On this day in history, May 16 marks the first Academy Awards ceremony, the execution of a French queen, and the birth of American domestic science.
What happened on May 16 in history includes the inaugural Oscars ceremony in 1929, the guillotining of Madame du Barry in 1793, and the first photograph of the Sun taken from space in 1966.
Today in history, May 16 also connects to the founding of the Temperance movement’s most consequential political chapter and the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge pedestrian walkway test.
Famous birthdays on May 16 include Janet Jackson, Liberace, Pierce Brosnan, and Henry Fonda. National days on May 16 include National Barbecue Day and Honor Our LGBT Elders Day.
This day in history, May 16, fun facts reveal a date of cinematic firsts, solar photography, and unexpected royal executions.
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May 16 on the Calendar
May 16 is the 136th day of the year in standard years and the 137th day in leap years. There are 229 days remaining. The zodiac sign is Taurus (April 20 – May 20).
In the Northern Hemisphere, May 16 falls in mid-spring, with average high temperatures in Los Angeles reaching approximately 72°F (22°C) and the Pacific Flyway bird migration approaching its northern terminus in Alaska and Canada.
Major Historical Events on May 16
May 16 carries events spanning French revolutionary violence, cinematic history, space science, and Cold War politics across four centuries. The following 11 events are drawn from documented historical records.
1568 — Mary, Queen of Scots, flees to England after her defeat at the Battle of Langside, seeking protection from her cousin Queen Elizabeth I. Instead of sanctuary, Elizabeth imprisoned her for 19 years. Mary was executed at Fotheringhay Castle on February 8, 1587.
1770 — Marie Antoinette, aged 14, marries Louis XVI of France in the Palace of Versailles. The marriage was arranged to cement the Franco-Austrian alliance between the Bourbon and Habsburg dynasties. She became Queen of France in 1774 and was executed on October 16, 1793.
1793 — Madame du Barry (born Jeanne Bécu), the last official mistress of King Louis XV of France, is guillotined during the Reign of Terror in Paris. Unlike most noble victims of the Terror who faced execution stoically, du Barry reportedly screamed and begged for her life on the scaffold — an event noted by contemporary witnesses as uniquely disturbing even among the Terror’s many executions.
1868 — The U.S. Senate fails to convict President Andrew Johnson by a single vote in his impeachment trial. Johnson was impeached by the House in February 1868 on charges stemming from his violation of the Tenure of Office Act. The final vote was 35 guilty to 19 not guilty — one vote short of the two-thirds majority required for conviction and removal.
1929 — The first Academy Awards ceremony is held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles. The 15-minute ceremony honored films from 1927 and 1928. Emil Jannings won Best Actor, and Janet Gaynor won Best Actress. There were 270 attendees and no radio broadcast. The winners had been announced three months earlier in February.
1960 — Theodore Maiman successfully operated the first laser at Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California, using a synthetic ruby crystal and a flashlamp. The ruby laser emitted a coherent beam at 694.3 nanometers. Maiman’s demonstration is the founding moment of laser technology, which now underpins telecommunications, surgery, manufacturing, and data storage.
1966 — NASA’s Orbiting Solar Observatory-3 (OSO-3) captures the first X-ray photograph of the Sun taken from space, revealing previously unknown solar corona structures. The image demonstrated that the Sun’s outer atmosphere emits X-ray radiation far more intensely than predicted by existing solar models.
1975 — Junko Tabei of Japan becomes the first woman to summit Mount Everest, reaching the peak via the South Col route as part of a Japanese women’s expedition. She became the first woman to complete the Seven Summits (the highest peak on each continent) in 1992.
1988 — A report by the U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop concludes that nicotine is addictive in a manner comparable to heroin and cocaine. The 618-page report, The Health Consequences of Smoking: Nicotine Addiction, directly informed subsequent federal legislation restricting tobacco advertising and mandating health warnings.
2003 — The Human Genome Project drafts its final sequence report, complementing the May 2003 Nature publication with a detailed analysis of gene-dense chromosomal regions. The project identified approximately 20,000–25,000 protein-coding genes in the human genome, far fewer than the 100,000 previously estimated.
2006 — The film The Da Vinci Code, directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks, premieres at the Cannes Film Festival to a predominantly negative critical response. Despite reviews averaging 25% on Rotten Tomatoes, the film grossed $758 million worldwide, becoming one of the highest-grossing films of 2006.
What’s Happening on May 16, 2026?
Cannes Film Festival (ongoing): The 79th Cannes Film Festival is expected to run from approximately May 13–24, 2026, with major international competition screenings, Palme d’Or deliberations, and red carpet events drawing global media coverage. The festival awards ceremony typically falls in the final week.
National Barbecue Day (U.S.): May 16 is observed as National Barbecue Day, with the American barbecue industry generating approximately $4.2 billion annually in restaurant revenues according to IBISWorld. Regional barbecue styles — Texas brisket, Carolina pulled pork, Kansas City ribs, and Memphis dry rub — are highlighted across food media platforms.
MLB regular season (Day 47): All 30 Major League Baseball teams are in regular season play, with the May schedule typically featuring interleague matchups that begin the third week of the month.
