A Brief History
This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on May 16th. For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event.
Digging Deeper
On May 16, 218, Elagabalus was proclaimed the true emperor of Rome by his mother and grandmother.
On May 16, 1770, the 14 year old Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna of the House Habsburg-Lorraine married Louis-Auguste, Dauphin (heir to the throne) of France, House of Bourbon.
On May 16, 1770, the 14 year old Marie Antoinette, future Queen of France, married 15 year old Louis, the future King Louis XVI of France.
On May 16, 1866, the United States congress authorized the elimination of the “half-dime” coin and the minting of a new 5 cent piece, the “nickel.”
On May 16, 1957, 54 year old ex-lawman Eliot Ness, he of future television and movie fame as leader of the “Untouchables,” died nearly broke and so forgotten that the Chicago newspapers did not even run an obituary.
On May 16, 1957, Eliot Ness, former head of the “Untouchables” and former Safety Director of Cleveland, Ohio, died in relative obscurity, unlike the famous character of television and movies.
On May 16, 1960, a scientist at Hughes Research Laboratories in California, Theodore Maiman, operated the world’s first optical laser, a red (ruby) coherent light beam.
On May 16, 1975, Junko Tabei of Japan became the first woman to successfully scale Mt. Everest.
On May 16, 2005, the Emirate of Kuwait, an Islamic/Arab country on the Arabian peninsula finally allowed women to vote, by a vote of 35 to 23 in their National Assembly.
Science fiction film fans had their chance to be among the first in Ohio to see The Vast of Night on Friday, May 15th or Saturday, May 16th, 2020 in Cleveland (Mayfield Road Drive-In Theatre) or Ravenna (Midway Drive-In Theater)!
Historical drama fans had their chance to be among the first in Cleveland, Ohio to see Downton Abbey: A New Era on Monday, May 16, 2022 at 7:00 PM at Cinemark At Valley View and XD in Valley View, Ohio!
On May 16, 2023, Americans celebrated National Barbecue Day, something that means different things in different parts of the country.
Question for students (and subscribers): Which event that occurred on today’s date would you like to learn more about? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Andrews, John and Matt Baker. Timeline of World History. Thunder Bay Press, 2020.
You can also watch video versions of this article on YouTube.
