16 August 2026
► EVENTS ON THIS DATE, 16 AUGUST;
On this day in 1942, World War 2 – The two-man crew of a U.S. naval blimp disappeared without trace near the Farallon Islands, in the Pacific Ocean 50 km from San Francisco, whilst on an anti-submarine patrol. After the crew reported an oil slick, the blimp was seen drifting, and it eventually crash-landed in the San Francisco suburb of Daly City.
The gondola door was open, but the crew’s parachutes were still on board and nobody on nearby ships saw anyone fall or jump from the craft. There was no evidence as to what became of the men, whose bodies were never found, and their disappearance remains a mystery..
1960, Seaforth, New South Wales – Three children found the body of kidnap victim, 8 year old Graeme Thorne, concealed in rocky undergrowth on vacant land. Graeme had been abducted on July 7th, and held to ransom after his father won a substantial prize in a lottery.
A massive police investigation, using pioneering forensic techniques, culminated in the arrest in Colombo, Ceylon, of a Hungarian immigrant to Australia, Istvan Baranyay, alias Stephen Bradley,
Baranyay, who was aboard a ship bound for Britain with his own wife and three children, was extradited to Sydney and sentenced to life imprisonment in Goulburn gaol, where he died in 1968.
1960, New Mexico, U.S.A. – Joseph Kittinger parachuted from a balloon at an altitude of 102,800 feet (31,330 m), and set three records: Highest-altitude jump; longest free-fall at 4 minutes 36 seconds; and at 988 km/h, the highest speed attained by a human without an aircraft. Those records were broken in 2012 by Felix Baumgartner.
Today’s Photo: Today’s photo: Departing from my custom of using the header photo from my Facebook post relating to the day’s programme, I am using a pic which I took just a few minutes ago, at the time of keying.
Tonight (16th August), the Moon, and the planet Venus, appear very close together in the Western sky. My photo, which was simply taken on my mobile, doesn’t do this justice, as there is a strange kind of beauty about it.
But, you only have a couple of hours after sunset to see this, as both will set within that time. Tomorrow, the Moon will have moved on in its orbit.
Today’s Playlist :
| TRACK | RELEASE YEAR | PLAY TIME | LAST PLAYED |
| DownTown Mystic – Fly (Buddy Holly Mix) | 2026 | 06:06 | 7/8/2026 |
| Christine Clifford – There Goes My Truck | 2026 | 06:11 | – |
| Charlie Landsborough – I Know What It Is To Be Loved | 06:14 | 1/6/2025 | |
| Vintage Vinyl + Mills Brothers – You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You | 1953 | 06:21 | 19/4/2019 |
| + Les Baxter Orchestra – April In Portugal | 1953 | 06:24 | 2/12/2018 |
| Penny Burke – Ballarat To Cloncurry | 2026 | 06:28 | 7/8/2026 |
| Brian May & ABC Melbourne Showband – Stranger In Paradise | 06:34 | 15/2/2019 | |
| Eydie Gorme – Don’t Try To Fight It Baby Edith Gormezano alias Eydie Gorme, born in The Bronx, New York U.S.A. in 1931. Died 1991. | 1963 | 06:38 | 28/7/2023 |
| Ketty Lester – Love Letters Revoyda Frierson alias Ketty Lester, born in Hope, Arkansas, U.S.A. in 1934. Turns 92 | 1962 | 06:41 | 16/8/2020 |
| Madonna – Crazy For You Madonna Louise Ciccone alias Madonna, born in Bay City, Michigan U.S.A. in 1958. Turns 68. | 1985 | 06:46 | 13/9/2024 |
| For A Listener: Shadows – Apache | 1960 | 06:53 | 26/6/2026 |
| Declan Burke – Tyrone Rose | 2026 | 06:56 | – |
| Watling & Bates – Hey Julie! | 2026 | 07:06 | 2/8/2026 |
| Johnny Young – All My Loving Johnny Young, died 14 August 2026, aged 79. | 07:11 | 30/7/2021 | |
| TammRae – Southern Blood | 2026 | 07:14 | 31/7/2026 |
| The Charlesys – I Couldn`t Know | 2026 | 07:17 | 31/7/2026 |
| For A Listener: Jimmy Little – Never Never | 07:22 | 22/3/2024 | |
| 70s Gem + John Paul Young – Love Is In The Air | 1978 | 07:26 | 7/9/2025 |
| + Billy Joel – Just the Way You Are | 1978 | 07:29 | 30/1/2026 |
| Jimmy Shand & His Band – When Irish Eyes Are Smiling – Wyoming Lullaby – Let Me Call You Sweetheart | 07:35 | 28/8/2020 | |
| Elvis Presley – Fools Fall In Love Elvis Presley, died in Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.A. in 1977, aged 42 | 1967 | 07:39 | – |
| Harry Stoneham Five – Parkinson Michael Parkinson, interviewer and broadcaster, died in Berkshire, England in 2023, aged 88. | 07:42 | 18/8/2023 | |
| Diamond 45 – Charting on this day 1966 + Beatles – Eleanor Rigby | 1966 | 07:46 | 14/8/2026 |
| + Donovan – Sunshine Superman | 1966 | 07:48 | 14/8/2026 |
| Peter & Gordon – Nobody I Know | 1964 | 07:54 | 14/6/2024 |
| Karl Heinz Kaestel – Jackson | 07:58 | 1/5/2026 | |
| Alice Benfer – Wildflowers On The Outback | 2026 | 08:05 | 7/8/2026 |
| For A Listener: Col Joye – Fools Like Me | 1959 | 08:10 | 5/7/2026 |
| COMFORT ZONE + Judith Durham – Australia Land Of Today | 08:14 | 16/8/2026 | |
| + Jade Hurley – Georgie | 08:17 | 19/2/2025 | |
| Kathy Carver – Bingo Player | 2026 | 08:23 | 12/7/2026 |
| Cameron Cusack – She Gets Me | 2026 | 08:29 | 9/8/2026 |
| Joe Loss & His Orchestra – May I Have The Next Dream With You | 08:36 | 6/3/2022 | |
| Diamond 45 – Charting on this day 1966 + Bobby Hebb – Sunny | 1966 | 08:40 | 14/8/2026 |
| + Sandpipers – Guantanamera | 1966 | 08:43 | 14/8/2026 |
| Sally Jane – Fishing Taught Me Patience | 2026 | 08:48 | – |
| John McCall – Love in Katoomba | 2025 | 08:52 | 30/1/2026 |