2016 CE

The 2016 Summer Olympics are held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil whilst the Zika virus was spreading; Donald Trump is elected U.S. president; The UK votes to leave the EU; Damaged houses during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which killed over 2,000 people; Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the Turkish coup d'état attempt; The impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Queues outside a bank to exchange demonetized banknotes during the Indian banknote demonetisation; The Girardet Bridge in Düsseldorf, Germany with its four Pokéstops.

In the 2010s, the 21st century.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

January 3 – Following the fallout caused by the execution of Nimr al-Nimr, Saudi Arabia and several other countries end their diplomatic relations with Iran.source
January 16 – In the general election of the Republic of China (Taiwan), the Democratic Progressive Party, led by Tsai Ing-wen, secured a majority in the Legislative Yuan, resulting in the first majority by a non-KMT party and the first majority won by the DPP. Tsai became the 14th President for Taiwan, and also became the first female leader in China.source
25 February – Voters in Jamaica go to the polls for a general election, with the Jamaican Labour Party, led by Andrew Holness, winning a narrow victory.Jamaica source
4 March – 2016 Samoan general electionSamoa source
20 March - The constitution referendum took placeSenegal source
March 21 – Barack Obama visits Cuba, marking the first time a sitting US president has visited the island nation since President Calvin Coolidge visited in 1928.source
April 11 - Jean Ravelonarivo left office as Prime MinisterMadagascar source
14 April – The Czech Republic's political leadership agreed to make Czechia the official short name in English.Czech Republic source
May 9 – Rodrigo Duterte is elected the President of the Philippines.source
May 12 – The Brazilian Senate votes (55-22) to begin the impeachment process against the President of Brazil Dilma Rousseff and suspend her from office while the trial takes place.Brazil source
May 20 – Tsai Ing-wen is sworn in as the first female President of the Republic of China (Taiwan).source
June 23 – The United Kingdom votes in a referendum to leave the European Union, triggering the so-called Brexit.source
July 1 – Latvia becomes the 35th member of the OECD.source
July 2 – 2016 Australian federal election: Malcolm Turnbull's Liberal/National Coalition Government is narrowly re-elected, defeating the Labor Party led by Bill Shorten.source
July 12 – The Philippines wins the arbitration case they filed at the Permanent Court of Arbitration regarding the legality of China's "nine-dash line" claim over the South China Sea under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.source
27 August – The Chahed Cabinet led by Prime Minister Youssef Chahed is formed.Tunisia source
August 31 – The Brazilian Senate votes (61–20) to impeach the President of Brazil Dilma Rousseff. The Vice President of Brazil, Michel Temer, who had assumed the presidential powers and duties as Acting President of Brazil during Rousseff's suspension, takes office for the remainder of her term.source
September 3 – The US and China, together responsible for 40% of the world's carbon emissions, both formally join the Paris global climate agreement.source
11 September – 2016 Belarusian parliamentary electionBelarus source
October 13 – The Maldives announces its decision to withdraw from the Commonwealth of Nations.source
16 October – Montenegrin parliamentary election, 2016Montenegro source
November 8 – 2016 United States presidential election: Businessman and television personality Donald Trump is elected the 45th President of the United States in a surprise upset against his opponent, former Secretary of State and First Lady Hillary Clinton.source
November 24 – The Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia—People's Army sign a revised peace deal, slowing the Colombian conflict.source
December 4 – A constitutional referendum is held in Italy, resulting in the resignation of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.source
December 9 – South Korean President Park Geun-hye is suspended after MPs vote to impeach her, following a political scandal.source

