first British Empire Games are opened in Hamilton, Ontario, by the Governor General of Canada, the Viscount Willingdon.
• 1777 – American Revolutionary War: The Americans led by General John Stark rout British and Brunswick troops under Friedrich Baum at the Battle of Bennington in Walloomsac, New York.
• 1876 – Richard Wagner's Siegfried, the penultimate opera in his Ring cycle, is premiered at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus.

Births:

• 1997 – Greyson Chance, American musician
• 1935 – Andreas Stamatiadis, Greek footballer and coach
• 1876 – Ivan Bilibin, Russian illustrator and stage designer (d. 1942)

Deaths:

• 2014 – Vsevolod Nestayko, Ukrainian author (b. 1930)
• 2015 – Mile Mrkšić, Serb general (b. 1947)
• 1998 – Phil Leeds, American actor (b. 1916)

Holidays:

• Gozan no Okuribi (Kyoto, Japan)
• National Airborne Day (United States)
• *Christian feast day:*

Random Article of the day:

USS Lignite

USS Lignite (IX-162), a Trefoil-class concrete barge designated an unclassified miscellaneous vessel, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for lignite. Her keel was laid down on 8 December 1943 by Barrett & Hilp, Belair Shipyard, San Francisco, California, under a Maritime Commission contract (T. B7-D1-Barge). She was launched on 26 February 1944 sponsored by Miss Catherine Barrett, converted for use as a United States Army and United States Marine Corps stores barge by Barrett & Hilp, acquired by the Navy on 26 September 1944, and placed in service at San Francisco the same day.