Our front page for August 16 — written and set by The Yesterday Times from the events below. Not an archival document.
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On August 16 in 1977, 49 years ago, Elvis Presley Dies at 42; Found at Graceland. This page reports 8 stories from the date, 25 people born on this day and 15 who died on it.
The stories in full
City Desk
1977 — Elvis Presley Dies at 42; Found at Graceland
Elvis Presley, 42, died of cardiac arrhythmia and heart failure at Graceland; his will names his father as executor and his nine-year-old daughter as beneficiary.
Elvis Presley, the legendary American singer and actor, performing on stage — RCA Records
Elvis Presley, the singer and actor whose voice and hips reshaped American popular music, was found dead at his Graceland home in Memphis, Tennessee, this afternoon. He was 42 years old.
Officials said Presley died from cardiac arrhythmia and heart failure. The news flashed across the nation within hours, drawing crowds of stunned fans to the gates of the white-columned mansion he had made famous.
Presley's will, already on file, appoints his father, Vernon Presley, as executor and trustee. The beneficiaries include his nine-year-old daughter, Lisa Marie Presley. If Vernon were to die, the estate would pass to a board of trustees, on which Presley's ex-wife, Priscilla Presley, has been named as one of three members.
Presley, born in Tupelo, Mississippi, rose from truck driver to international icon after his first Sun Records session in 1954. His hits — "Heartbreak Hotel," "Hound Dog," "Jailhouse Rock" — sold in the hundreds of millions. He made 33 films, served in the Army, and returned to the stage in 1968, performing to sold-out arenas until his final concert in Indianapolis in June.
The estate, which includes Graceland and its grounds, has been estimated to cost as much as $500,000 a year to maintain, and the Internal Revenue Service has demanded almost $15 million in taxes.
Elvis Presley died from cardiac arrhythmia and heart failure on August 16, 1977, at Graceland.
His will appointed his father Vernon Presley as executor and trustee, with beneficiaries including his nine-year-old daughter Lisa Marie Presley.
After Vernon's death in 1979, Elvis' ex-wife Priscilla Presley was named as one of three trustees.
Elvis Presley Enterprises was formally set up by Priscilla Presley in 1979 to manage the estate's assets, including Graceland.
By 1980, the cost of running the estate was estimated at up to $500,000 a year, and the IRS demanded almost $15 million in taxes.
Entertainment
1962 — Beatles Oust Pete Best; Ringo Starr Takes Drums
Manager Brian Epstein delivered the news to Best, who had played with the band for two years, shortly after their first recording session on August 16, 1962.
The Beatles, featuring new drummer Ringo Starr, pose for a promotional photograph — Bo Trenter
The Beatles have made a change behind the drums, dismissing Pete Best at the request of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison. Manager Brian Epstein delivered the news to Best, who had played with the band since their Hamburg days and been with them for two years. The dismissal came shortly after the group's first recording session at Abbey Road Studios on August 16, 1962. Ringo Starr, who left Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, has replaced Best and already posed for promotional photographs. The band is set to release their first single, "Love Me Do," with Starr on drums. Best, popular with many fans, is expected to pursue other musical projects. Ringo Starr made his debut with the group in a performance at the Cavern Club, where the reception was mixed. The Hurricanes have announced they will carry on without him, and Best said he intends to form his own band.
Pete Best was fired by manager Brian Epstein at the request of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison.
Ringo Starr quit Rory Storm and the Hurricanes to join the Beatles in August 1962, replacing Pete Best.
Best's dismissal came shortly after the band's first recording session on 16 August 1962.
Over 30 years later, Best received a significant monetary payout for his work on the Beatles' 1995 compilation Anthology 1.
Home News
1819 — Cavalry Charge in Manchester; Many Dead, Hundreds Hurt
Seventeen killed and over six hundred wounded as yeomanry and hussars disperse a reform meeting at St. Peter's Field.
