Famous people born on April 16th
April 16 gathers an unusually wide spread of public voices: silent-film pioneers, Nobel-winning literature, aviation breakthroughs, religious leadership, and modern sports and music. The date's birthdays span centuries and continents, linking innovators and entertainers with thinkers who shaped politics and culture. Together, they sketch a portrait of influence that ranges from the stage and page to the cockpit and the pulpit.
Notable highlights
- Charlie Chaplin (1889) - A defining architect of silent cinema, he co-founded United Artists and turned the Tramp into a global symbol of screen comedy and pathos.
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1947) - The NBA's skyhook master became the league's all-time leading scorer for decades and later built a second career as a prominent writer and cultural commentator.
- Pope Benedict XVI (1927) - The first pope in centuries to resign, he reshaped modern expectations of the papacy while remaining a major theological voice.
- Wilbur Wright (1867) - As half of the Wright brothers, he helped solve controlled, powered flight and changed transportation and warfare forever.
- Peter Ustinov (1921) - An Oscar-winning actor and celebrated raconteur, he moved effortlessly between film, theater, writing, and public advocacy.
- Anatole France (1844) - The 1921 Nobel laureate blended irony and humanism, influencing European letters with sharp social observation.
- Spike Milligan (1918) - A key force behind British radio comedy, he pushed surreal humor into the mainstream with The Goon Show and later became a beloved memoirist.
- Dusty Springfield (1939) - Her soulful voice and studio craft helped define 1960s pop, with recordings that remain touchstones for modern singers.
- Ellen Barkin (1955) - Known for vivid, sharp-edged performances, she became a standout presence in both independent film and mainstream drama.
- Martin Lawrence (1965) - A major 1990s comedy star, he helped shape modern stand-up-to-sitcom pipelines and led blockbuster film franchises.
On this day
- 1912 - Harriet Quimby becomes the first woman to fly solo across the English Channel.
- 1947 - The Texas City disaster, one of the deadliest industrial accidents in U.S. history, occurs after a ship carrying ammonium nitrate explodes.
- 1963 - Martin Luther King Jr. writes the "Letter from Birmingham Jail", a landmark defense of nonviolent civil disobedience.
- 1972 - Apollo 16 launches, sending astronauts to explore the lunar highlands at the Descartes region.