On this day: October 16

/on/october-16

1962 • neutral • 5 views

Discovery of Soviet Missiles in Cuba Brings World to Brink of Nuclear War

U-2 aerial photograph of missile-related construction in Cuba, 1962; cranes, rectangular concrete pads and cleared areas visible from high altitude.

On October 16, 1962, U.S. reconnaissance discovered Soviet medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in Cuba, triggering a 13-day crisis that brought the United States and the Soviet Union to the verge of nuclear conflict.

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1992 • neutral • 5 views

Government on the Brink: Aftermath of Black Wednesday Shakes Conservative Hold

Crowd outside the Houses of Parliament with queues of newspapers and traders watching financial tickers, October 1992-era street scene.

On 16 October 1992, the pound's forced exit from the ERM precipitated a political crisis for John Major's government, triggering resignations, public anger, and renewed scrutiny of economic competence that threatened Conservative unity and parliamentary stability.

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1793 • neutral • 5 views

Marie Antoinette Executed During the French Revolution

Crowd outside the Place de la Révolution in Paris, 1793, with a guillotine erected in the public square and carriages or guards in late 18th-century military and civilian dress.

On 16 October 1793, former Queen Marie Antoinette was executed by guillotine in Paris after a trial by the Revolutionary Tribunal, marking a definitive break with the ancien régime and intensifying revolutionary fervor across France.

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