On This Day for July 16 - First atomic bomb exploded near Alamogordo, New Mexico, Ginger Rogers is featured, and more

This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, click here to view. July 16 FEATURED BIOGRAPHY Ginger Rogers READ MORE   FEATURED EVENT 1945 First atomic bomb exploded near Alamogordo, New Mexico READ MORE   Advertisement Advertisement   MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY 2018: U.S. President Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki , and the summit proved highly controversial as Trump questioned the conclusion of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia had meddled in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. [Take our quiz about U.S. presidential elections.] 2017: American filmmaker George A. Romero—who was known for his horror films, notably Night of the Living Dead (1968), which launched a series of related movies—died at age 77. [ Test your knowledge of scary movies.] 2004: Chicago officially opened its Millennium Park, which featured fountains, eye-catching sculptures, and a large outdoor concert facility designed by architect Frank Gehry. [ Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about Chicago architecture.] 2001: Jacques Rogge of Belgium was chosen to replace Juan António Samaranch as the president of the International Olympic Committee. [ Take our quiz about Olympic history.] 1999: American publisher and lawyer John F. Kennedy, Jr., the only son of U.S. President John F. Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, died after the airplane he was piloting crashed off Martha's Vineyard , Massachusetts; also killed were his wife and her sister. 1979: Saddam Hussein became president of Iraq, and his brutal rule, which lasted 24 years, was marked by costly and unsuccessful wars with neighbouring countries as well as atrocities against the Iraqi people. [ Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about the Middle East.] SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1967 Will Ferrell American actor and writer 1862 Ida B. Wells-Barnett American journalist and social reformer 1907 Barbara Stanwyck American actress 1911 Ginger Rogers American actress and dancer 1968 Barry Sanders American football player 1872 Roald Amundsen Norwegian explorer SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY   Advertisement   FOLLOW: To unsubscribe from Britannica e-mails, click here. Encyclopædia Britannica 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Chicago, Illinois 60654 United States © 2020 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Privacy Policy • Help