February 16 Birthday
On February 16, 1923, Howard Carter opened the sealed burial chamber of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings. He had discovered the tomb the previous November — the first intact royal tomb found in Egypt. The chamber contained three nested coffins, the innermost of solid gold, weighing 243 pounds. Inside was the mummy of Tutankhamun, a boy king who had died at nineteen and ruled for nine years. The discovery was a global sensation. Lord Carnarvon, who had funded the excavation, died in April 1923, giving rise to the "curse of the pharaohs" myth. Carter worked for ten years cataloguing the contents — 5,398 items. The tomb was small, suggesting Tutankhamun was a minor king. The discovery was important not because of who he was but because the tomb was intact. Fidel Castro became Prime Minister of Cuba on February 16, 1959, at thirty-two. He had led a guerrilla war from the Sierra Maestra mountains for two years, overthrowing the US-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista. Castro was initially celebrated as a liberator. He visited the United States and was received warmly. Within two years, he had nationalized American-owned property, aligned with the Soviet Union, and transformed Cuba into a communist state. The CIA tried to kill him hundreds of times — exploding cigars, poisoned wetsuits, a pen that shot a dart. He survived all of it. He ruled Cuba for forty-nine years, the longest-serving non-royal head of state of the 20th century. The Kyoto Protocol, the first international treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, entered into force on this day in 2005. It was adopted in 1997 but required ratification by 55 countries representing at least 55% of developed countries' emissions. The United States signed but never ratified — the Senate voted 95-0 against it before it was even submitted. The protocol committed developed nations to reduce emissions by an average of 5.2% below 1990 levels by 2012. Most countries missed their targets. The protocol expired and was replaced by the Paris Agreement in 2015, which has no enforcement mechanism. John McEnroe, born this day in 1959, won seven Grand Slam singles titles. He is remembered as much for his tantrums as for his tennis — "You cannot be serious!" shouted at a Wimbledon umpire in 1981 is one of the most famous moments in sports broadcasting. He was the most naturally gifted player of his era and possibly the most self-destructive. His rivalry with Björn Borg produced some of the greatest matches in tennis history, including the 1980 Wimbledon final, which Borg won 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7, 8-6. People born on February 16 fall under the zodiac sign of Aquarius. The birthstone is Amethyst and the birth flower is Violet. Historical events on February 16 include 1923: Howard Carter opens the sealed burial chamber of Tutankhamun, 1959: Fidel Castro becomes Prime Minister of Cuba, 2005: Kyoto Protocol enters into force. Famous people born on February 16 include Kim Jong-il (1941), John McEnroe (1959), The Weeknd (1990).