So you want to have a drink but you aren't sure why? Here are some GREAT reasons to call your friends over and have a party.

April 16th


- Christian Feast Day
- Emancipation Day (Washington, D.C.)

April 16th


- 1972 - Apollo program: The launch of Apollo 16 from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
- 2007 - Virginia Tech massacre: The deadliest spree killing in modern American history. Seung-Hui Cho, kills 32 and injures 23 before committing suicide.
- 2004 - The super liner RMS Queen Mary 2 embarks on her first trans-Atlantic crossing, linking the golden age of ocean travel to the modern age of ocean travel.
- 2003 - The Treaty of Accession is signed in Athens admitting 10 new member states to the European Union.
- 1992 - The Katina P. runs aground off of Maputo, Mozambique and 60,000 tons of crude oil spill into the ocean.
- 1990 - The "Doctor of Death", Jack Kevorkian, participates in his first assisted suicide.
- 1963 - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. pens his Letter from Birmingham Jail while incarcerated in Birmingham, Alabama for protesting against segregation.
- 1953 - Queen Elizabeth II launches the Royal Yacht HMY Britannia.
- 1947 - Texas City Disaster: An explosion on board a freighter in port causes the city of Texas City, Texas, to catch fire, killing almost 600.
- 1947 - Bernard Baruch coins the term "Cold War" to describe the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union.
- 1946 - Syria gains independence.
- 1945 - The Red Army begins the final assault on German forces around Berlin.
- 1945 - The United States Army liberates Nazi Sonderlager (high security) prisoner-of-war camp Oflag IV-C (better known as Colditz).
- 1945 - More than 7,000 die when the German refugee ship Goya is sunk by a Soviet submarine torpedo.
- 1944 - Allied forces started bombimng of Belgrade,killing about 1,100 people. This bombing fell on the Orthodox Christian Easter.
- 1943 - Dr. Albert Hofmann discovers the psychedelic effects of LSD.
- 1941 - World War II: The Italian convoy Duisburg, directed to Tunisia, is attacked and destroyed by British ships.
- 1941 - Bob Feller of the Cleveland Indians throws the only Opening Day no-hitter in the history of Major League Baseball, beating the Chicago White Sox 1-0.
- 1925 - During the Communist St Nedelya Church assault in Sofia, 150 are killed and 500 are wounded.
- 1922 - The Treaty of Rapallo, pursuant to which Germany and the Soviet Union re-establish diplomatic relations, is signed.
- 1919 - Gandhi organizes a day of "prayer and fasting" in response to the killing of Indian protesters in the Amritsar Massacre by the British.
- 1917 - Lenin returns to Petrograd from exile in Switzerland.
- 1912 - Harriet Quimby becomes the first woman to fly an airplane across the English Channel.
- 1910 - The University of Queensland is founded, with the names of the members of the first Senate published in the Queensland Government Gazette.
- 1881 - In Dodge City, Kansas, Bat Masterson fights his last gun battle.
- 1863 - American Civil War: The Siege of Vicksburg – ships led by Union Admiral David Dixon Porter move through heavy Confederate artillery fire on approach to Vicksburg, Mississippi.
- 1862 - American Civil War: The Battle at Lee's Mills in Virginia.
- 1862 - American Civil War: A bill ending slavery in the District of Columbia becomes law.
- 1858 - The Wernerian Natural History Society, a former Scottish learned society, is wound up.
- 1853 - The first passenger rail opens in India, from Bori Bunder, Bombay to Thane.
- 1799 - Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Mount Tabor – Napoleon drives Ottoman Turks across the River Jordan near Acre.
- 1780 - The University of Münster in Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany is founded.
- 1746 - The Battle of Culloden is fought between the French-supported Jacobites and the British Hanoverian forces commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland.
- 1582 - Spanish conquistador Hernando de Lerma founds the settlement of Salta, Argentina.
- 1521 - Martin Luther's first appearance before the Diet of Worms to be examined by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and the other estates of the empire.
- 1346 - The Serbian Empire is proclaimed in Skopje by Dusan Silni, occupying much of the Balkans.
- 1178 - 1178 BC – The calculated date of the Greek king Odysseus' return home from the Trojan War.
- 1071 - Bari falls to Robert Guiscard, ending Byzantine rule in Italy.
- 73 - Masada, a Jewish fortress, falls to the Romans after several months of siege, ending the Jewish Revolt.