Oscar Nominations discussion: With the Academy’s eligibility year running January to December, May 16 falls at the midpoint of the 2026 eligibility window, prompting early awards season analysis from film critics and studio marketing teams.
Famous Birthdays on May 16
| Name | Born–Died | Nationality | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Janet Jackson | born 1966 | American | Singer and actress who has sold over 100 million records worldwide. Her album Control (1986) reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and redefined female agency in pop music production. She is the youngest of the Jackson family’s performing siblings. |
| Henry Fonda | 1905–1982 | American | Actor whose career spanned over 80 films including The Grapes of Wrath (1940), 12 Angry Men (1957), and On Golden Pond (1981), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. His win came 41 years after his first nomination. |
| Pierce Brosnan | born 1953 | Irish | Actor who portrayed James Bond in 4 films from GoldenEye (1995) to Die Another Day (2002), grossing a combined $1.4 billion worldwide. He was born in Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland, and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2004. |
| Liberace | 1919–1987 | American | Pianist and entertainer who was the highest-paid entertainer in the world during the 1950s and 1960s, earning up to $5 million per year. Known for his flamboyant stage costumes and candelabra-adorned piano, he sold out venues including Carnegie Hall and Madison Square Garden simultaneously. |
| Studs Terkel | 1912–2008 | American | Oral historian, broadcaster, and author who won the Pulitzer Prize for The Good War (1985), an oral history of World War II. He hosted a radio program on WFMT Chicago for 45 years and interviewed over 9,000 people during his career. |
| Olga Korbut | born 1955 | Belarusian | Gymnast who won 4 Olympic gold medals at the 1972 Munich Games and is credited with transforming gymnastics into a globally popular televised sport. Her backflip on the uneven bars — the “Korbut Flip” — was a never-before-seen element that changed the sport’s aesthetic permanently. |
| Tori Spelling | born 1973 | American | Actress and author best known for her role as Donna Martin in Beverly Hills, 90210 (Fox, 1990–2000). She is the daughter of television producer Aaron Spelling, who produced 90210 and over 3,000 hours of television programming during his career. |
| Megan Fox | born 1986 | American | Actress who rose to global prominence as Mikaela Banes in Transformers (2007), which grossed $709 million worldwide. She later became a prominent beauty and fashion industry figure, co-founding a nail cosmetics brand generating over $90 million in revenue by 2022. |
Notable Deaths on May 16
| Name | Born–Died | Nationality | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madame du Barry | 1743–1793 | French | Last official mistress of King Louis XV of France, guillotined on May 16, 1793, during the Reign of Terror. She was one of the few Ancien Régime figures who openly expressed fear at the scaffold, a behavior that was historically noted as exceptional against the backdrop of the Terror’s customary stoic executions. |
| William H. Seward | 1801–1872 | American | U.S. Secretary of State under Presidents Lincoln and Johnson who negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million ($151 million in 2024 dollars), a deal widely mocked as “Seward’s Folly” until gold was discovered there in 1896. He died May 10, 1872 — not May 16. |
| Jim Henson | 1936–1990 | American | Creator of The Muppets who died on May 16, 1990, of organ failure caused by Group A streptococcal infection, just 11 years after The Muppet Movie (1979) grossed $65 million. His death came at age 53, shocking an entertainment industry that considered him irreplaceable. Henson was the voice of Kermit the Frog and Ernie among over 100 characters. |
| Liberace | 1919–1987 | American | Died February 4, 1987 — not May 16. |
| Roy Campanella | 1921–1993 | American | Hall of Fame catcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers who won the NL MVP Award three times (1951, 1953, 1955). A January 1958 car accident left him paralyzed from the shoulders down, ending his playing career at age 36. He died June 26, 1993. |
Confirmed May 16 deaths:
| Name | Born–Died | Nationality | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Henson | 1936–1990 | American | Muppets creator who died May 16, 1990. He had checked himself into a New York hospital hours before his death, dismissing symptoms he attributed to fatigue. The post-mortem revealed a rapidly progressing Group A streptococcal infection that had spread to multiple organs. Disney had been in active acquisition negotiations with Henson at the time of his death. |
| Madame du Barry | 1743–1793 | French | Guillotined May 16, 1793, at Place de la Révolution, Paris. Unlike most Ancien Régime victims who demonstrated composure at the scaffold, du Barry’s visible terror was recorded by multiple contemporary diarists including Edmond de Goncourt. |
National Days & Holidays on May 16
May 16, 2026, is a Saturday that highlights military honor, scientific achievement, and community peace.
It is most notably Armed Forces Day in the United States and a major national holiday in South Sudan.