Conflict & Security

12 February: An attack by suspected Islamist militants on a MINUSMA base in the town of Kidal, northern Mali, kills at least five Guinean United Nations peacekeepers.Guinea source
7 March – Battle of Ben GuerdaneTunisia source
15 March – the 2016 Ecuadorian Army Arava crash (22 fatalities)Ecuador source
April 1–5 – 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh clashes: Clashes occur along the Nagorno-Karabakh line of contact with the Artsakh Defense Army, backed by the Armenian Armed Forces, on one side and the Azerbaijani Armed Forces on the other. The US State Department estimates that a total of 350 people have been killed in the clashes, which have been defined as "the worst" since the 1994 ceasefire.source
1 May – Two missionaries from the United States are found slain in separate areas of rural St. Mary parish. Randy Hentzel and Harold Nichols both worked for a Pennsylvania-based Christian charity called Teams for Medical Missions.Jamaica source
May 2 – Leicester City are officially confirmed Premier League Champions against 5000:1 odds at the start of the season.source
June 8 - Police open fire on student protesters at the University of Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby, protesting against Prime Minister Peter O'Neill, killing four and leaving another seven injured. Police deny the deaths and claim they only used tear gas. A court grants an injunction barring students from protesting on campus while thousands protest and boycott classes calling for O'Neill's resignation over corruption allegations.Papua New Guinea source
23 June – a larger battle south of Wau initiated the 2016–17 Wau clashes.South Sudan source
July 15–16 – In Turkey, a faction within the Turkish Armed Forces that organized themselves as the Peace at Home Council, unsuccessfully stages a coup against the state institutions, resulting in the deaths of at least 240 people and triggering a series of unprecedented purges throughout the country.source
15 July – 2016 Turkish coup d'état attemptTurkey source
September 9 – The government of North Korea conducts its fifth and reportedly biggest nuclear test. World leaders condemn the act, with South Korea calling it "maniacal recklessness".source
October 7 – Three events that will play a significant role in the 2016 United States presidential election all take place on the same afternoon: (1) U.S. intelligence agencies publicly accuse the Russian government of using computer hacking to interfere with the U.S. election process; (2) The Washington Post releases a videotape showing candidate Donald Trump privately bragging about sexual improprieties; (3) WikiLeaks releases thousands of private emails from inside the political campaign of candidate Hillary Clinton.source
7 October – Moroccan general election, 2016Morocco source
December 19 – Berlin truck attack: A truck is deliberately driven into the Christmas market next to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church at Breitscheidplatz in Berlin, leaving 12 people dead and 56 others injured.source
December 23 – The United Nations Security Council adopts Resolution 2334 condemning "Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories occupied since 1967".source
December 31 – Withdrawal of the majority of U.S. troops from Afghanistan after 15 years of war.source
Soldiers shoot a 13-year-old boy named Julio Rene Alvarado Ruano and his younger border on the Belieze-Guatemala border starting border tensions.Guatemala source

Exploration & Expansion

January 12 – Iranian naval forces seize and detain two small U.S. vessels which "allegedly drifted into Iranian territorial waters." The 10 American sailors are held at an Iranian military base on Farsi Island and released the following day with their boats.Iran source
March 7-8 - US Vice President Joe Biden started his five-day trip to the Middle East with a visit to the UAE.United Arab Emirates source
March 21 - President Barack Obama made a state visit to Cuba.Cuba source
April 16 - Mariam Fardous became the first ever Arab woman and only the third woman in history to dive in the North Pole.Saudi Arabia source
21 May – Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala becomes the first Sri Lankan to reach the summit of Mount Everest.Sri Lanka source
June 17 - Having a mechanical failure in mid-ocean, a Sri Lankan migrant boat landed in Lhoknga, Aceh to seek help. They asked if the Indonesian Government could request help from the UNHCR, so the migrants could continue their journey to Christmas Island, Australia.Indonesia source
July 26 – Swiss Solar Impulse 2 becomes the first solar-powered aircraft to circumnavigate the Earth.source
29 September: the Enlargement Commissioner of the European Union Johannes Hahn mentioned the Cham issue as an "existing one" between Albania and Greece, alongside other matters that the two countries needed to resolve.Albania source
October 2 - Visit of Papa Francesco Azerbaijan.Azerbaijan source

