Discover what happened on May 16 in history, along with notable events that shaped entertainment, technology, and American history.
What Happened on May 16 in History?
Important events on this day include Michigan troops entering the Civil War, the first Academy Awards ceremony, and the premiere of Top Gun.
MAY 16 – TODAY IN HISTORY:
1861 – Michigan troops entered the Civil War as the 1st Michigan Infantry entered Washington, DC. President Abraham Lincoln exclaimed “Thank God for Michigan”.
1866 – The U.S. Congress eliminated the half dime coin and replaced it with the 5-cent piece, or nickel.
1866 – Charles Elmer Hires invented root beer.
1868 – President Andrew Johnson was acquitted during the Senate impeachment, by one vote.
1888 – The first demonstration of recording on a flat disc was demonstrated by Emile Berliner.
1891 – A riot broke out in Grand Rapids, MI after 4,000 furniture workers walked off their jobs at 35 plants.
1910 – The U.S. Bureau of Mines was authorized by Congress.
1912 – Peter Wege founded Steelcase as the “Metal Office Furniture Company”.
1914 – The American Horseshoe Pitchers Association (AHPA) was formed in Kansas City, KS.
1929 – The first Academy Awards ceremony was held in Hollywood, CA.
1939 – The Philadelphia Athletics and the Cleveland Indians met at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, PA, for the first baseball game to be played under the lights in the American League.
1946 – Jack Mullin showed the world the first magnetic tape recorder.
1960 – Theodore Maiman, at Hughes Research Laboratory in Malibu, CA, demonstrated the first working laser (a ruby laser).
1963 – After 22 Earth orbits Gordon Cooper returned to Earth, ending Project Mercury.
1965 – Spaghetti-O’s were sold for the first time.
1971 – U.S. postage for a one-ounce first class stamp was increased from 6 to 8 cents.
1972 – By a 2-to-1 margin, Michigan voters approved a constitutional amendment allowing for a state lottery.
1975 – Japanese climber Junko Tabei became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
1975 – Muhammad Ali TKO’s Ron Lyle in the 11th round of a bout in Las Vegas, NV, to retain the heavyweight boxing title.
1977 – Muhammad Ali wins a unanimous 15 round decision over Alfredo Evangelista to retain the heavyweight boxing title.
1980 – Dr. George C. Nichopoulos was indicted in Memphis on 14 counts of overprescribing drugs to Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and nine other patients.
1983 – The television special “Motown 25: Yesterday, Today and Forever” aired. It was a recording of the first time that Michael Jackson performed the moonwalk for a live audience.
1985 – Michael Jordan was named Rookie of the Year in the NBA.
1986 – The movie “Top Gun”, starring Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, and Tom Skerritt, premiered in theaters. The film had made approximately $171.1 million by the end of the year.
1987 – The Bobro 400 set sail from New York Harbor with 3,200 tons of garbage. The barge traveled 6,000 miles in search of a place to dump its load. It returned to New York Harbor after 8 weeks with the same load.
1988 – A report released by Surgeon General C. Everett Koop declared that the addictive properties of nicotine were similar to those of heroin and cocaine.
1988 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that police do not have to have a search warrant to search discarded garbage.
1991 – Queen Elizabeth II became the first British monarch to address the U.S. Congress.
1991 – At Stanford University, fourteen students started leapfrogging. They would continue for 10 days and 999.2 miles, setting a Guinness world record.
1992 – The Endeavour Space Shuttle landed safely after its maiden voyage.
1999 – The Star Wars movie “Episode 1: The Phantom Menace” premiered in theaters in Los Angeles, CA.
2000 – Hillary Rodham Clinton was nominated to run for U.S. Senator in New York. She was the first former First Lady to run for public office.
2001 – The first MacBook laptop was released.
2002 – Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston) had a daughter with Ross Geller (David Schwimmer) on the eighth season finale of TV’s “Friends”.
