What happened this day in history May 16

What are the important events that happened on May 16? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

May 16: Facts & Myths About This Day

May 16 is the 137th day of the year 2024 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 229 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Thursday.

Under the Julian calendar, this day is May 3, 2024 – a Thursday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?

When this day started, 1,715,817,600 seconds has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.

Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘hectatriacontaheptagon’ day.

Taurus is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Emerald is the modern birthstone for this month. Sapphire is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 258 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.

The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,164 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

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May 16 Historical Events

  • 1843
    The first major wagon train heading for the Pacific Northwest sets out on the Oregon Trail with one thousand pioneers from Elm Grove, Missouri.
  • 1874
    A flood on the Mill River in Massachusetts destroys much of four villages and kills 139 people.
  • 1877
    May 16, 1877 political crisis in France.
  • 1914
    The first ever Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final is played. Brooklyn Field Club defeats Brooklyn Celtic 2-1.
  • 1918
    The Sedition Act of 1918 is passed by the U.S. Congress, making criticism of the government an imprisonable offense.
  • 1948
    Chaim Weizmann is elected the first President of Israel.
  • 1961
    Park Chung-hee leads a coup d'état to overthrow the Second Republic of South Korea.
  • 1969
    Venera program: Venera 5, a Soviet spaceprobe, lands on Venus.
  • 1988
    A report by United States’ Surgeon General C. Everett Koop states that the addictive properties of nicotine are similar to those of heroin and cocaine.
  • 1991
    Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom addressed a joint session of the United States Congress. She is the first British monarch to address the U.S. Congress.

Who were born on May 16?

  • 1831
    David E. Hughes, British inventor and musician (d. 1900)
  • 1898
    Kenji Mizoguchi, Japanese film director (d. 1956)
  • 1906
    Arturo Uslar Pietri, Venezuelan writer (d. 2001)
  • 1919
    Ramon Margalef, Spanish scientist (d. 2004)
  • 1954
    Dafydd Williams, Canadian physician and astronaut
  • 1969
    Steve Lewis, American athlete
  • 1969
    Tucker Carlson, American television commentator
  • 1972
    Christian Califano, French rugby player
  • 1972
    Khary Payton, American actor
  • 1976
    Dirk Nannes, Dutch-born Australian cricketer

Who died on May 16?

  • 583
    Saint Brendan, Irish navigator (b. 484)
  • 1703
    Charles Perrault, French author (b. 1628)
  • 1778
    Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness, English diplomat (b. 1718)
  • 1790
    Philip Yorke, 2nd Earl of Hardwicke, English politician (b. 1720)
  • 1920
    Levi P. Morton, 22nd United States Vice President (b. 1824)
  • 1959
    Elisha Scott, Northern Irish footballer (b. 1894)
  • 1984
    Irwin Shaw, American author (b. 1913)
  • 1988
    Charles Keeping, English illustrator (b. 1924)
  • 2000
    Bodacious the Bull, rodeo bull (b. 1988)
  • 2008
    David Mitton, British television director (b. 1939)

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