Today May 16th in history click read more below to view detail events, deaths, births, Holidays and observances, and video clips in hisotry. Please comments, last database updated: Jan 17th, 2009
Events
1204 – Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire.
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.
1568 – Mary Queen of Scots flees to England.
1770 – 14-year old Marie Antoinette marries 15-year-old Louis-Auguste who later becomes king of France.
1771 – The Battle of Alamance, a pre-American Revolutionary War battle between local militia and a group of rebels called The Regulators, occurs in present-day Alamance County, North Carolina.
1777 – Lachlan McIntosh and Button Gwinnett shoot each other during a duel near Savannah, Georgia. Gwinnett, a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, dies three days later.
1811 – Peninsular War – The allies Spain, Portugal and Britain, defeat the French at the Battle of Albuera.
1815 – The Governor of New South Wales, Lachlan Macquarie, officially names the town of Blackheath in the upper Blue Mountains.
1822 – Greek War of Independence: The Turks capture the Greek town of Souli.
1836 – Edgar Allan Poe marries his 13-year-old cousin Virginia.
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.
1866 – The U.S. Congress eliminates the half dime coin and replaces it with the five cent piece, or nickel.
1866 – Charles Elmer Hires invents root beer.
1868 – President Andrew Johnson is acquitted in his impeachment trial by one vote in the United States Senate.
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.
1910 – The United States Congress authorizes the creation of the United States Bureau of Mines.
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.
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.
1920 – In Rome, Pope Benedict XV canonizes Joan of Arc as a saint.
1929 – In Hollywood, California, the first Academy Awards are handed out.
1943 – Holocaust: The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising ends.
1948 – Chaim Weizmann is elected the first President of Israel.
1951 – The first regularly scheduled transatlantic flights begin between John F Kennedy International Airport in New York City and Heathrow Airport in London, operated by El Al Israel Airlines.
1960 – Nikita Khrushchev demands an apology from U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower for U-2 spy plane flights over the Soviet Union thus ending a Big Four summit in Paris.
1960 – Theodore Maiman operates the first optical laser, at Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California.
1965 – The Campbell Soup Company introduces SpaghettiOs under its Franco-American brand.
1966 – The Communist Party of China issues the May 16 Notice , marking the beginning of the Cultural Revolution.
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 was in favour of merging with India.
1975 – Junko Tabei becomes the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
1983 – Sudan People s Liberation Army/Movement rebels against the Sudanese government.
1986 – The Seville Statement on Violence is adopted by an international meeting of scientists, convened by the Spanish National Commission for UNESCO, in Seville, Spain.
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.
1992 – STS-49: Space Shuttle Endeavour lands safely after a successful maiden voyage.
2003 – In Casablanca, Morocco, 33 civilians are killed and more than 100 people are injured in the Casablanca terrorist attacks.
2004 – The Day of Mourning at Bykivnia forest, just outside of Kiev, Ukraine. Here during 1930s and early 1940s communist bolsheviks executed over 100,000 Ukrainian civilians.
2005 – Kuwait permits women s suffrage in a 35-23 National Assembly vote.
2006 – A large earthquake (7.4 on the Richter scale) occurs near New Zealand.
2007 – Alex Salmond is elected First Minister of Scotland. He is the first Scottish National Party leader to be elected as First Minister after winning a historic victory at the Scottish general election on the 3rd May.
