December 16
Saint’s Day for Valentín, Misael, Azarías, Narval and Adelaida.
0653 - The Eighth Council of Toledo begins.
1470 - John Calabria is named lieutenant of Catalonia, it is replacing the late John of Lorraine, his father.
1702 - Felipe V returns to Madrid given the growing threat and the internal problems of the Crown.
1837 - Narciso de Heredia y Begines de los Rios is appointed prime minister.
1877 - Spain’s first telephone connection is established in Barcelona, from the Castillo de Montjuich to la Ciudadela.
1900 - The German training ship "Gneisenau" shipwrecked in Malaga, killing the commander and several officers and thirty Malaga fishermen who came to save survivors
1935 - Spain constitutes the Popular Front, led by Manuel Azana and formed by Republicans, socialists, communists and Basque nationalists.
1470 - John Calabria is named lieutenant of Catalonia, it is replacing the late John of Lorraine, his father.
1702 - Felipe V returns to Madrid given the growing threat and the internal problems of the Crown.
1837 - Narciso de Heredia y Begines de los Rios is appointed prime minister.
1877 - Spain’s first telephone connection is established in Barcelona, from the Castillo de Montjuich to la Ciudadela.
1900 - The German training ship "Gneisenau" shipwrecked in Malaga, killing the commander and several officers and thirty Malaga fishermen who came to save survivors
1935 - Spain constitutes the Popular Front, led by Manuel Azana and formed by Republicans, socialists, communists and Basque nationalists.
1968 - Official revocation of the Edict of Expulsion of Jews from Spain at Second Vatican Council
2012 - At 22:00 CET the nuclear power station Santa María de Garoña, Spain, began his disconnection from the network for decommissioning after 41 years of operation.
2012 - At 22:00 CET the nuclear power station Santa María de Garoña, Spain, began his disconnection from the network for decommissioning after 41 years of operation.
Catalina de Aragón y Castilla - www.wikipedia.es
Births
1485 - Catalina de Aragón y Castilla, the youngest daughter of the Catholic Kings, Ferdinand and Isabella. She became known to the English-speaking world as Catherine of Aragon, the first of King Henry VIII’s six wives, and the mother of Queen Mary I Queen of England (1509-33), born in Madrid (d. 1536)
1854 - José Luis Álvarez de Linera y Duarte, scientist and writer. (d. 1937)
1485 - Catalina de Aragón y Castilla, the youngest daughter of the Catholic Kings, Ferdinand and Isabella. She became known to the English-speaking world as Catherine of Aragon, the first of King Henry VIII’s six wives, and the mother of Queen Mary I Queen of England (1509-33), born in Madrid (d. 1536)
1854 - José Luis Álvarez de Linera y Duarte, scientist and writer. (d. 1937)
![](https://spainonthisday.com/bl-content/uploads/pages/27ea1d8d1e5d687c6c4aa00e8fb00c98/GeorgeSantayana.jpg)
George Santayana - https://www.poetryfoundation.org/
1863 - Jorge Agustín Nicolás Ruiz de Santayana y Borràs, known in English as George Santayana was a Spanish and US American philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist. Born in Spain, Santayana was raised and educated in the US from the age of eight and identified himself as an American, although he always retained a valid Spanish passport, At the age of 48, Santayana left his position at Harvard and returned to Europe permanently.
Santayana is popularly known for aphorisms, such as 'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it', 'Only the dead have seen the end of war' and the definition of beauty as 'pleasure objectified' Although an atheist, he treasured Spanish Catholic values, practices and worldview in which he was raised. Santayana was a broad-ranging cultural critic spanning many disciplines. He was profoundly influenced by Spinoza's life and thought; and, in many respects, was a devoted Spinozist (d. September 36, 1952 in Rome)
1871 - Manuel Fernández Silvestre, soldier (d. 1921)
1882 - Julio Camba, writer and journalist. (d. February 28, 1962 Madrid)
1886 - Alonso Millán, Piarist priest who introduced basketball in Spain.