Cavalry charge the crowd at St. Peter's Field during the 1819 Peterloo Massacre — Richard Carlile
The demand for parliamentary reform in this kingdom has been met with bloodshed. At St. Peter's Field in Manchester, a public meeting calling for the reform of Parliament was brutally dispersed by cavalry charges, leaving seventeen people dead and over six hundred injured.
The meeting, held on the sixteenth day of August, drew a crowd of some sixty thousand men, women, and children, peaceful and unarmed, gathered to hear speeches on the need for reform. Shortly after the proceedings began, the local magistrates ordered the arrest of the speakers, and the Manchester and Salford Yeomanry, a volunteer cavalry, rode into the crowd with sabres drawn.
The charge was followed by the regular hussars, who cleared the field with further violence. The dead and wounded were left on the ground as the crowd fled in terror.
Peterloo Massacre: Seventeen people die and over 600 are injured in cavalry charges at a public meeting at St. Peter's Field, Manchester, England.
Science Desk
1960 — Kittinger Leaps 102,800 Feet, Sets Three Records
Joseph Kittinger steps from a balloon over New Mexico, setting records for high-altitude jump, free fall, and speed.
Joseph Kittinger parachuted from a balloon over New Mexico at 102,800 feet, setting three records: highest jump, longest free fall, and fastest speed by a human without an aircraft. Those marks stood for decades until 2012.
Joseph Kittinger parachutes from a balloon over New Mexico, United States, at 102,800 feet (31,300 m), setting three records that held until 2012: High-altitude jump, free fall, and highest speed by a human without an aircraft.
Telegraphic Intelligence
1858 — President and Queen Exchange Greetings by Ocean Cable
President Buchanan and Queen Victoria inaugurate the transatlantic telegraph cable, though a weak signal forces a shutdown in a few weeks.
President Buchanan this day exchanged courteous greetings with Her Majesty Queen Victoria by means of the new transatlantic telegraph cable. The auspicious event marks the union of two continents by electric wire. Yet already the signal proves weak, and the service is expected to cease within a few weeks, its success yet uncertain.
U.S. President James Buchanan inaugurates the new transatlantic telegraph cable by exchanging greetings with Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. However, a weak signal forces a shutdown of the service in a few weeks.
Commonwealth Affairs
1960 — Cyprus Becomes Independent Nation Today
Cyprus becomes a sovereign republic today, ending 82 years of British administration.
Cyprus today becomes a sovereign republic, ending 82 years of British administration. The Mediterranean island, long a strategic outpost, assumes its place among independent nations. Celebrations are reported in Nicosia and other towns. The new state faces the task of knitting Greek and Turkish communities into one government.
Cyprus gains its independence from the United Kingdom.
Track and Field
2009 — Bolt Shatters 100m Record in 9.58 Seconds
Usain Bolt ran the 100 metres in 9.58 seconds, breaking his own world record by 0.11 seconds, with Tyson Gay second in 9.71.
Usain Bolt ran the 100 metres in 9.58 seconds at the World Championships in Berlin on Sunday, breaking his own world record by 0.11 seconds. The Jamaican, who set the previous mark a year ago, stormed to victory in the final at the Olympiastadion. Defending champion Tyson Gay finished second in 9.71 seconds, a US national record. The 12th IAAF World Championships, held from 15 to 23 August, offer US$100,000 to any athlete setting a world record, a sum Bolt has earned. His run drew peak German TV viewing figures of 9.9 million.
Usain Bolt broke his own 100 metres world record by 0.11 seconds at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.
Defending world champion Tyson Gay finished second with a time of 9.71 seconds, a US national record.
The 12th IAAF World Championships were held in Berlin from 15 to 23 August 2009 at the Olympiastadion.
A reward of US$100,000 was given to any athlete who broke a world record at the competition.
The men's 100 metres final drew peak German TV viewing figures of 9.9 million.
Musical Drama
1876 — Wagner's 'Siegfried' Premieres at Bayreuth
Richard Wagner's Siegfried, the penultimate opera of the Ring cycle, is premiered at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus.