Births
1490 – Duke Albert of Prussia (d. 1568)
1578 – Everard Digby, English conspirator (d. 1606)
1611 – Pope Innocent XI (d. 1689)
1710 – William Talbot, 1st Earl Talbot, English politician (d. 1782)
1718 – Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Italian mathematician (d. 1799)
1763 – Louis Nicolas Vauquelin, French pharmacist (d. 1829)
1788 – Friedrich Rückert, German Poet, Translator and Orientalist (d. 1866)
1801 – William H. Seward, United States Secretary of State, bought Alaska at 2 ¢/acre (d. 1872)
1821 – Pafnuty Chebyshev, Russian mathematician (d. 1894)
1824 – Levi P. Morton, United States Vice President under Benjamin Harrison (d. 1920)
1827 – Pierre Cuypers, Dutch architect (d. 1921)
1831 – David E. Hughes, American musician (d. 1900)
1845 – Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov, Russian microbiologist, Nobel laureate (d. 1916)
1860 – Herman Webster Mudgett, American Serial Killer (d. 1896)
1891 – Richard Tauber, Austrian tenor (d. 1948)
1898 – Tamara de Lempicka, Polish-born painter (d. 1980)
1898 – Kenji Mizoguchi, Japanese film director (d. 1956)
1905 – Henry Fonda, American actor (d. 1982)
1906 – Alfred Pellan, French Canadian painter (d. 1988)
1906 – Arturo Uslar Pietri, Venezuelan writer (d. 2001)
1906 – Margret Rey, author and illustrator (d. 1996)
1909 – Margaret Sullavan, American actress (d. 1960)
1910 – Olga Berggolts, Russian poet (d. 1975)
1910 – Aleksandr Ivanovich Laktionov, Russian painter (d. 1972)
1912 – Studs Terkel, American writer
1913 – Woody Herman, American musician and band leader (d. 1987)
1914 – Edward T. Hall, American anthropologist and author
1916 – Adriana Caselotti, American actress (d. 1997)
1917 – Juan Rulfo, Mexican novelist (d. 1986)
1917 – James C. Murray, American politician (d. 1999)
1917 – George Gaynes, American actor
1918 – Wilf Mannion, English former footballer (d. 2000)
1919 – Liberace, American pianist (d. 1987)
1919 – Ramon Margalef, Spanish scientist (d. 2004)
1920 – Martine Carol, French actress (d. 1967)
1921 – Harry Carey, Jr., American actor
1923 – Merton Miller, American economist, Nobel laureate (d. 2000)
1925 – Bobbejaan Schoepen, Belgian entertainer
1926 – Ronald Podrow, British peace activist (d. 2004)
1927 – Nílton Santos, Brazilian footballer
1928 – Billy Martin, American baseball player and coach (d. 1989)
1929 – John Conyers, American politician
1929 – Claude Morin, French Canadian politician
1929 – Adrienne Rich, American writer
1930 – Betty Carter, American jazz singer (d. 1998)
1930 – Friedrich Gulda, Austrian pianist (d. 2000)
1931 – Jack Dodson, American actor (d. 1994)
1931 – Denise Filiatrault, French Canadian actress and director
1931 – Natwar Singh, Indian politician
1931 – Lowell P. Weicker, Jr., American politician
1931 – Hana Brady, Killed during Holocaust
1935 – James Bolam, English actor
1936 – Roy Hudd, English radio and television actor
1936 – Karl Lehmann, German Catholic cardinal
1937 – Yvonne Craig, American actress
1944 – Billy Cobham, American virtuoso drummer
1944 – Danny Trejo, American actor
1945 – Nicky Chinn, English songwriter (Sweet, Suzi Quatro)
1945 – Alan Flusser, American clothing designer
1946 – Robert Fripp, English guitarist (King Crimson)
1946 – Roger Earl, English rock drummer (Savoy Brown, Foghat)
1947 – Bill Smitrovich, American actor
1948 – Katia Dandoulaki, Greek actress
1948 – Judy Finnegan, English TV presenter (Richard & Judy)
1950 – J. Georg Bednorz, German physicist, Nobel laureate
1950 – Ray Condo, Canadian rockabilly musician
1951 – Christian Lacroix, French fashion designer
1951 – Jonathan Richman, American proto-punk icon
1952 – James Herndon, American media psychologist
1953 – Pierce Brosnan, Irish actor
1954 – Dafydd Williams, Canadian physician and astronaut
1955 – Olga Korbut, Belarussian gymnast
1955 – Jack Morris, American baseball player
1955 – Hazel O Connor, English singer
1955 – Debra Winger, American actress
1959 – Mare Winningham, American actress
1960 – Landon Deireragea, Nauruan politician
1961 – Kevin McDonald, Canadian comedian and actor
1961 – Charles Wright, American professional wrestler
1963 – Jon Coffelt, American artist
1963 – Mercedes Echerer, Austrian actress and politician
1964 – John Salley, American basketball player
1964 – Boyd Tinsley, American violinist (Dave Matthews Band)
1964 – Edit Berces, Hungarian marathon runner
1965 – Krist Novoselic, American bassist (Nirvana)
1966 – Janet Jackson, American singer
1966 – Scott Reeves, American actor and singer
1966 – Thurman Thomas, American football player
1968 – Ralph Tresvant, American singer (New Edition)
1968 – Chingmy Yau, Hong Kong actress
1969 – David Boreanaz, American actor
1969 – Tucker Carlson, American television commentator
1969 – Tracey Gold, American actress
1969 – Steve Lewis, American athlete
1970 – Gabriela Sabatini, Argentine tennis player
1970 – Danielle Spencer, Australian singer and actress
1971 – Rachel Goswell, English singer and songwriter (Slowdive, Mojave 3)
1972 – Khary Payton, American actor
1973 – Special Ed, American rapper
1973 – Tori Spelling, American actress
1973 – Jason Acuña, American television personality
1974 – Laura Pausini, Italian pop singer
1974 – Sonny Sandoval, American singer (P.O.D.)
