Editing February 16 (section)

===1601–1900===
*[[1630]] &ndash; Dutch forces led by [[Hendrick Lonck]] [[Dutch invasions of Brazil#Invasion of Olinda and Recife (1630-1654)|capture]] [[Olinda]] in what was to become part of [[Dutch Brazil]].
*[[1646]] &ndash; [[Battle of Torrington]], Devon: The last major battle of the [[First English Civil War]].
*[[1699]] &ndash; First [[Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor|Leopoldine]] Diploma is issued by the [[Holy Roman Emperor]], recognizing the [[Greek Catholic]] clergy enjoyed the same privileges as [[Roman Catholic]] priests in the [[Principality of Transylvania (1570–1711)|Principality of Transylvania]].
*[[1742]] &ndash; [[Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington|Spencer Compton]], [[Earl of Wilmington]], becomes [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|British Prime Minister]].<ref>{{cite book|author1=Dermot J. T. Englefield|author2=Janet Seaton|author3=Isobel White|title=Facts about the British prime ministers: a compilation of biographical and historical information|url=https://archive.org/details/factsaboutbritis0000engl|url-access=registration|year=1995|publisher=H.W. Wilson Co.|isbn=978-0-8242-0863-9|pages=[https://archive.org/details/factsaboutbritis0000engl/page/7 7]-9}}</ref>
*[[1796]] &ndash; [[Colombo]] in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) falls to the British, completing their [[Invasion of Ceylon (1795)|invasion of Ceylon]].<ref>{{cite book | last = James | first = William | author-link = William James (naval historian) | year = 2002 | orig-year= 1827 | title = The Naval History of Great Britain, Volume 1, 1793–1796 | publisher = Conway Maritime Press | location = London | isbn = 0-85177-905-0 |page=371}}</ref>
*[[1804]] &ndash; [[First Barbary War]]: [[Stephen Decatur]] leads a raid to burn the [[pirate]]-held frigate {{USS|Philadelphia|1799|6}}.
*[[1862]] &ndash; [[American Civil War]]: General [[Ulysses S. Grant]] [[Battle of Fort Donelson|captures]] [[Fort Donelson]], [[Tennessee]].
*[[1866]] &ndash; [[Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire|Spencer Compton Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington]] becomes British [[Secretary of State for War]].
*[[1881]] &ndash; The [[Canadian Pacific Railway]] is incorporated by Act of Parliament at Ottawa (44th Vic., c.1).
*[[1899]] &ndash; [[Iceland]]'s first football club, [[Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur]], is founded.<ref>{{cite book|author=David Felsch|title=Fußball in Island|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HQN_4jazfVAC&pg=PA4|date=5 March 2013|publisher=GRIN Verlag|isbn=978-3-656-38235-5|pages=4|access-date=17 February 2020|archive-date=1 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801120505/https://books.google.com/books?id=HQN_4jazfVAC&pg=PA4|url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[1900]] &ndash; The [[Southern Cross expedition]] led by [[Carsten Borchgrevink]] achieved a new [[Farthest South]] of 78° 50'S, making the first landing at the [[Ross Ice Shelf|Great Ice Barrier]].<ref>{{cite book|author-link= Hugh Robert Mill|last=Mill|first= Hugh Robert|title= The Siege of the South Pole|publisher=[[Alston Rivers]]|location= London|year= 1905 |pages=402}}</ref>