2003 – Child actor Adam Rich was placed on three years probation after he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence and being under the influence of a controlled substance. He was also ordered to take part in a 60-day treatment program and pay about $1,200 in fines.
2005 – Sony Corp. unveiled three styles of its new PlayStation 3 video game machine.
2010 – Sandra Diaz-Twine won TV’s “Survivor: Heroes Versus Villains”, defeating Parvati Shallow and Russell Hantz.
2011 – STS-134 launched from Kennedy Space Center on the 25th and final flight for Space Shuttle Endeavour.
2013 – Candice Glover won the 12th season of TV’s “American Idol”.
2014 – Barbara Walters retired from the ABC TV show “The View”.
2019 – DNA research showed that bedbugs are older than humans. They have been around for 115 million years and outlived dinosaurs.
2020 – JC Penney department store filed for bankruptcy after 118 years of business.
2025 – A devastating EF4 tornado kills nineteen people in Southeast Kentucky, hitting the towns of Somerset and London.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS ON MAY 16:
Ivan Sutherland – 88 years old (1938) – Computer scientist and academic
Dan Coats – 83 years old (1943) – Politician and diplomat, 29th United States Ambassador to Germany
Billy Cobham – 82 years old (1944) – Panamanian-American drummer, composer, and bandleader
Cheryl Clarke – 79 years old (1947) – Writer
Rick Reuschel – 77 years old (1949) – Baseball player
Bruce Coville – 76 years old (1950) – Author
Jonathan Richman – 75 years old (1951) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist
Pierce Brosnan – 73 years old (1953) – Irish-American actor and producer
Peter Onorati – 73 years old (1953) – Actor
Richard Page – 73 years old (1953) – Singer-songwriter and bass player
Jack Morris – 71 years old (1955) – Baseball player and sportscaster
Debra Winger – 71 years old (1955) – Actress
Joan Benoit – 69 years old (1957) – Runner
Mitch Webster – 67 years old (1959) – Baseball player
Mare Winningham – 67 years old (1959) – Actress and singer-songwriter
Bruce Norris – 66 years old (1960) – Actor and playwright
Charles Wright – 65 years old (1961) – Wrestler
Rachel Griffith – 63 years old (1963) – Anglo-American economist
John Salley – 62 years old (1964) – Basketball player and actor
Boyd Tinsley – 62 years old (1964) – Singer-songwriter and violinist
Krist Novoselic – 61 years old (1965) – Bass player, songwriter, author, and activist
Janet Jackson – 60 years old (1966) – Singer-songwriter and actress
Scott Reeves – 60 years old (1966) – Singer-songwriter and actor
Thurman Thomas – 60 years old (1966) – Football player
Doug Brocail – 59 years old (1967) – Baseball player and coach
Ralph Tresvant – 58 years old (1968) – Singer and producer
David Boreanaz – 57 years old (1969) – Actor
Tucker Carlson – 57 years old (1969) – Journalist, co-founded The Daily Caller
Steve Lewis – 57 years old (1969) – Sprinter
Tori Spelling – 53 years old (1973) – Actress, reality television personality, and author
Sonny Sandoval – 52 years old (1974) – Singer-songwriter and rapper
Jensen Lewis – 42 years old (1984) – Baseball player
Megan Fox – 40 years old (1986) – Actress
Omar Strong – 36 years old (1990) – Basketball player
Joey Graceffa – 35 years old (1991) – Internet celebrity
Ashley Wagner – 35 years old (1991) – Figure skater
Kirstin Maldonado – 34 years old (1992) – Singer and songwriter
Louisa Chirico – 30 years old (1996) – Tennis player
Luis Garcia – 26 years old (2000) – Dominican-American baseball player
DAYS OF THE YEAR FOR MAY 16:
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For additional information check out websites like: www.on-this-day.com, www.born-today.com, www.famousbirthdays.com, www.daysoftheyear.com, and www.nationaldaycalendar.com.