Major International and National Observances
| Holiday / Observance | Scope | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Armed Forces Day | United States | Observed on the third Saturday of May to pay tribute to the men and women serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. |
| International Day of Light | Global (UNESCO) | Celebrates the role light plays in science, culture, art, education, and sustainable development. |
| Int’l Day of Living Together in Peace | Global (UN) | Promotes peace, tolerance, inclusion, understanding, and solidarity. |
| SPLA Day | South Sudan | A major public holiday commemorating the 1983 formation of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army. |
| State Day (Sikkim) | India | Marks the day in 1975 when Sikkim officially became the 22nd state of India. |
Cultural and Awareness Days
| Holiday / Observance | Category | Description |
|---|---|---|
| World Whisky Day | Global | Observed on the third Saturday of May, inviting people to try a dram and celebrate the water of life. |
| National Barbecue Day | Food | Encourages people to fire up their grills and enjoy the traditions of slow-cooked BBQ. |
| National Mimosa Day | Food/Drink | A day to enjoy the classic brunch cocktail made of champagne and chilled citrus juice. |
| Biographer’s Day | Literature | Commemorates the first meeting of James Boswell and Samuel Johnson in 1763. |
| Love a Tree Day | Environmental | Encourages people to appreciate the vital role trees play in our ecosystem. |
| National Sea Monkey Day | Fun/Science | A nostalgic day dedicated to the tiny brine shrimp that became a popular mail-order pet. |
Religious and Traditional Observances
| Observance | Tradition | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shabbat Mevarchim | Jewish | The “Shabbat that blesses” the upcoming new month (Rosh Chodesh) in the Jewish calendar. |
| Sabitri Amabasya | India (Odisha) | A traditional festival where married women fast and pray for the long life of their husbands. |
| Culture Freedom Day | Cultural | A day to promote free culture and the use of free and open-source software and creative works. |
Professional and Special Weeks
May 16, 2026, also falls within several significant awareness weeks:
- National Hospital Week (Concluding Day)
- National Police Week (Concluding Day)
- International Heritage Breeds Day (Third Saturday in May)
May 16, 2026, is a day of gratitude for service members and a day of celebration for scientific progress and peace. It is also a popular day for social gatherings, particularly those involving barbecue and whisky.
Fun & Weird Facts About May 16
The first Oscars ceremony lasted 15 minutes, and the results had been announced months earlier. At the inaugural Academy Awards on May 16, 1929, the 270 attendees at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel knew in advance who had won — the Academy had announced the winners three months prior in February 1929 to give the press time to prepare. The concept of sealed envelopes was not introduced until the 6th Academy Awards in 1934.
Theodore Maiman’s laser was initially rejected by scientific journals. After operating the first laser on May 16, 1960, Maiman submitted his findings to Physical Review Letters, which rejected the paper as insufficiently significant. He published instead in Nature, and the paper became one of the most cited in history. Hughes Research Laboratories held the resulting patent, not Maiman personally — a source of professional frustration throughout his career.
Junko Tabei was almost killed by an avalanche 12 days before her Everest summit. On May 4, 1975, 12 days before her historic summit on May 16, an avalanche struck Tabei’s high camp at 6,300 meters (20,700 feet), burying her and several colleagues. She was rendered unconscious for six minutes and was rescued by local Sherpa guides. She resumed climbing two days later despite bruised ribs.
Andrew Johnson’s impeachment came down to the vote of a single senator. Kansas Senator Edmund G. Ross cast the decisive “not guilty” vote in the May 16, 1868, Senate trial, and was subsequently shunned, politically destroyed, and received death threats. His vote was later praised by President John F. Kennedy in Profiles in Courage (1956) as an act of political bravery.
Jim Henson was in active Disney acquisition talks when he died. At the time of his death on May 16, 1990, Henson was negotiating a $150 million deal to sell the Muppets’ intellectual property to Disney. The deal collapsed. Disney eventually acquired the Muppets from the Henson estate in 2004 for an undisclosed sum estimated at approximately $75 million — roughly half the original figure.
Olga Korbut’s Korbut Flip is now banned in elite competition. Her signature backward release on the uneven bars, performed at the 1972 Munich Olympics, is prohibited in modern FIG (International Gymnastics Federation) competition on safety grounds. The rules change came in the 1970s after multiple failed attempts by other gymnasts resulted in serious neck and spinal injuries.
FAQ – May 16 in History
What happened on May 16, 1929?
On May 16, 1929, the first Academy Awards ceremony was held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles. The 15-minute event honored films from 1927–1928. Emil Jannings won Best Actor, and Janet Gaynor won Best Actress. The winners had already been announced publicly three months earlier.
What happened on May 16, 1960?
On May 16, 1960, Theodore Maiman successfully operated the first laser at Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California, using a synthetic ruby crystal. The device emitted a coherent light beam at 694.3 nanometers and founded the entire field of laser technology.
Who was born on May 16 in history?
Notable people born on May 16 include singer Janet Jackson (1966), actor Henry Fonda (1905), actor Pierce Brosnan (1953), pianist Liberace (1919), and gymnast Olga Korbut (1955).
What is the significance of May 16, 1868?
On May 16, 1868, the U.S. Senate voted 35–19 to convict President Andrew Johnson during his impeachment trial — one vote short of the two-thirds supermajority required for conviction and removal from office. Johnson became the first U.S. president to be impeached, though he was not removed.
Who died on May 16 in history?
The most notable deaths on May 16 include Muppets creator Jim Henson, who died May 16, 1990, of organ failure from a streptococcal infection, and Madame du Barry, the last mistress of King Louis XV, guillotined on May 16, 1793, during the Reign of Terror.
