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On October 16, 1962, President John F. Kennedy was informed of the existence of Soviet missiles in Cuba and secretly convened his security cabinet. For thirteen days, the world stood on the brink of nuclear apocalypse. Kennedy's decision to impose a naval blockade rather than bombing the island was key to avoiding war.

On October 16, 1964, China detonated its first atomic bomb in the Lop Nur desert, becoming the fifth nuclear power in the world. The test, codenamed 596, was a blow to American foreign policy and rebalanced power in Asia. Less than three years later, China would also test its first hydrogen bomb.

On October 16, 1813, the Battle of Leipzig — also known as the Battle of the Nations — began, the largest engagement of the Napoleonic Wars. More than 600,000 soldiers fought for four days. Napoleon's defeat at the hands of the European coalition hastened his abdication and the end of the French Empire.