Unix Timestamp: 997920000
Thursday, August 16. 2001, 12:00:00 AM UTC

Australia's (and the Southern Hemisphere's) first total artificial heart transplant occurs at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney, Australia. //www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/sydney-man-gets-first-heart-transplant-at-st-vincents-hospital/story-e6frf7l6-1225905908289 (AAP via "Herald-Sun") //www.radionz.co.nz/news/stories/2010/08/16/f29aaa312cbe (Radio New Zealand) //au.ibtimes.com/contents/20100816/surgeons-complete-australiafirst-artificial-heart-transplant.htm (International Business Times)

Michael Phelps of the United States wins his seventh gold medal of the 2008 Summer Olympics in the 100 metre butterfly, tying Mark Spitz's record for gold medals at an Olympic Games. //www.nytimes.com/2008/08/16/sports/olympics/16phelpsweb.html ("The New York Times")

The Bank of Japan injects 400 billion yen into its money market. //www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/16/business/AS-FIN-ECO-Japan-Central-Bank.php (AP via IHT)

Peru's civil defense agency estimates that the death toll from the 2007 Peru earthquake is now 337 with 827 more injured. The coastal province of Ica is hardest hit. A 6.3 magnitude aftershock hits the country. The Government of Peru declares a state of emergency. //www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/08/16/wquake316.xml (The Telegraph) //www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087sid=axJfEOETiDUsrefer=home (Bloomberg) //www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/16/2007296.htm (AFP via ABC News Auatralia)

The leaders of Russia, China and Iran use the forum of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to warn the United States not to become too heavily involved in Central Asia. //www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/17/europe/EU-GEN-Kyrgyzstan-Security-Summit.php (AP via IHT)

United Airlines Flight 923 makes an emergency landing in Boston. The original course was London to Washington D.C. Fighter jets escorted the plane to the airport. //www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,208669,00.html (AP via Fox News)

John Mark Karr is arrested in Bangkok for the 1996 murder of U.S. child beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey. //www.denverpost.com/news/ci_4190797 (Denver Post) //www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-08-16-ramsey_x.htm?csp=34 (USA Today) //www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14379566/ (MSNBC)

West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 crashes into a mountain in Venezuela, killing 152 passengers.

Severe flooding occurs in the village of Boscastle in Cornwall.

West Virginia: Kanawha County Sheriff's office reports that a string of four fatal shootings over the past week were linked by ballistics testing to the same type of weapon. The perpetrator(s) remain at large. //www.cnn.com/2003/US/South/08/16/W.virginia.shootings/index.html//wvgazette.com/section/News/2003081514. The incident is reminiscent of the 2002 Beltway sniper attacks.

Dr. Hitoshi Nikaidoh, a 35-year-old surgical resident, was decapitated in a freak elevator accident at a hospital in Houston, Texas. //www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/elevator.asp

The 2003 Okanagan Mountain Park Fire spreads quickly on the outskirts of Kelowna, British Columbia, threatening to engulf the largest town in British Columbia's interior.

A tourist visiting Las Vegas, Nevada, Rebecca Longhoffer, was electrocuted by an iron plate situated in the ground while crossing Las Vegas Boulevard. //www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/lasvegas.asp

Brookfield Zoo, Chicago, Illinois. After a three year old boy falls into the deep gorilla enclosure, Binti Jua, a female silverback gorilla sits with the injured boy until his rescue. Video of the ape's actions make her world famous.

After having spent 378 days in Taliban prison, the crew of Russian Il-76TD managed to overpower their guards, board their aircraft and fly to freedom (see: 1995 Airstan incident).

Bermudans reject independence in a referendum.

August 17 ndash Woodstock '89 festival.

John De Lorean is acquitted of all 8 charges of possessing and distributing cocaine.

"The Bill" first airs as "Woodentop".

Hurricane Alicia hits the Texas coast, killing 22 and causing over US$3.8 billion (2005 dollars) in damage.

Five people are killed and 18 others injured when a road train is deliberately driven into a motel at Ayers Rock, NT (the driver, Douglas Edward Crabbe, is convicted in March 1984).

Elvis Presley, the king of rock and roll dies in his home in Graceland at age 42. 75,000 fans lined the streets of Memphis for this funeral.//www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5934884/elvis_presley_19351977_funeral_in_memphisElvis Presley (1935–1977): Funeral in Memphis

The Ramones, made their first professional performance at CBGB.

As part of a coup attempt, members of the Royal Moroccan Air Force fire upon, but fail to bring down, Hassan II of Morocco's plane while he is traveling back to Rabat.

