November 16 Birthday
On November 16, 1532, Pizarro and 168 Spanish soldiers met Atahualpa, the Inca emperor, at Cajamarca. Atahualpa arrived with an army of 80,000 but left most outside the city. The Spanish ambushed him in the plaza, killed 7,000 Incas in two hours, and captured Atahualpa without losing a single soldier. The Incas had never seen horses, guns, or steel. Atahualpa offered to fill his prison cell with gold and silver in exchange for his freedom — a ransom worth over $2 billion today. Pizarro accepted the ransom and then executed Atahualpa anyway. The Inca Empire fell. Benazir Bhutto, elected this day in 1988, was twice Prime Minister of Pakistan. She was assassinated in 2007 at a campaign rally. Her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was also Prime Minister and was executed by General Zia in 1979. People born on November 16 fall under the zodiac sign of Scorpio. The birthstone is Topaz and the birth flower is Chrysanthemum. Historical events on November 16 include 1532: Francisco Pizarro captures Atahualpa, last Inca emperor, at Cajamarca, 1933: United States and Soviet Union establish diplomatic relations, 1988: Benazir Bhutto elected Prime Minister of Pakistan (first female leader of Muslim nation). Famous people born on November 16 include Burgess Meredith (1907), Chinua Achebe (1930), Lisa Bonet (1967).