April 16th


- 2008 - Princess Eléonore of Belgium, Belgian princess
- 2003 - Alina Foley, child actress
- 1994 - Liliana Mumy, American actress
- 1993 - Mirai Nagasu, American figure skater
- 1992 - Prince Sébastien of Luxembourg, Prince of Luxembourg
- 1990 - Lorraine Nicholson, American actress
- 1990 - Lily Loveless, British actress
- 1987 - Aaron Lennon, English footballer
- 1986 - Paul di Resta, British racing driver
- 1986 - Peter Regin, Danish ice hockey player
- 1985 - Mark Baker, Welsh author and historian
- 1985 - Luol Deng, British-Sudanese basketball player
- 1985 - Benjamín Rojas, Argentine actor and singer
- 1985 - Brendon Leonard, New Zealand All Black rugby player
- 1984 - Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, American author
- 1984 - Noah Fleiss, American actor
- 1984 - Tucker Fredricks, American speed skater
- 1983 - Cat Osterman, American softball pitcher
- 1983 - George Patis, Greek badminton player
- 1983 - Marié Digby, American singer
- 1982 - Boris Diaw, French basketball player
- 1982 - Barry Jones, Scottish magician
- 1982 - Jonathan Vilma, American football player
- 1982 - Gina Carano, American Mixed Martial Arts fighter
- 1981 - Anestis Agritis, Greek footballer
- 1980 - Paul London, American professional wrestler
- 1979 - Christijan Albers, Dutch Formula One driver
- 1979 - Sixto Peralta, Argentine footballer
- 1979 - Sean Costello, American blues musician
- 1978 - Matthew Lloyd, Australian rules footballer
- 1978 - Lara Dutta, Indian actress
- 1977 - Akon, American singer
- 1977 - Alek Wek, Sudanese supermodel
- 1977 - Fredrik Ljungberg, Swedish footballer
- 1976 - Lukas Haas, American actor
- 1976 - Dan Kellner, American fencer
- 1976 - Shu Qi, Taiwanese actress
- 1975 - Keon Clark, American basketball player
- 1975 - Sean Maher, American actor
- 1975 - Kelli O'Hara, American singer/actress
- 1975 - Nick Pickard, British actor
- 1974 - Mat Devine, American singer (Kill Hannah)
- 1974 - Xu Jinglei, Chinese actress, singer and director
- 1974 - Valarie Rae Miller, American actress
- 1973 - Bonnie Pink, Japanese singer
- 1973 - Aliaune Thiam Akon, American singer and song writer
- 1972 - Conchita Martínez, Spanish tennis player
- 1971 - Peter Billingsley, American actor
- 1971 - Selena Quintanilla, Mexican American singer (d. 1995)
- 1971 - Moses Chan, Hong Kong actor
- 1971 - Seigo Yamamoto, Japanese racing driver
- 1970 - Dero Goi, German musician of industrial group Oomph!
- 1970 - Walt Williams, American basketball player
- 1969 - Fernando Viña, American baseball player
- 1969 - Patrik Järbyn, Swedish alpine ski racer
- 1968 - Vickie Guerrero, WWE professional wrestling personality
- 1965 - Jon Cryer, American actor
- 1965 - Martin Lawrence, American actor
- 1965 - Michael Wong Man Tak, Hong Kong actor and director
- 1964 - Dave Pirner, American rock singer (Soul Asylum)
- 1964 - David Kohan, American television producer
- 1963 - Jimmy Osmond, American pop singer (The Osmonds)
- 1963 - Saleem Malik, Pakistani cricketer
- 1962 - Ian MacKaye, American musician, (Fugazi and Minor Threat)
- 1961 - Doris Dragovi?, Croatian singer
- 1960 - Wahab Akbar, Filipino politician (d. 2007)
- 1960 - Rafael Benítez, Spanish football manager
- 1960 - Pierre Littbarski, German footballer
- 1959 - Scott McKinsey, American television director
- 1959 - Alison Ramsay, Scottish field hockey player
- 1956 - David McDowell Brown, American astronaut (d. 2003)
- 1956 - Lise-Marie Morerod, Swiss skier
- 1955 - Bruce Bochy, American baseball player and manager
- 1955 - Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
- 1954 - Ellen Barkin, American actress
- 1954 - John Bowe, Australian racing driver
- 1953 - Peter Garrett, Australian singer (Midnight Oil) and politician
- 1953 - J. Neil Schulman, American writer
- 1952 - Bill Belichick, American football coach
- 1952 - Michel Blanc, French actor
- 1952 - Billy West, American voice actor
- 1951 - Ioan Mihai Cochinescu, Romanian writer and photographer
- 1951 - Björgvin Halldórsson, Icelandic singer
- 1951 - Mordechai Ben David, Jewish singer
- 1950 - David Graf, American actor (d. 2001)
- 1949 - Melody Patterson, American actress
- 1948 - Lynne Franks, British public relations consultant
