Timeline August 2016

Events in August 2016 6

• 1934 – 2016 Kenny Baker (1934-2016) Died 13 August 2016, aged 81 Baker was an English actor best known for physically portraying the droid R2-D2 in the original Star Wars film trilogy. He also performed in numerous other film and television roles despite his small stature, which he used in his craft. He reprised the role in several Star Wars sequels and prequels.
• 2016 US Open 2016 Men: Stan Wawrinka · Women: Angelique Kerber
• 2016 F-35A operational with the US Air Force Hill Air Force Base The US Air Force declares its F-35As ready for combat.
• 2016 2016 Summer Olympics XXXI Olympiad - Rio First Games held in South America. Winner: USA.
• 2016 Central Italy Earthquake Magnitude 6.2 quake devastates Amatrice A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck central Italy, devastating the town of Amatrice and killing nearly 300 people. Rescue efforts continued for days amid the rubble of collapsed historic buildings. The region was struck by further strong aftershocks in the following months.
• 2016 Proxima b Discovered Earth-sized planet found orbiting nearest star Astronomers announced the discovery of Proxima b, an Earth-sized exoplanet orbiting within the habitable zone of Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the Sun. The planet was detected using the radial velocity method at the European Southern Observatory. Its proximity made it an immediate target for future study of potentially habitable worlds.