October 16 has repeatedly been a pivot in global history. On this day in 1492, Christopher Columbus anchored at Fernandina in the Bahamas during his first voyage. In 1793, Marie Antoinette was executed by guillotine amid France’s turbulent revolution. A milestone for modern medicine was set in 1846, when William T. G. Morton publicly demonstrated ether anesthesia—the birth of pain-free surgery—and today is marked as World Anaesthesia Day.

Other landmark events include:

• 1859: John Brown launched his raid on Harpers Ferry in a bold anti-slavery action.
• 1923: Walt and Roy Disney founded the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, the seed of a global entertainment empire.
• 1964: China detonated its first atomic bomb, entering the ranks of nuclear powers.
• 1968: U.S. athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised the Black Power salute on the Olympic podium—a lasting symbol of protest and identity.
• On the occasions of births and legacies: the celebrated playwright Oscar Wilde was born on this day in 1854. And in 1978, Karol Wojtyła was elected Pope John Paul II, the first non-Italian pope in centuries.