June 16th, 1816: Lord Byron read Fantasmagoriana to his four house guests — Percy Shelley, Mary Shelley, Claire Clairmont, and John Polidori — and challenged each to write a ghost story. Mary Shelley’s story was published as Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus.
June 16th, 1858: Abraham Lincoln gave his “a house divided against itself cannot stand” speech.
June 16th, 1884: The first public roller coaster, Switchback Railway, opened in New York’s Coney Island amusement park.
June 16th, 1893: Cracker Jack, invented by R.W. Rueckheim, was introduced at the Chicago’s World Fair.
June 16th, 1903: The Pepsi-Cola Co. registered the Pepsi-Cola trademark.
June 16th, 1903: The Ford Motor Company was incorporated by Henry Ford and 11 investors.
June 16th, 1967: The Monterey Pop Festival began.
Actress Laurie Metcalf turns 65 years old.
Actor John Cho turns 48 years old.
Actor Daniel Bruhl turns 42 years old.
Tony Award winner Ali Stroker turns 33 years old.
June 16th is National Fudge Day.
