On This Day for September 16 - Mayflower's departure for America, Tomás de Torquemada is featured, and more

This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, click here to view. September 16 FEATURED BIOGRAPHY Tomás de Torquemada READ MORE   FEATURED EVENT 1620 Mayflower's departure for America READ MORE   Advertisement Advertisement   MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY 2016: American dramatist Edward Albee, an innovative writer of raw, stringent plays who was perhaps best known for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1962), died at age 88. [Test your knowledge of theatrical history.] 1998: The Basque separatist organization ETA announced an indefinite cease-fire after 30 years of terrorist guerrilla attacks in Spain that were blamed for 800 deaths; the peace lasted 14 months. 1993: The sitcom Frasier—a spin-off of Cheers, starring Kelsey Grammer—debuted on NBC and became one of the most popular American television shows of the late 20th century. [Find out if Frasier made our list of 10 of the best American sitcoms.] 1978: Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq was proclaimed president of Pakistan. 1977: American-born Greek operatic soprano Maria Callas , who revived classical coloratura roles in the mid-20th century with her lyrical and dramatic versatility, died in Paris at age 53. [Listen to Maria Callas and Milan's Orchestra della Scala perform Norma's cavatina,"Casta diva," in Act I of Vincenzo Bellini's Norma.] 1975: Papua New Guinea achieved full independence from Australia. [ Sort fact from fiction in our islands of the world quiz.] SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1924 Lauren Bacall American actress 1925 B.B. King American musician 1891 Karl Dönitz German naval commander 1927 Peter Falk American actor 1387 Henry V king of England 1923 Lee Kuan Yew prime minister of Singapore 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