ON THIS DAY
What happened on October 16?
October 16 brings together a defining episode of the French Revolution, a medical breakthrough, the founding of the FAO and the election of a globally influential pope.
4 moments shown
Marie Antoinette was executed
The former queen of France was executed by guillotine in Paris during the French Revolution.
Ether anesthesia was demonstrated publicly
Dentist William Morton used ether while surgeon John Collins Warren removed a neck tumour at Massachusetts General Hospital.
The Food and Agriculture Organization was founded
Representatives meeting in Quebec established the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
Karol Wojtyła was elected Pope John Paul II
The College of Cardinals elected the archbishop of Kraków as pope following the brief pontificate of John Paul I.
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