October 16
2017
Hurricane Ophelia (2017)
Hurricane Ophelia formed in the far eastern Atlantic in mid‑October 2017, became one of the most easterly major hurricanes on record on October 14, and—after losing tropical structure—swept powerful post‑tropical winds across Ireland and parts of the United Kingdom on October 16–17, 2017, causing fatalities, widespread tree and powerline damage, and major disruption to coastal communities. Read more
2013
Lao Airlines Flight 301 crash
On October 16, 2013, an ATR 72-600 operating Lao Airlines Flight 301 struck the Mekong River about 3 km short of Pakse International Airport while descending through heavy rain and thunderstorms. All 49 people on board were killed. An official investigation later concluded the crew continued an unstabilized approach below published minima without having the required visual references, failing to execute a go-around; systemic training and oversight shortcomings were cited as contributing factors. Read more
1991
Luby’s shooting (Luby’s massacre)
On October 16, 1991, a gunman drove a pickup through the plate-glass front of a Luby’s cafeteria in Killeen, Texas, and began firing into the crowded lunchroom. The attack left 23 people dead and 20 wounded; the shooter died by suicide at the scene. The massacre, aimed largely at women and felt deeply by the nearby Fort Hood community, reshaped local grief, police tactics, and the national conversation about mass shootings. Read more
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1964
Project 596 — China’s First Atomic Test
On October 16, 1964, in the salt flats of Lop Nur in eastern Xinjiang, the People’s Republic of China detonated its first atomic device — an implosion‑type plutonium bomb with an estimated yield of about 22 kilotons — announcing itself as the world’s fifth nuclear power and reshaping regional and global strategy.
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1962
Cuban Missile Crisis
A 13-day nuclear standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union from October 16–28, 1962, triggered by U‑2 reconnaissance photos taken over Cuba on October 14, 1962, that revealed Soviet medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missile sites being built on the island. The crisis brought the superpowers to the brink of nuclear war before a negotiated settlement — public Soviet withdrawal in exchange for a U.S. promise not to invade Cuba and a secret U.S. agreement to remove Jupiter missiles from Turkey — defused the confrontation.
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1934
The Long March (Changzheng)
Beginning with a breakout from the Jiangxi Soviet on October 16, 1934, the Long March was a year-long series of retreats by disparate columns of the Chinese Red Army across southern and central China. Harsh terrain, disease, battle losses, and internal political crisis reduced tens of thousands of soldiers to a remnant that reached a new base in northern Shaanxi by October 1935 — a retreat that became the foundation myth and strategic turning point for the Chinese Communist Party.
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