Religion & Belief

2 January – Nimr al-Nimr, Shia religious leader (born 1959).Saudi Arabia source
7 January: Anton Srholec, 86, Salesian priest.Slovakia source
16 January: From the Diocese of Tonga, Catholic Cardinal Soane Patita Paini Mafi is welcomed at the Co-Cathedral of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus in Honolulu, Hawaii. Appointed by Pope Francis, Mafi is the first and youngest cardinal from Tonga.Tonga source
January 20 - National Council of Slovenia recognizes Khojaly MassacreAzerbaijan source
February 12 – Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill sign an Ecumenical Declaration in the first such meeting between leaders of the Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches since their schism in 1054.source
The New Territories East by-election was held to elect a replacement for legislative councillor Ronny Tong Ka-wah of New Territories East constituency who quit the Civic Party and resigned from the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (LegCo), effective on 1 October 2015. Alvin Yeung of the Civic Party was duly elected.Hong Kong source
April 8 – Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation Amoris laetitia (dated March 19) is published in the Vatican; it appears to amend the Roman Catholic Church's position on the availability of sacraments to Catholics who have divorced and contracted a civil remarriage.source
May 7 – Nusantara Qur'an Reading was held throughout the nation.Indonesia source
5 November: 38 Martyrs of the Catholic Church executed by the communist regime in Albania, were beatified by the Vatican in a mass organized at St. Stefan Church in Shkodra.Albania source
November 18 – The remains of Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos are buried in a private ceremony at the Libingan ng mga Bayani prompting protests throughout the Philippines.source
City council of Tampere approved building of light rail system.Finland source

Economy & Finance

January - Nigeria's economy contracted 1.5%, the first time it had shrunk in 25 yearsNigeria source
10 February: South Korea shuts down the joint Factory Park with North Korea, the Kaesong Industrial Park, over nuclear test and rocket.North Korea source
April 3 – The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung publish the "Panama Papers", a set of 11.5 million confidential documents from the Panamanian corporate Mossack Fonseca that provides detailed information on more than 214,000 offshore companies, including the identities of shareholders and directors including noted personalities and heads of state.source
August 23 - Plan to raise cigarettes' price from typical Rp.18.000-Rp.20.000 to Rp.50.000 sparked an intense debate between smokers and non-smokers.Indonesia source
November 8 – The government of India announces the demonetisation of certain banknotes, causing prolonged cash shortages in the weeks that follow and significant disruption throughout the economy.source
15 November - Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-ching were disqualified from LegCo membership.Hong Kong source
November 17 – Međimurska trikotaža Čakovec, a large Croatian knitwear company based in Čakovec, ceased to existsource
December 29 – President Sauli Niinistö appoints Mika Lintilä, an MP for the Centre Party, as the Minister of Economic Affairs.Finland source
From 8 December — State Owned PZU together with Polish Development Fund acquired Bank Pekao, Poland's second largest bank previously owned by UniCredit, by buying a 32.8 per cent stake in the bank for the amount of PLN 10.6 billion (EUR 2.6 billion).Poland source
7-18 November – the 2016 United Nations Climate Change Conference was held in MarrakeshMorocco source
Ukraine's central bank more than halved its 2016 growth forecast Thursday as the cash-strapped country battles crises ranging from falling commodity prices to a new trade embargo by Russia. The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) also left its main borrowing rate unchanged at 22 percent in order to keep persistent inflation expectations in check.Ukraine source

Technology & Infrastructure

January 21 – President Joko Widodo announced the construction of a bullet train with its starting route from Jakarta to Bandung, the first in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.Indonesia source
February - Opening of the Ressano Garcia Thermal Power Station.Mozambique source
1 April - Asia Television shuts down.Hong Kong source
27 April – Iraq closes Al Jazeera offices in Iraq and revokes the news network's broadcasting license after accusing it of violating broadcasting regulations.Iraq source
June 1 – The Gotthard Base Tunnel, the world's longest and deepest railway tunnel, is opened following two decades of construction work.source
5 October – The railway line with Djibouti opens. However, an American women is killed during protests.Ethiopia source
November 1 – The number of people globally using mobile devices to access the internet overtakes those using desktop computers for the first time, having been preceded by the U.S. two years prior.source
December 25 – Ten thousand households within Southwest Finland go without power for an hour after an equipment failure at grid operator Fingrid's hub in the town of Uusikaupunki.Finland source
Continuing into 2017 – the 2016–17 Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano seasonBolivia source
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko stated that he has signed a contract this year, according to which he transferred his stake in Roshen Corporation to an independent "blind" trust.Ukraine source