1975 – Tony Kakko, Finnish singer (Sonata Arctica)
1975 – Tonéx, American singer
1977 – Dolcenera, Italian singer
1977 – Jean-Sébastien Giguère, Canadian ice hockey player
1978 – David Ford, English singer/songwriter
1978 – Lionel Scaloni, Argentine footballer
1979 – McKenzie Lee, English pornographic actress
1980 – Mikel Alonso, Spanish footballer
1980 – Michael Ryan, American ice hockey player
1980 – Melanie Lofton, American Journalist
1981 – Jim Sturgess, English actor
1982 – Joo Ji Hoon, Korean actor and model
1982 – Lukasz Kubot, Polish tennis player
1982 – Hanna Mariën, Belgian athlete
1983 – Nancy Ajram, Lebanese singer
1983 – Mince Fratelli, Scottish Drummer (The Fratellis)
1983 – Kyle Wellwood, Canadian ice hockey player
1984 – Mickie Knuckles, American female professional wrestler
1984 – Jensen Lewis, American baseball player
1985 – Stanislav Ianevski, Bulgarian actor
1985 – Anja Mittag, German footballer
1985 – Corey Perry, Canadian ice hockey player
1985 – Okura Tadayoshi, Japanese singer (Kanjani8)
1986 – Megan Fox, American actress
1986 – Andy Keogh, Irish footballer (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
1998 – Ariel Waller, Canadian child actress
Deaths
583 – Saint Brendan, Irish navigator (b. 484)
1265 – Saint Simon Stock, English saint (b. 1165)
1569 – Dirk Willems, Anabaptist Martyr
1620 – William Adams, English navigator (b. 1564)
1657 – Andrzej Bobola, Polish Jesuit missionary (b. 1591)
1667 – Thomas Wriothesley, 4th Earl of Southampton, English statesman (b. 1607)
1669 – Pietro da Cortona, Italian architect (b. 1596)
1691 – Jacob Leisler, American colonist (b. 1640)
1703 – Charles Perrault, French author (b. 1628)
1778 – Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness, English diplomat (b. 1718)
1782 – Daniel Solander, Swedish botanist (b. 1736)
1790 – Philip Yorke, 2nd Earl of Hardwicke, English politician (b. 1720)
1830 – Joseph Fourier, French scientist (b. 1768)
1891 – Ion Bratianu, Romanian statesman (b. 1821)
1913 – Louis Perrier, member of the Swiss Federal Council (b. 1849)
1920 – Levi P. Morton, United States Vice President under Benjamin Harrision (b. 1824)
1926 – Mehmed VI, last Ottoman Sultan (b. 1861)
1943 – Alfred Hoche, German psychiatrist (b. 1865)
1944 – George Ade, American author (b. 1866)
1947 – Frederick Hopkins, English biochemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1861)
1953 – Django Reinhardt, Belgian musician (b. 1910)
1954 – Clemens Krauss, Austrian conductor (b. 1893)
1955 – James Agee, American writer (b. 1909)
1956 – H. B. Reese, American founder of Reese s (b. 1876)
1957 – Eliot Ness, American federal agent (b. 1903)
1959 – Elisha Scott, Northern Irish footballer (b. 1894)
1961 – George A. Malcolm, American jurist & educator (b. 1881)
1969 – Robert R., first confirmed death from AIDS in North America (b. 1954)
1979 – A. Philip Randolph, American civil rights activist and labor union leader (b. 1889)
1981 – Ernie Freeman, American pianist and arranger (b. 1922)
1984 – Andy Kaufman, American comedian (b. 1949)
1984 – Irwin Shaw, American author (b. 1913)
1985 – Margaret Hamilton, American actress (b. 1902)
1988 – Charles Keeping, English illustrator (b. 1924)
1990 – Sammy Davis, Jr., American entertainer (b. 1925)
1990 – Jim Henson, American puppeteer (b. 1936)
1992 – Chalino Sanchez, Mexican musician (b. 1960)
1993 – Marv Johnson, American R&B and soul singer (b. 1938)
1994 – Jack Dodson, American actor (b. 1931)
1996 – Jeremy Michael Boorda, American admiral (b. 1939)
1997 – Elbridge Durbrow, American diplomat (b. 1903)
2000 – Bodacious the Bull Famous rodeo bull (b. 1988)
2001 – Brian Pendleton, English musician (The Pretty Things) (b. 1944)
2002 – Alec Campbell, the last surviving ANZAC (b. 1899)
2002 – Big Dick Dudley, American professional wrestler (b. 1968)
2003 – Mark McCormack, American businessman (b. 1930)
Holidays and observances
Teachers Day in Malaysia.
Middlesex Day.
