On This Day for August 16 - Leonel Fernández Reyna inaugurated as president of the Dominican Republic, Madonna is featured, and more

This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, click here to view. August 16 FEATURED BIOGRAPHY Madonna READ MORE   FEATURED EVENT 1996 Leonel Fernández Reyna inaugurated as president of the Dominican Republic READ MORE   Advertisement Advertisement   MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY 2018: American singer Aretha Franklin, who defined the golden age of soul music of the 1960s and was known as the "Queen of Soul," died at age 76. [ Take our music quiz.] 2016: Brazilian businessman and sports official João Havelange—who served as president (1974–98) of FIFA, the governing body of football (soccer), and transformed it into one of the world's largest and most powerful sports organizations but was later implicated in a massive corruption scandal—died at age 100. [ Sort fact from fiction in our football (soccer) quiz.] 2003: Ugandan military officer Idi Amin—who assumed the country's presidency (1971–79) following a coup and became known as the "Butcher of Uganda" for his brutality—died in Saudi Arabia. [ Test your knowledge of African leaders.] 1977: American singer Elvis Presley, known as the "King of Rock and Roll," died of a heart attack brought on largely by drug abuse. [How much do you know about rock and roll?] 1960: The island of Cyprus became an independent republic. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about islands.] 1954: Canadian filmmaker James Cameron —who was known for his expansive vision and innovative special-effects movies, notably Titanic (1997) and Avatar (2009)—was born. [Take our film buff quiz.] SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1958 Madonna American singer and actress 1962 Steve Carell American comedian and actor 1954 James Cameron Canadian filmmaker 1888 T.E. Lawrence British scholar and military officer 1920 Charles Bukowski American writer 1923 Shimon Peres prime minister and president of Israel 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