Science & Discovery

15 January – the geostationary telecommunications satellite Belintersat-1 was launched for the Belarusian government's company Belintersat.Belarus source
January 16 – The International Atomic Energy Agency announces that Iran has adequately dismantled its nuclear weapons program, allowing the United Nations to lift sanctions immediately.source
January 16 – After the IAEA confirms that Iran met the relevant requirements under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), all nuclear-related sanctions are lifted by the UN, the EU, and the United States as part of "Implementation Day."Iran source
February 7 – North Korea launches a reconnaissance satellite named Kwangmyŏngsŏng-4 into space, it is condemned internationally as a long-range ballistic missile test.source
March 14 – The ESA and Roscosmos launch the joint ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter on a mission to Mars.source
March 19 – A controversial video made by Red Bull, which showed a foreign man jumping on Borobudur, was condemned by netizens in Indonesia and residents of the area. Red Bull then pulled the video from its Facebook page.Indonesia source
The United Nations Security Council adopts Resolution 2276 on 24 March, extending the mandate of the Panel of Experts on North Korea's weapons of mass destruction until 24 April 2017.North Korea source
25 MARCH-Pakistan Cricket Star SHAHID KHAN AFRIDI Played His last INTERNATIONAL Match(T20) for Pakistan against AUSTRALIA (AUSTRALIA Won match by 21 Runs)Pakistan source
July 5 – NASA's Juno spacecraft enters orbit around Jupiter and begins a 20-month survey of the planet.source
July 6 – The augmented reality mobile game Pokémon Go is released, breaking numerous records in terms of sales and revenue.source
July 22 – The final videocassette recorder is manufactured by the Japanese company Funai.source
August 12: Scientists say Greenland sharks are now known to be the longest-living vertebrates on Earth, after researchers at the University of Copenhagen, using radiocarbon dating, determined the ages of 28 of the animals, and estimated that one female was about 400 years old. The former vertebrate record-holder was a Bowhead whale estimated to be 211 years old.Greenland source
September 1 – An annular solar eclipse was visible from Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Mozambique and Madagascar.source
September 8 – NASA launches OSIRIS-REx, its first asteroid sample return mission. The probe visited Bennu from 2018 to 2021 and would return samples to Earth on September 24, 2023.source
10: Discovering of the Gancedo meteorite, the second-largest known fragment of the meteor shower that fell in Campo del Cielo, in Charata, Chaco Province, Argentina.Argentina source
10 October – Czech botanists announce the discovery of a new species of Thismia in Borneo.Czech Republic source
October 15 – 150 nations meet at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) summit in Rwanda and agree to phase out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) as an amendment to the Montreal Protocol.source
December 28 – The chemical elements 113, 115, 117 and 118 are officially named Nihonium, Moscovium, Tennessine and Oganesson.source

