Today
Sunday August 16 2026
- Day of the year
- 228/ 365
- Week
- 332,026
- Days left
- 13762%
- Moon
- 18%Waxing crescent
Today is Sunday, August 16, 2026. It is day 228 of 2026, a year of 365 days: 137 remain, and 62% of the year has gone. Under ISO 8601 this date falls in week 33.
What's celebrated on this date
No United Nations international day falls on this date.
Coming up
- August 19World Humanitarian Day
- August 21International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism
- August 23International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition
Saints and name days
Saints whose feast falls on this date, most widely known first.
- Stephen I of Hungary11th-century king of Hungary and saint
- RochChristian saint
- Constantin BrâncoveanuPrince of Wallachia
- Diomedes of TarsusGreek saint and martyr
- Ana Josefa Pérez FloridoSpanish nun (1845–1906)
Sources : Wikidata (P841) · CC0 1.0
Astronomy
New York
- Sunrise
- 06:08
- Sunset
- 19:53
- Length of day
- 13h 45m−2 min vs yesterday
- Solar noon
- 13:00
Times shown for America/New_York
Season
Summer
began on June 21, 2026
Next season
Autumn — 37 days, September 22, 2026 (September equinox)
Public holidays — United States
Not a public holiday in the United States.
Next public holiday : Labor Day — September 7, 2026
National holidays only. Regions, provinces and Länder add their own.
Moon
Waxing crescent
Illumination : 18%
Moon age : 3.9 days
- Next full moon
- August 28, 2026
- Next new moon
- September 11, 2026
Astrology
Today's zodiac sign
Leo
until August 23, 2026 — Virgo
Zodiac dates are an astrological convention, not the Sun's actual position among the constellations. The astronomy above is measured; this is not.
On this day in history
1513
Battle of the Spurs (Battle of Guinegate): King Henry VIII of England and his Imperial allies defeat French forces who are then forced to retreat. Wikipedia
1819
Peterloo Massacre: Seventeen people die and over 600 are injured in cavalry charges at a public meeting at St. Peter's Field, Manchester, England. Wikipedia
1858
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. Wikipedia
1870
Franco-Prussian War: The Battle of Mars-la-Tour is fought, resulting in a Prussian victory. Wikipedia
1930
The first color sound cartoon, Fiddlesticks, is released by Ub Iwerks. Wikipedia
1960
Cyprus gains its independence from the United Kingdom. Wikipedia
Show more (4)
1964
Vietnam War: A coup d'état replaces Dương Văn Minh with General Nguyễn Khánh as President of South Vietnam. A new constitution is established with aid from the U.S. Embassy. Wikipedia
1972
In an unsuccessful coup d'état attempt, the Royal Moroccan Air Force fires upon Hassan II of Morocco's plane while he is traveling back to Rabat. Wikipedia
1987
Northwest Airlines Flight 255, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, crashes after takeoff in Detroit, Michigan, killing 154 of the 155 on board, plus two people on the ground. Wikipedia
2005
West Caribbean Airways Flight 708, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, crashes in Machiques, Venezuela, killing all 160 people on board. Wikipedia
Sources : Wikipedia (en) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Data imported on 2026-08-26
Births and deaths
Born on this day August 16
- 1573Anne of Austria, Queen of Poland (died 1598)
- 1815John Bosco, Italian priest and educator (died 1888)
- 1821Arthur Cayley, English mathematician and academic (died 1895)
- 1832Wilhelm Wundt, German physician, psychologist, and physiologist (died 1920)
- 1845Gabriel Lippmann, Luxembourger-French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1921)
- 1860Jules Laforgue, Uruguayan-French poet and author (died 1887)
- 1884Hugo Gernsback, Luxembourger-American author and publisher (died 1967)
- 1913Menachem Begin, Belarusian-Israeli politician, Prime Minister of Israel, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1992)
Died on this day August 16
- 1938Robert Johnson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1911)aged 27 years
- 1956Bela Lugosi, Hungarian-American actor (born 1882)aged 74 years
- 1959Wanda Landowska, Polish-French harpsichord player (born 1879)aged 80 years
- 1977Elvis Presley, American singer and actor (born 1935)aged 42 years
- 1993Stewart Granger, English-American actor (born 1913)aged 80 years
- 2003Idi Amin, Ugandan field marshal and politician, 3rd President of Uganda (born 1928)aged 78 years
- 2005Frère Roger, Swiss monk and mystic (born 1915)aged 90 years
- 2006Alfredo Stroessner, Paraguayan general and dictator; 46th President of Paraguay (born 1912)aged 94 years
Sources : Wikipedia (en) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Data imported on 2026-08-26
The day in words
In New York the sun rises at 06:08 and sets at 19:53, giving 13h 45m of daylight — 2 minutes less than yesterday. It has been summer since June 21, 2026; autumn opens in 37 days, on September 22, 2026 (September equinox).
The moon is a waxing crescent, 18% illuminated. The next full moon falls on August 28, 2026 and the next new moon on September 11, 2026.
The saints' calendar attaches August 16 to Stephen I of Hungary, Roch and Constantin Brâncoveanu.
No United Nations international day falls on August 16. The next one on the calendar is World Humanitarian Day, on August 19.
It is not a public holiday in the United States.
On this day in history: Battle of the Spurs (Battle of Guinegate): King Henry VIII of England and his Imperial allies defeat French forces who are then forced to retreat (1513); Peterloo Massacre: Seventeen people die and over 600 are injured in cavalry charges at a public meeting at St (1819). English Wikipedia records 10 events for this date.
Anne of Austria was born on August 16, 1573; Robert Johnson died on August 16, 1938.
131 days remain until Christmas and 138 until New Year's Day.
In astrology — kept separate from the measured astronomy above, deliberately — August 16 falls under the sign of Leo.
Calendar
By the numbers
- 62%
- of the year elapsed
- 131
- until Christmas
- 138
- until New Year
- 562
- until the next 29 February
2026 — Common year (365 days)
Work with dates
Sources
Every block on this page names where its data comes from. Nothing here is generated when the source is silent.
- United Nations — International Days— What's celebrated today
- Wikidata (P841)— Saints and name days · CC0 1.0
- Wikipedia (en)— On this day in history · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Data imported on 2026-08-26