1899 - José Entrecanales Ibarra, engineer and businessman (d. 1990)
1902 - Rafael Alberti Merello, poet of the Generation of 27, considered one of the greatest Spanish writers of the Silver Age of Spanish literature. Miguel de Cervantes Prize in 1983, among others.(d. 1999)
1906 - Martí Ventolrà, footballer (d. 1977)
1908 - María de los Remedios Alicia Rodriga Varo y Uranga, known as Remedios Varo, was one of the first women to study in the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando de Madrid (d. Oct 8 1963 in Mexico)
1911 - Maria Dolores Medio Estrada was a writer, the winner of the Premio Nadal in 1952 for her work Nosotros, los Rivero. She is often included in the literary Generation of '36 (d. Dec 16, 1996 Oviedo)
1940 - Jesús Sancho Rof, politician and university professor who was a minister in the UCD governments during the presidencies of Adolfo Suárez and Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo. He is also Doctor in Physical Sciences from the Complutense University of Madrid, on which he was a Professor of Optics and Structure of Matter
1957 - Antonio Vega, singer-songwriter and guitarist (Nacha Pop) (d. 2009)
1959 - Ana Miralles, drawer and cartoonist.
1969 - Sergi Pedrerol, waterpolo player.
1981 - Látex Diamond, rapper.
1994 - José Rodríguez Martínez, footballer.
Deaths
1853 - Álvaro Flórez Estrada, politician and economist (b. 1766)
1913 - Carlos Cambronero, historian. (b. 1849)
1971 - Santiago Salvat Espasa, editor (b. 1891)
1981 - Manuel Sanchis i Guarner, philologist, historian and writer. (b. 1911)
1988 - Miguel Sancho Izquierdo, professor of law and rector of the University of Zaragoza (b. 1890)
2006 - Enric Arredondo, actor. (b. 1940)
1882 - Julio Camba, writer and journalist. (d. February 28, 1962 Madrid)
1886 - Alonso Millán, Piarist priest who introduced basketball in Spain.
1899 - José Entrecanales Ibarra, engineer and businessman (d. 1990)
1902 - Rafael Alberti Merello, poet of the Generation of 27, considered one of the greatest Spanish writers of the Silver Age of Spanish literature. Miguel de Cervantes Prize in 1983, among others.(d. 1999)
1906 - Martí Ventolrà, footballer (d. 1977)
1908 - María de los Remedios Alicia Rodriga Varo y Uranga, known as Remedios Varo, was one of the first women to study in the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando de Madrid (d. Oct 8 1963 in Mexico)
1911 - Maria Dolores Medio Estrada was a writer, the winner of the Premio Nadal in 1952 for her work Nosotros, los Rivero. She is often included in the literary Generation of '36 (d. Dec 16, 1996 Oviedo)
1940 - Jesús Sancho Rof, politician and university professor who was a minister in the UCD governments during the presidencies of Adolfo Suárez and Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo. He is also Doctor in Physical Sciences from the Complutense University of Madrid, on which he was a Professor of Optics and Structure of Matter
1957 - Antonio Vega, singer-songwriter and guitarist (Nacha Pop) (d. 2009)
1959 - Ana Miralles, drawer and cartoonist.
1969 - Sergi Pedrerol, waterpolo player.
1981 - Látex Diamond, rapper.
1994 - José Rodríguez Martínez, footballer.
Deaths
1853 - Álvaro Flórez Estrada, politician and economist (b. 1766)
1913 - Carlos Cambronero, historian. (b. 1849)
1971 - Santiago Salvat Espasa, editor (b. 1891)
1981 - Manuel Sanchis i Guarner, philologist, historian and writer. (b. 1911)
1988 - Miguel Sancho Izquierdo, professor of law and rector of the University of Zaragoza (b. 1890)
2006 - Enric Arredondo, actor. (b. 1940)
![](https://spainonthisday.com/bl-content/uploads/pages/27ea1d8d1e5d687c6c4aa00e8fb00c98/MauelJalón.jpg)
Manuel Jalón - https://www.rtve.es/
2011 - Manuel Jalón Corominas, was a air force officer, aeronautical engineer, inventor and entrepreneur. He was awarded patents for improvements to the mop and the disposable syringe (b. 1925)
2011 - Bonifacio Alfonso, painter and engraver (b. 1934)
2012 - Iñaki Lejarreta, cyclist (b. 1983)