Health & Medicine

January 14 - Thousands of Moldovans march the streets in protest against proposed candidate for Prime Minister Vlad Plahotniuc.Moldova source
20 January – 2016 Angola and DR Congo yellow fever outbreakAngola source
January 20 — Heart surgery was performed to President of Latvia Raimonds VējonisLatvia source
January 28 – The World Health Organization announces an outbreak of the Zika virus.source
30 January – Jamaican health officials confirm the country's first case of the Zika virus in a 4-year-old child who recently returned from a trip to Texas.Jamaica source
4 February: Tonga declares a Zika virus epidemic with two confirmed cases and 265 suspected cases.Tonga source
26 May – The Cameroonian government announces the reappearance of the H5N1 Influenza virus in the country, reporting that at least 15,000 birds have been killed by the virus since 22 May.Cameroon source
August 17 - The governments of Australia and Papua New Guinea confirm the closure of Manus Regional Processing Centre following a request by the supreme court.Papua New Guinea source
December 22 – A study finds the VSV-EBOV vaccine against the Ebola virus between 70 and 100% effective, thus making it the first proven vaccine against the disease.source
Videophilia (and Other Viral Syndromes) by Juan Daniel F. Molero.Peru source

Crime & Justice

January 8 – Joaquín Guzmán, widely regarded as the world's most powerful drug trafficker, is recaptured following his escape from a maximum-security prison in Mexico.source
March 21 – The International Criminal Court finds former Congolese Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity, the first time the ICC convicted someone of sexual violence.source
March 24 – Ex-Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadžić is sentenced to 40 years in prison after being found guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity committed during the Bosnian War.source
19 April – Authorities burn 2,000 seized elephant tusks as part of operations to combat the illicit ivory trade.Cameroon source
May 28 – Harambe, a western lowland gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo, is shot and killed after a three-year-old boy enters his enclosure.source
May 30 – Former Chadian President Hissène Habré is sentenced to life in prison for crimes against humanity committed during his tenure from 1982 to 1990, the first time an African Union-backed court has convicted a former ruler of a country within its jurisdiction.source
June 10 – Christina Grimmie is shot dead while signing autographs and taking pictures with her fans following a concert performance at the Plaza Live in Orlando, Florida.source
June 12 – A gunman claiming allegiance to the Islamic State opens fire at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, killing 49 people and injuring 53 others.source
9 July – Coins for £1 SSP and £2 SSP are released to complete the coin series of the South Sudanese pound.South Sudan source
18 July – Ruslan Kulikbayev, a 26-year-old Salafi jihadist and ex-convict, shot and killed 10 people, including 8 police officers and 2 civilians, at a police station in Almaty, Kazakhstan before being apprehended in a chase and shootout with law enforcement.Kazakhstan source
16 August: Gabriela Hermélyová, 92, swing musician.Slovakia source
October 14 – American missionary and aid worker Jeff Woodke is kidnapped in Abalak, Niger by militants. He would not be freed for six years.source
November - Murder of Elly Warren, an Australian woman who was staying near Tofo Beach, Inhambane province.Mozambique source
December 29 – The Helsinki District Court gives Jari Aarnio, the former head of anti-drugs police, to ten-year prison sentence for drug crimes as part of a rare police corruption scandal in Finland.source
Police arrested Manuel Benedicto Lucas Garcia, brother of former President Fernando Romeo Lucas García, and 13 others on 7 January on suspicion of involvement in the murders of 558 people during the Guatemalan Civil War.Guatemala source
Extirpator of Idolatries by Manuel Siles.Peru source
2016 Trinidadian local electionsTrinidad and Tobago source