- 1947 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, American basketball player
- 1947 - Gerry Rafferty, British musician and songwriter
- 1946 - Margot Adler, American journalist
- 1945 - Tom Allen, American politician
- 1944 - Richard Bradshaw British opera conductor
- 1943 - Ruth Madoc, British actress
- 1943 - Dave Peverett, English musician (Foghat, Savoy Brown) (d. 2000)
- 1942 - Sir Frank Williams, English Formula One constructor and team principal (WilliamsF1)
- 1942 - Jim Lonborg, American baseball player
- 1940 - Margrethe II of Denmark, queen regnant
- 1940 - Benoît Bouchard, French-Canadian politician
- 1939 - Dusty Springfield, English singer (d. 1999)
- 1939 - Boris Dvornik, Croatian actor (d. 2008)
- 1938 - Gordon Wilson, Scottish politician
- 1938 - Rich Rollins, American baseballer
- 1935 - Sarah Kirsch, German poet
- 1935 - Bobby Vinton, American singer
- 1933 - Joan Bakewell, British broadcaster
- 1930 - Herbie Mann, American jazz flute player (d. 2003)
- 1929 - Roy Hamilton, American singer (d. 1969)
- 1929 - Ed Townsend, American singer and songwriter (d. 2003)
- 1928 - "Night Train" Lane, American football player (d. 2002)
- 1927 - Edie Adams, American actress (d. 2008)
- 1927 - Pope Benedict XVI, born Joseph Alois Ratzinger
- 1927 - Peter Mark Richman, American actor
- 1924 - John Harvey-Jones, industrialist (d. 2008)
- 1924 - Henry Mancini, American composer (d. 1994)
- 1924 - Rudy Pompilli, American musician (Bill Haley & His Comets) (d. 1976)
- 1922 - Kingsley Amis, English author (d. 1995)
- 1921 - Peter Ustinov, English actor (d. 2004)
- 1919 - Merce Cunningham, American dancer and choreographer (d. 2009)
- 1919 - Tom Willmore, English geometer (d. 2005)
- 1918 - Spike Milligan, Irish comedian (d. 2002)
- 1918 - Dick Gibson, British racing driver
- 1917 - Barry Nelson, American actor (d. 2007)
- 1915 - Gerard McLarnon, Irish playwright (d. 1997)
- 1915 - Joan Alexander, American actress (d. 2009)
- 1912 - Garth Williams, American illustrator (d. 1996)
- 1912 - Catherine Scorsese, Italian-American actress (d. 1997)
- 1910 - Berton Roueché, American medical writer (d. 1994)
- 1907 - August Eigruber, Austrian war criminal (d. 1947)
- 1907 - Joseph-Armand Bombardier, French-Canadian inventor and businessman (Bombardier Inc.) (d. 1964)
- 1905 - Frits Philips, Dutch businessman (d. 2005)
- 1904 - Fifi D'Orsay, Canadian actress (d. 1983)
- 1899 - Osman Achmatowicz, Polish chemist (d. 1988)
- 1896 - Tristan Tzara, Romanian poet and essayist (d. 1963)
- 1896 - Pat Clayton, British surveyor and explorer (d. 1962)
- 1895 - Robert Dean Frisbie, American writer (d. 1948)
- 1889 - Charlie Chaplin, English actor, writer, songwriter, composer, and film producer (d. 1977)
- 1886 - Ernst Thälmann, German politician (d. 1944)
- 1878 - Tip Foster, English cricketer (d. 1914)
- 1871 - John Millington Synge, Irish writer (d. 1909)
- 1867 - Wilbur Wright, American aviation pioneer (d. 1912)
- 1866 - José de Diego, Puerto Rico statesman and journalist (d. 1918)
- 1865 - Henry George Chauvel, Australian general (d. 1945)
- 1859 - Winifred Cochrane, Countess of Dundonald, philanthropist (d. 1924)
- 1848 - Kandukuri Veeresalingam, Social Reformer of Andhra Pradesh, India (d. 1919)
- 1847 - Hans Auer, Swiss architect, (d. 1906)
- 1844 - Anatole France, French writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1924)
- 1827 - Octave Crémazie, French Canadian poet (d. 1879)
- 1823 - Ferdinand Eisenstein, German mathematician (d. 1852)
- 1821 - Ford Madox Brown, English painter (d. 1893)
- 1800 - George Bingham, 3rd Earl of Lucan, British soldier (d. 1888)
- 1755 - Élisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun, French painter (d. 1842)
- 1730 - Henry Clinton, British general (d. 1795)
- 1728 - Joseph Black, Scottish chemist (d. 1799)
- 1693 - Anne Sophie Reventlow, queen of Denmark and Norway (d. 1743)
- 1682 - John Hadley, British inventor (d. 1744)
- 1661 - Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax, British poet and statesman (d. 1715)
- 1660 - Hans Sloane, British collector and physician (d. 1753)
- 1646 - Jules Hardouin Mansart, French architect (d. 1708)
- 1495 - Petrus Apianus, German mathematician (d. 1557)
- 1319 - King John II of France (d. 1364)
- 778 - King Louis the Pious (d. 840)