On the green hill of Bayreuth, the Festspielhaus tonight presents the first performance of Richard Wagner's Siegfried, the penultimate drama of the great Ring cycle. The master himself conducts his own theatre. The work tells of the young hero's forging of the sword and his awakening of the sleeping Brünnhilde.
Richard Wagner's Siegfried, the penultimate opera in his Ring cycle, is premiered at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus.
What the papers printed that morning
Real front pages from 16 August 1962, scanned by the Library of Congress. These are archival documents, not our work.
The Hamptons Lawyer, James Patterson and Mike Lupica
Also on August 16
1896 Gold discovered in Klondike setting off gold rush — 130 years agosource
1793 French Revolution: National Convention decrees levée en masse — 233 years agosource
1916 Migratory Bird Treaty signed between Canada and US — 110 years agosource
1975 Whitlam hands land to Gurindji people after Wave Hill walk-off — 51 years agosource
1930 First color sound cartoon Fiddlesticks released — 96 years agosource
1954 First issue of Sports Illustrated published — 72 years agosource
1945 Stanley Internment Camp liberated after Japan surrender — 81 years agosource
1891 San Sebastian Church consecrated in Manila — 135 years agosource
1920 Blind Persons Act receives royal assent — 106 years agosource
Famous birthdays on August 16
1862Amos Alonzo StaggAmos Alonzo Stagg was an American athlete and college coach in multiple sports, primarily American football.
1902Georgette HeyerGeorgette Heyer was an English novelist and short-story writer, in both the Regency romance and detective fiction genres.
1816Octavia TaylorZachary Taylor was the 12th president of the United States, serving from 1849 until his death in 1850.
1895Arthur Rose EldredArthur Rose Eldred was an American agricultural and railroad industry executive, civic leader, and the first Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America (BSA).
1909Paul CallawayPaul Smith Callaway, was a prominent American organist and choral conductor, particularly well known for his thirty-eight years at the Washington National Cathedral, Washington, D.C., between 1939–1977.
1919Karl-Heinz EulingThe Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.
1925Mal WaldronMalcolm Earl "Mal" Waldron was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger.
1927Ann BlythAnne Marie Blythe, known professionally as Ann Blyth, was an American actress and singer whose career spanned five decades.
1933Stuart RoosaStuart Allen Roosa was an American aeronautical engineer, smokejumper, United States Air Force pilot, test pilot, and NASA astronaut, who was the Command Module Pilot for the Apollo 14 mission.
1933Julie Newmar(93 this year)Julie Newmar is an American actress, dancer, and singer known for a variety of stage, screen, and television roles.
1933Reiner Kunze(93 this year)Reiner Kunze is a German writer and GDR dissident.
1935Cliff FletcherGeorge Clifford Fletcher, professionally known as Cliff Fletcher, was a Canadian National Hockey League executive.
1944Kevin AyersKevin Ayers was an English singer-songwriter who was active in the English psychedelic music movement.
1946Moria Casán(80 this year)Ana María Casanova, known by her stage name Moria Casán, is an Argentine actress and TV personality.
1948Mike Jorgensen(78 this year)Michael Jorgensen is an American former professional baseball first baseman and outfielder who currently works in the St. Louis Cardinals' front office.
1955James Reilly(71 this year)James Reilly is an Irish former Fine Gael politician, businessman and medical doctor who served as a Senator from May 2016 to March 2020.
1958Madonna(68 this year)Madonna Louise Ciccone is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress.
1961Christian Okoye(65 this year)Christian Emeka Okoye is a Nigerian–American former professional football fullback who played for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL) from 1987 to 1992.
1963Christine CavanaughChristine Josephine Cavanaugh was an American actress known for her distinctive speaking style and for providing the voice for a large range of mostly cartoon characters.
1970Bonnie Bernstein(56 this year)Bonnie Lynn Bernstein is an American sports journalist and media executive.
