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, 28,596,960 minutes 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.
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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.
Do people and celebrities interest you? Discover all the May 16 famous birthdays who share your special day. Learn some fun facts about your birthday!
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May 16 Historical Events
- 1527 –The Florentines drive out the Medici for a second time and Florence re-establishes itself as a republic.
- 1532 –Sir Thomas More resigns as Lord Chancellor of England.
- 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.
- 1914 –The first ever Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final is played. Brooklyn Field Club defeats Brooklyn Celtic 2-1.
- 1919 –A naval Curtiss aircraft NC-4 commanded by Albert Cushing Read leaves Trepassey, Newfoundland, for Lisbon via the Azores on the first transatlantic flight.
- 1969 –Venera program: Venera 5, a Soviet spaceprobe, lands on Venus.
- 1974 –Josip Broz Tito is re-elected president of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. This time he is elected for life.
- 1975 –India annexes Sikkim after the mountain state holds a referendum in which the popular vote is in favor of merging with India.
- 1975 –Junko Tabei becomes the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
- 2005 –Kuwait permits women’s suffrage in a 35-23 National Assembly vote.
Who were born on May 16?
- 1824 –Levi P. Morton, 22nd United States Vice President (d. 1920)
- 1827 –Pierre Cuypers, Dutch architect (d. 1921)
- 1906 –Margret Rey, author and illustrator (d. 1996)
- 1917 –George Gaynes, American actor
- 1920 –Martine Carol, French actress (d. 1967)
- 1950 –Ray Condo, Canadian rockabilly musician (d. 2004)
- 1955 –Hazel O'Connor, English singer
- 1957 –Yuri Shevchuk, Russian singer
- 1959 –Mare Winningham, American actress
- 1964 –Boyd Tinsley, American musician (Dave Matthews Band)
Who died on May 16?
- 1620 –William Adams, English navigator (b. 1564)
- 1920 –Levi P. Morton, 22nd United States Vice President (b. 1824)
- 1943 –Alfred Hoche, German psychiatrist (b. 1865)
- 1955 –James Agee, American writer (b. 1909)
- 1959 –Elisha Scott, Northern Irish footballer (b. 1894)
- 1985 –Margaret Hamilton, American actress (b. 1902)
- 1997 –Elbridge Durbrow, American diplomat (b. 1903)
- 2010 –Hank Jones, American jazz pianist (b. 1918)
- 2010 –Ronnie James Dio, American heavy metal vocalist (b. 1942)
- 2011 –Edward Hardwicke, English actor (b. 1932)
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