Events for April 16

April 16, 1953

Royal yacht Britannia launched at John Browns shipyard, Clydebank.

Her Majesty’s Yacht Britannia is the former royal yacht of the British monarchy. She was in their service from 1954 until 1997. She was the 83rd such vessel since King Charles II acceded to the throne in 1660, and is the second royal yacht to bear the name, the first being the racing cutter built for the Prince of Wales in 1893. During her 43-year career, the yacht travelled more than a million nautical miles around the world to more than 600 ports in 135 countries.

April 16, 1660

Sir Hans Sloane, physician and naturalist, is born in Killyleagh, Co. Down

He was elected to the Royal Society at the age of 24. Sloane travelled to the Caribbean in 1687 and documented his travels and findings with extensive publications years later. Sloane was a renowned medical doctor among the aristocracy, and was elected to the Royal College of Physicians at age 27.

April 16, 1850

Samuel Butcher, scholar, is born in Dublin

Samuel Henry Butcher DCL LLD FRSE FBA (16 April 1850 – 29 December 1910) was an Anglo-Irish classical scholar and politician.

April 16, 1752

The first regular stage-coach service between Dublin and Belfast commences

The first stage coach service from Dublin to Belfast opened on the 16th of April 1752.