1868 james buchanan american lawyer and politician 15th preside 06 01
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1858 168 years ago Historical Events August 16 3 sources

U.S. President James Buchanan inaugurates the new transatlantic telegraph cable by exchanging greetings with Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. However, a weak signal forces a shutdown of the service in a few weeks.

On August 16, in the year 1858, U.S. President James Buchanan inaugurates the new transatlantic telegraph cable by exchanging greetings with Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. However, a weak signal forces a shutdown of the service in a few weeks. This event is recorded as a Historical Events event in the history of August 16, one of 428 recorded events on this date across all of history.

James Buchanan Jr. was the 15th president of the United States, serving from 1857 to 1861. He also served as the 17th United States secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and represented Pennsylvania in both houses of the U.S. Congress. Buchanan was an advocate for states' rights, particularly regarding slavery, and argued for limiting the role of the federal government preceding the American Civil War.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on August 16, 1858 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Historical Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 3 Wikipedia articles.
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 18 July 2026.

On This Date in History 428

Type Year Date Event
Notable Deaths 2023 Aug 16 Howard S. Becker, American sociologist (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2021 Aug 16 Sean Lock, English comedian and actor (born 1963)
Historical Events 2020 Aug 16 The August Complex fire in California burns more than one million acres of land.
Notable Deaths 2019 Aug 16 Peter Fonda, American actor, director, and screenwriter. (born 1940)
Notable Deaths 2019 Aug 16 Richard Williams, Canadian-British animator (born 1933)
Notable Deaths 2018 Aug 16 Aretha Franklin, American singer-songwriter (born 1942)
Notable Deaths 2018 Aug 16 Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Indian poet and 12th Prime Minister of India (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2018 Aug 16 Wakako Yamauchi, American-Japanese writer (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2016 Aug 16 João Havelange, Brazilian water polo player, lawyer, and businessman (born 1916)
Notable Deaths 2016 Aug 16 John McLaughlin, American television personality (born 1927)
Historical Events 2015 Aug 16 More than 96 people are killed and hundreds injured following a series of air-raids by the Syrian Arab Air Force on…
Historical Events 2015 Aug 16 Trigana Air Flight 267, an ATR 42, crashes in Oksibil, Bintang Mountains Regency, killing all 54 people on board.
Notable Deaths 2015 Aug 16 Jacob Bekenstein, Mexican-American physicist, astronomer, and academic (born 1947)
Notable Deaths 2015 Aug 16 Anna Kashfi, British actress (born 1934)
Notable Deaths 2015 Aug 16 Shuja Khanzada, Pakistani colonel and politician (born 1943)
Notable Deaths 2015 Aug 16 Mile Mrkšić, Serb general (born 1947)
Selected Events 2015 Aug 16 Suicide bombers assassinated Pakistani politician Shuja Khanzada and killed at least 21 others at his home in Attock…
Notable Deaths 2014 Aug 16 Patrick Aziza, Nigerian general and politician, Governor of Kebbi State (born 1947)
Notable Deaths 2014 Aug 16 Vsevolod Nestayko, Ukrainian author (born 1930)
Notable Deaths 2014 Aug 16 Mario Oriani-Ambrosini, Italian-South African lawyer and politician (born 1960)
Notable Deaths 2014 Aug 16 Peter Scholl-Latour, German journalist, author, and academic (born 1924)
Historical Events 2013 Aug 16 The ferry St. Thomas Aquinas collides with a cargo ship and sinks at Cebu, Philippines, killing 61 people with 59…
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 16 David Rees, Welsh mathematician and academic (born 1918)
Historical Events 2012 Aug 16 South African police fatally shoot 34 miners and wound 78 more during an industrial dispute at Marikana near Rustenburg.
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 16 Princess Lalla Amina of Morocco (born 1954)
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 16 Martine Franck, Belgian photographer and director (born 1938)
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 16 Abune Paulos, Ethiopian patriarch (born 1935)
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 16 William Windom, American actor (born 1923)
Notable Deaths 2011 Aug 16 Mihri Belli, Turkish activist and politician (born 1916)
Historical Events 2010 Aug 16 AIRES Flight 8250 crashes at Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport in San Andrés, San Andrés y Providencia,…
Notable Deaths 2010 Aug 16 Dimitrios Ioannidis, Greek general (born 1923)
Selected Events 2009 Aug 16 At the World Championships in Athletics in Berlin, Usain Bolt ran the 100 metres in 9.58 seconds, breaking his own…
Historical Events 2008 Aug 16 The Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago is topped off at 1,389 feet (423 m), at the time becoming the…
Notable Deaths 2008 Aug 16 Dorival Caymmi, Brazilian singer-songwriter and actor (born 1914)
Notable Deaths 2008 Aug 16 Ronnie Drew, Irish musician, folk singer and actor (born 1934)
Notable Deaths 2008 Aug 16 Masanobu Fukuoka, Japanese farmer and author (born 1913)
Notable Deaths 2007 Aug 16 Bahaedin Adab, Iranian engineer and politician (born 1945)
Notable Deaths 2006 Aug 16 Alfredo Stroessner, Paraguayan general and dictator; 46th President of Paraguay (born 1912)
Historical Events 2005 Aug 16 West Caribbean Airways Flight 708, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, crashes in Machiques, Venezuela, killing all 160 people…
Notable Deaths 2005 Aug 16 Vassar Clements, American fiddler (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2005 Aug 16 Tonino Delli Colli, Italian cinematographer (born 1922)
Notable Deaths 2005 Aug 16 William Corlett, English novelist and playwright (born 1938)
Notable Deaths 2005 Aug 16 Frère Roger, Swiss monk and mystic (born 1915)
Notable Deaths 2004 Aug 16 Ivan Hlinka, Czech ice hockey player and coach (born 1950)
Notable Deaths 2004 Aug 16 Balanadarajah Iyer, Sri Lankan journalist and poet (born 1957)
Notable Deaths 2004 Aug 16 Carl Mydans, American photographer and journalist (born 1907)
Notable Deaths 2004 Aug 16 Robert Quiroga, American boxer (born 1969)
Notable Deaths 2003 Aug 16 Idi Amin, Ugandan field marshal and politician, 3rd President of Uganda (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2002 Aug 16 Abu Nidal, Palestinian terrorist leader (born 1937)
Notable Deaths 2002 Aug 16 Jeff Corey, American actor (born 1914)

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

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