Disasters & Accidents

January 31 – The body of former managing director of the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company Harry Greaves is found on the beach near the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Monrovia without an apparent cause of death. By August, American investigators would conclude that Greaves' death was caused by accidental drowning.Liberia source
26 February - 2016 Air Kasthamandap crashNepal source
February - Collapse of a wall of the Zimpeto Olympic Pool, killing one person and injuring ten others.Mozambique source
March 22 – 2016 Brussels bombings: Suicide bombing attacks at Brussels' Zaventem airport and Maalbeek metro station kill 35 people and injure 300 more.source
March 29 - EgyptAir Flight 181, an Airbus A320, was hijacked and was forced to land at Cyprus. The hijacker claimed to have an explosive belt, but surrendered 7 hours later. Authorities found out he did not have any explosives.Egypt source
March 29 - A large fire hit at least two residential towers in the city of Ajman.United Arab Emirates source
May 19 – EgyptAir Flight 804 crashes into the Mediterranean Sea en route from Paris to Cairo, killing all 66 people on board.source
June 28 – 2016 Atatürk Airport attack: ISIL is suspected to be responsible for attacking Atatürk Airport in Istanbul, Turkey, killing 44 people and injuring over 230 others.source
September 28 – International investigators conclude that Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down by a Buk missile that came from an area controlled by pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine.source
2 October – Police allegedly attack Oromo protesters at a religious festival in Bishoftu, causing a stampede that killed 52 people.Ethiopia source
21 October – A Camrail intercity passenger train derails and crashes in Eséka, killing at least 79 with a further 550 injured.Cameroon source
November 28 – LaMia Flight 2933 crashes into a mountain near Medellín, Colombia, killing 71 of the 77 people on board, including members of the Brazilian Chapecoense football squad.source
10 December – the Hitrino train derailment, killing at least seven peopleBulgaria source
December 25 – 2016 Russian Defence Ministry Tupolev Tu-154 crash: A Tupolev Tu-154 jetliner of the Russian Defence Ministry crashes into the Black Sea shortly after taking off from Sochi International Airport, Russia, while en route to Khmeimim Air Base, Syria. All 92 people on board, including 64 members of the Alexandrov Ensemble choir of the Russian Armed Forces, are killed.source

Climate & Environment

2016 Tunisian protests: Protests erupted in the Kasserine region of Tunisia over unemployment, which later spread to other parts of the country.Tunisia source
February 6 – An earthquake of magnitude 6.6 strikes southern Taiwan, killing 117 people.source
April 13 - A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck 135 km north-west of Mandalay.Myanmar source
April 14–16 – A series of major earthquakes strikes southwestern Japan, killing 277 people and injuring 2,809.source
April 15 – 2016 Uruguay tornado, an F3 tornado strikes the southwestern Uruguayan city of Dolores, killing five.Uruguay source
April 16 – An earthquake of magnitude 7.8 strikes northwestern Ecuador killing 676 people and injuring over 6,000. Widespread damage was caused across Manabí Province, with structures hundreds of kilometres away from the epicenter collapsing.source
16 April – an earthquake with a moment magnitude of 7.8 struck Ecuador near the towns of Muisne and Pedernales, killing more than 650 people.Ecuador source
22 April – The Samoan Islands brace for the impact of Cyclone Amos as the Fiji Meteorological Service upgrades the cyclone to a category three storm, with sustained winds as high as 140 km/h at its centre.Samoa source
21 July – Temperatures in Mitrabah reached 54.0 °C, setting a record for highest temperature recorded in Asia.Kuwait source
August 24 – An earthquake of magnitude 6.2 hits central Italy, killing 299 people.source
10 September – A magnitude 5.9 earthquake killed 19 people and injured 253 in Tanzania.Tanzania source
September 28 – Global CO2 levels exceed 400 ppm at the time of year normally associated with minimum levels. A 400 ppm level is believed to be higher than anything experienced in human history.source
2 October – Heavy rains from Hurricane Matthew's outer bands drench Haiti and Jamaica, killing a Haitian fisherman.Jamaica source
October 3 – Hurricane Matthew makes landfall in Haiti as a category 4 hurricane, killing 842 and causing $2.8 billion in damages.source
Beginning of the famine in Yemen.source