1980Vanessa Carlton(46 this year)Vanessa Lee Carlton is an American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actress.
1981Roque Santa Cruz(45 this year)Roque Luis Santa Cruz Cantero is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Paraguayan Primera División club Nacional.
1987Eri Kitamura(39 this year)Eri Kitamura , born August 16, 1987, is a Japanese voice actress and singer.
1988Rumer Willis(38 this year)Rumer Glenn Willis is an American actress.
1991Young Thug(35 this year)Jeffery Lamar Williams II, known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper and singer-songwriter.
Died on August 16
1920Henry DaglishHenry Daglish was an Australian politician who was the sixth premier of Western Australia and the first from the Labor Party, serving from 10 August 1904 to 25 August 1905.
1963Joan EardleyJoan Kathleen Harding Eardley was a British artist noted for her portraiture of street children in Glasgow and for her landscapes of the fishing village of Catterline and surroundings on the North-East coast of Scotland.
2004Ivan HlinkaIvan Hlinka was a Czech professional ice hockey player and coach.
2016João HavelangeJean-Marie Faustin Godefroid "João" de Havelange was a Brazilian lawyer, businessman, and athlete who was the seventh president of FIFA from 1974 to 1998.
2018Atal Bihari VajpayeeAtal Bihari Vajpayee was an Indian statesman and a poet who served as the prime minister of India, from 1998 to 2004, and previously for two weeks in 1996.
1258Theodore II LaskarisTheodore II Doukas Laskaris or Ducas Lascaris was Emperor of Nicaea from 1254 to 1258.
1997Nusrat Fateh Ali KhanNusrat Fateh Ali Khan, also known as NFAK, was a Pakistani singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and music director, primarily associated with qawwali, a form of Sufi devotional music from Pakistan and India.
1297John II of TrebizondJohn II Megas Komnenos was Emperor of Trebizond from June 1280 to his death in 1297.
2008Dorival CaymmiDorival Caymmi was a Brazilian singer, songwriter, actor, and painter active for more than 70 years, beginning in 1933.
2023Howard S. BeckerHoward Saul Becker was an American sociologist who taught at Northwestern University.
1948Babe RuthGeorge Herman "Babe" Ruth was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935.
1949Margaret MitchellMargaret Munnerlyn Mitchell was an American novelist and journalist.
1705Jacob BernoulliJacob Bernoulli was a Swiss mathematician.
1678Andrew MarvellAndrew Marvell was an English poet, satirist and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1659 and 1678.
1878Richard UpjohnRichard Upjohn was a British-American architect who immigrated to the United States and became most famous for his Gothic Revival churches.
Holidays and observances
Children's Day (Paraguay)
Ana Petra Pérez Florido
Armel (Armagillus)
August 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Diomedes of Tarsus
Roch
Stephen I of Hungary
Translation of the Acheiropoietos icon from Edessa to Constantinople. (Eastern Orthodox Church)
Gozan no Okuribi (Kyoto, Japan)
Xicolatada (Palau-de-Cerdagne, France)
Bennington Battle Day (Vermont, United States)
National Airborne Day (United States)
Quote of the Day
“You don't know about me without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.” — Mark Twain, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
August 16 History Quiz
What was the exact time Elvis Presley was found dead at Graceland on August 16, 1977?
2:30 PM
Usain Bolt's 9.58-second 100m record at the 2009 World Championships was run in which city?
Berlin
The Peterloo Massacre of 1819 occurred in which English city?
Every event on this page was picked by hand from the historical record, written up as a news report, and checked against its source. Photographs are matched to the event they illustrate and verified before they are used. Sources are linked on each story.
The Love Machine, Jacqueline Susann
“Jive Talkin'”, 
The Moneychangers, Arthur Hailey
“Magic”, 
Rage of Angels, Sidney Sheldon
Unnatural Exposure, Patricia Cornwell
The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown
“Rude”, 
Fifty Shades of Grey, E. L. James