Vietnam War: The House Un-American Activities Committee starts investigating Americans who have aided the Viet Cong, with the intent to make these activities illegal. Anti-war demonstrators disrupt the meeting and 50 are arrested.

Vietnam War: In a coup, General Nguyen Khanh replaces Duong Van Minh as South Vietnam's chief of state and establishes a new constitution, drafted partly by the U.S. Embassy.

The first issue of "Sports Illustrated" magazine is published in the United States.

Lynmouth, North Devon, England is devastated by floods 34 die.

In Greece, General Markos Vafiadis takes over the government.

he Kurdistan Democratic Party is founded in South Kurdistan.

The HMS ''Mercury'', Royal Navy Signals School and Combined Signals School open at Leydene, near Petersfield, Hshire, England.

The 1929 Palestine riots breaks out between Palestinians and Jews and continues until the end of the month. In total, 133 Jews and 116 Palestinians are killed.

Murderer Carl Panzram is arrested in Washington, D.C. after killing about 20 people.

The Dawes Plan is accepted.

August 26 ndash First Silesian Uprising: The Poles in Upper Silesia rise against the Germans.

The Entente promises the Kingdom of Serbia, should victory be achieved over Austro-Hungary and its allied Central Powers, the territories of Baranja, Srem and Slavonia from the Cisleithanian part of the Dual Monarchy Bosnia and Herzegovina and eastern Dalmatia (from the river of Krka to Bar).

August 19 ndash Battle of Cer: Serbian troops defeat the Austro-Hungarian armies, in the first Entente victory in World War I.

A magnitude 8.2 earthquake in Valparaíso, Chile leaves approximately 20,000 dead.

Skookum Jim Mason, George Carmack and Dawson Charlie discover gold in the Klondike.

The Dominican Republic regains independence from Spain

The Tuscan National Assembly formally deposes the House of Habsburg-Lorraine ending an ascendancy of 109 years.

September ndash French warships under Charles Rigault de Genouilly attack and occupy Da Nang in Vietnam.

U.S. President James Buchanan inaugurates the new trans-Atlantic telegraph cable by exchanging greetings with Queen Victoria. However, a weak signal forces a shutdown of the service in a few weeks.

Russian troops in the island of Bomarsund in Åland surrender to French–British troops.

U.S. President John Tyler vetoes a bill which called for the re-establishment of the Second Bank of the United States. Enraged Whig Party members riot outside the White House in the most violent demonstration on White House grounds in U.S. history.

September ndash Battle of Aranzueque: Liberal victory for the forces loyal to Queen Isabel II of Spain, end of the Carlist caign known as the "Expedición Real" ndash The First Carlist War.

The Dutch sack the fortress of Bonjol, ending the Padri War.

Lafayette visits the United States, departing in September 7, 1825

Peterloo Massacre: The cavalry charges into a crowd of protesters in Manchester, UK, resulting in 11 deaths and over 400 injuries.

War of 1812: American GeneralWilliam Hull surrenders Fort Detroit without a fight to the British Army.

Britain creates the colony of New Brunswick.

American Revolutionary War ndash Battle of Camden: British troops inflict heavy losses on a Patriot army at Camden, South Carolina.

American Revolution ndash Battle of Bennington: British forces are defeated by American troops.

Ernest Casimir of Nassau-Dietz is appointed stadtholder of Drenthe.

Battle of the Spurs (or Battle of Guinegate): English troops under Henry VIII defeat a French army under Marshal La Palice.

The Hongwu Emperor of Ming China hears a case of a couple who tore paper money notes while fighting over them. Under the law, this is considered to destroying sted government documents, which is to be punished by a caning with a bamboo rod of 100 strokes. However, the Emperor decides to pardon them, on the grounds that it was unintentional.

Civil war begins in Japan.

As recorded in the "Song Shi", the Song Dynasty Chinese engineer Yan Su reinvents the 3rd-century South Pointing Chariot, a mechanical-driven compass vehicle.

This is the first year of the first "rabqung" (60-year) cycle started in the Tibetan calendar.

Bagrat IV becomes king of Georgia on the death of his father. He will hold the throne until his own death in 1072.

Publication of "The Book of Healing" (Arabic: کتاب الشفاء "Kitab Al-Shifaʾ", Latin: "Sufficientia"), a comprehensive scientific and philosophicalencyclopedia written by the PersianpolymathAvicenna (Abū ʿAlī ibn Sīnā).