Culture & Society

April 23 – American singer-songwriter Beyoncé releases her sixth studio album Lemonade.source
April 26- Miss Panama 2016 occurs.Panama source
May 10–14 – The Eurovision Song Contest 2016 is held in Stockholm, Sweden, and is won by Ukrainian entrant Jamala with the song "1944".source
June 10–July 10 – France hosts the UEFA Euro 2016 football tournament, which is won by Portugal.source
19 June: US Gorée won the Senegal Premier League football championshipSenegal source
August 5–21 – The 2016 Summer Olympics are held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the first time in South America.source
September 30 – Two paintings by Vincent van Gogh with a combined value of $100 million, Seascape at Scheveningen and Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen, are recovered after having been stolen on December 7, 2002, from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.source
1 October – the Miss Universo Paraguay 2016 pageantParaguay source
November 2 – The Chicago Cubs win the World Series for the first time since 1908, ending the longest championship drought in North American sports history.source
December 1 – Following a mourning period of seven weeks after the death and funeral of Bhumibol Adulyadej, Vajiralongkorn formally succeeds his late father as the new King of Thailand.source
December 31 – An extra leap second (23:59:60) is added to end of the year. The last time this occurred was in June 2015.source
5–21 August – Kosovo competes at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the first time the country had sent competitors to the event since the expulsion of Yugoslavia from the Games in 1992.Kosovo source
5-21 August – Montenegro at the 2016 Summer Olympics: 34 competitors in 7 sports. The Montenegrin water polo team reached the semifinals and ended in 4th place.Montenegro source
5-21 August – Morocco at the 2016 Summer Olympics: 49 competitors in 13 sportsMorocco source
5-21 August – Suriname at the 2016 Summer Olympics: six competitors in four sportsSuriname source
5–21 August – Tanzania at the 2016 Summer Olympics: 7 competitors in 3 sportsTanzania source

Births

March 2 – Prince Oscar, Duke of SkåneSweden source
6 November – Probabeel, Thoroughbred racehorseNew Zealand source
15 November – Copy That, Standardbred racehorseNew Zealand source

Deaths

January 10 – David Bowie, 69, English singer-songwriter, musician ("Heroes", "Space Oddity", "Life on Mars?") and actor (The Man Who Fell to Earth), six-time Grammy winner, liver cancer.source
January 12 – Ten people are killed and 15 wounded in a bombing near the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.source
January 16 – 30 people are killed and 56 injured in terrorist attacks in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, targeting a hotel and a nearby restaurant. A siege occurs and 176 hostages are released afterwards, by government forces.source
23 January – Pablo Contessi, physician and politician.Paraguay source
5 February – Tayeb Saddiki, playwright (born 1938).Morocco source
March 24 – Johan Cruyff, 68, Dutch football player and manager (AFC Ajax, FC Barcelona, Feyenoord, national team), lung cancer.source
April 21 – Prince, 57, American musician ("When Doves Cry", "Little Red Corvette", "Purple Rain") and actor, Oscar (1984) and four-time Grammy winner, accidental fentanyl overdose.source
June 3 – Muhammad Ali, 74, American boxer, Olympic gold medalist (1960), three-time WBC world heavyweight champion (1964, 1974, 1978), septic shock.source
2 July – Patrick Manning, 69, politician, Prime Minister (1991–1995, 2001–2010).Trinidad and Tobago source
July 14 – 2016 Nice truck attack: 86 people are killed and more than 400 others injured in a truck attack in Nice, France, during Bastille Day celebrations.source
August 3 – Emirates Flight 521 crashes at Dubai International Airport in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. 1 person was killed and 39 people were injured.source
October 13 – Bhumibol Adulyadej, 88, Thai monarch, King (since 1946)source
November 7 – Leonard Cohen, 82, Canadian singer-songwriter ("Hallelujah", "Suzanne", "First We Take Manhattan"), poet and novelist, complications from a fall.source
13 November – Aloysius Ferdinandus Zichem, Roman Catholic bishop (born 1933).Suriname source
November 25 – Fidel Castro, 90, Cuban politician, Prime Minister (1959–1976), President (1976–2008).source
December 8 – John Glenn, 95, American astronaut (Mercury-Atlas 6) and politician, U.S. Senator from Ohio (1974–1999).source
December 19 – Andrei Karlov, the Russian ambassador to Turkey, is assassinated by an off-duty Turkish police officer at an art exhibition in Ankara.source
December 25 – George Michael, 53, British singer (Wham!) and songwriter ("Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go", "Careless Whisper", "Faith"), Grammy winner (1987, 1989), cardiomyopathy.source