1836 190 years ago Historical Events October 16

Great Trek: Afrikaner voortrekkers repulse a Matabele attack, but lose their livestock.

On October 16, in the year 1836, Great Trek: Afrikaner voortrekkers repulse a Matabele attack, but lose their livestock. This event is recorded as a Historical Events event in the history of October 16, one of 493 recorded events on this date across all of history.

The Battle of Vegkop, alternatively spelled as Vechtkop, took place on 16 October 1836 near the present day town of Heilbron, Free State, South Africa. After an impi of about 600 Matebele murdered 15 to 17 Afrikaner voortrekkers on the Vaal River, abducting three children, King Mzilikazi ordered another attack. The Voortrekkers, under the command of Andries Potgieter, repulsed them, but at the cost of abandoning their livestock.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on October 16, 1836 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Historical Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 1 Wikipedia article.
  • The event is associated with a specific geographical location (see map below).
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 22 August 2026.

On This Date in History 493

Type Year Date Event
Notable Deaths 2024 Oct 16 Ollie Olsen, Australian musician, composer and sound designer (born 1958)
Notable Deaths 2024 Oct 16 Liam Payne, English singer-songwriter from One Direction (born 1993)
Notable Deaths 2024 Oct 16 Yahya Sinwar, leader of Hamas (born 1962)
Notable Deaths 2023 Oct 16 Martti Ahtisaari, former President of Finland and Nobel Prize laureate (born 1937)
Historical Events 2017 Oct 16 Storm Ophelia strikes the U.K. and Ireland causing major damage and power loss.
Notable Deaths 2017 Oct 16 Daphne Caruana Galizia, Maltese journalist and blogger (born 1964)
Notable Deaths 2017 Oct 16 Roy Dotrice, British actor (born 1923)
Notable Deaths 2017 Oct 16 John Dunsworth, Canadian actor (born 1946)
Notable Deaths 2017 Oct 16 Sean Hughes, British-born Irish stand-up comedian (born 1965)
Selected Events 2017 Oct 16 The Maltese journalist and anti-corruption activist Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed in a car bomb attack in Bidnija.
Notable Deaths 2016 Oct 16 Calvin Carl "Kelly" Gotlieb, Canadian professor and computer scientist (born 1921)
Notable Deaths 2015 Oct 16 Richard J. Cardamone, American lawyer and judge (born 1925)
Notable Deaths 2015 Oct 16 James W. Fowler, American psychologist and academic (born 1940)
Notable Deaths 2015 Oct 16 William James, Australian general and physician (born 1930)
Notable Deaths 2015 Oct 16 Vera Williams, American author and illustrator (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2015 Oct 16 Memduh Ün, Turkish film producer, director, actor and screenwriter (born 1920)
Notable Deaths 2014 Oct 16 Ioannis Charalambopoulos, Greek colonel and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Greece (born 1919)
Notable Deaths 2014 Oct 16 Allen Forte, American musicologist and theorist (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 2014 Oct 16 Seppo Kuusela, Finnish basketball player and coach (born 1934)
Notable Deaths 2014 Oct 16 John Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough, English businessman (born 1926)
Historical Events 2013 Oct 16 Lao Airlines Flight 301 crashes on approach to Pakse International Airport in Laos, killing 49 people.
Notable Deaths 2013 Oct 16 Govind Purushottam Deshpande, Indian playwright and academic (born 1938)
Notable Deaths 2013 Oct 16 George Hourmouziadis, Greek archaeologist and academic (born 1932)
Notable Deaths 2013 Oct 16 Ed Lauter, American actor (born 1938)
Notable Deaths 2013 Oct 16 Laurel Martyn, Australian ballerina and choreographer (born 1916)
Notable Deaths 2013 Oct 16 Robert B. Rheault, American colonel (born 1925)
Notable Deaths 2013 Oct 16 Saggy Tahir, Pakistani-American lawyer and politician (born 1944)
Selected Events 2013 Oct 16 In Laos's deadliest air accident, Lao Airlines Flight 301 crashed into the Mekong River, resulting in the deaths of…
Notable Deaths 2012 Oct 16 Frank Moore Cross, American scholar and academic (born 1921)
Notable Deaths 2012 Oct 16 John A. Durkin, American lawyer and politician (born 1936)
Notable Deaths 2012 Oct 16 Mario Gallegos, Jr., American firefighter and politician (born 1950)
Notable Deaths 2012 Oct 16 Bódog Török, Hungarian handball player and coach (born 1923)
Notable Deaths 2012 Oct 16 Eddie Yost, American baseball player and coach (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 2011 Oct 16 Dan Wheldon, English race car driver (born 1978)
Notable Deaths 2010 Oct 16 Eyedea, American rapper and producer (born 1981)
Notable Deaths 2010 Oct 16 Barbara Billingsley, American actress (born 1915)
Notable Deaths 2008 Oct 16 Dagmar Normet, Estonian author and translator (born 1921)
Notable Deaths 2007 Oct 16 Deborah Kerr, Scottish actress (born 1921)
Notable Deaths 2007 Oct 16 Toše Proeski, Macedonian singer-songwriter (born 1981)
Notable Deaths 2006 Oct 16 John Victor Murra, Ukrainian-American anthropologist and academic (born 1916)
Notable Deaths 2006 Oct 16 Valentín Paniagua, Peruvian lawyer and politician, 91st President of Peru (born 1936)
Notable Births 2005 Oct 16 Ruby Rose Turner, American actress
Notable Deaths 2004 Oct 16 Pierre Salinger, American journalist and politician, 11th White House Press Secretary (born 1925)
Notable Births 2003 Oct 16 Scott Ogden, British motorcycle racer
Notable Deaths 2003 Oct 16 Avni Arbaş, Turkish painter (born 1919)
Notable Deaths 2003 Oct 16 Stu Hart, Canadian wrestler and trainer (born 1915)
Notable Deaths 2003 Oct 16 László Papp, Hungarian boxer (born 1926)
Historical Events 2002 Oct 16 The Bibliotheca Alexandrina opens in Egypt, commemorating the ancient library of Alexandria.
Notable Births 2001 Oct 16 Willian Pacho, Ecuadorian footballer
Notable Deaths 2001 Oct 16 Etta Jones, American singer-songwriter (born 1928)

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

More on October 16

Browse Further

📅 All events on October 16 493 events 📖 All events in 1836 🏷 More Historical Events events
0

Comments 0

Sign in to join the discussion.