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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