January 16

in History

Hatshepsut Dies — Egypt's powerful queen-pharaoh rests at last

Valley of the Kings, EgyptAncient

1458

Hatshepsut Dies

Egypt's powerful queen-pharaoh rests at last

After two decades of prosperous rule, Pharaoh Hatshepsut died at the age of fifty and was laid to rest in the Valley of the Kings. She had been only the second confirmed woman to rule Egypt in her own right, guiding the kingdom through an era of ambitious building projects and flourishing trade. Her mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahari remains one of ancient Egypt's most magnificent monuments, a testament to a reign that defied convention.

1458 BC

Washington, D.C., United StatesEarly 20th Century

1900

Samoa Treaty Ratified

Imperial powers carve up Pacific islands

The United States Senate ratified the Anglo-German Treaty of 1899, in which the United Kingdom renounced its claims to the Samoan islands. The treaty divided the archipelago between the United States and Germany, with Britain receiving compensations elsewhere. For the Samoan people, the agreement meant their homeland was parceled out by distant empires, a fate shared by countless Pacific island nations during the age of imperialism.

1900 AD

World War II — World War II: Adolf Hitler and his staff moved into the Führerbunker in Berlin, where he would eventually commit suicide.

1939–1945 global conflictEarly 20th Century

1945

World War II

World War II: Adolf Hitler and his staff moved into the Führerbunker in Berlin, where he would eventually commit suicide.

World War II or the Second World War was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated. Tanks and aircraft played major roles, the latter enabling the strategic bombing of cities and delivery of the only nuclear weapons used in war. World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, causing the death of 60 to 75 million people.

1945 AD