16th MAY ~ HiSTORY ON THiS DAY

1700s / 18th century history on the 16th of May

1770 : Marie Antoinette married Louis-Auguste. The future queen of France was 14 years old and the future king of France was 15 years old.

1800s / 19th century history on the 16th of May

1888 : Nikola Tesla delivered a lecture about transmitting electric power over long distances.

Nicola Tesla’s Massive Transformer Laboratory | Great Dreamers (Da Vinci TV YouTube channel video)

1891 : The International Electrotechnical Exhibition opened in Frankfurt, Germany, and featured the world’s first long-distance transmission of high-power, and three-phase electric current, as used today.

1900s / 20th century history on the 16th of May

1905 : Henry Fonda the American actor was born in Grand Island, Nebraska, USA (died in 1982 aged 77).

1919 : Liberace the American pianist and entertainer was born Władziu Valentino Liberace in West Allis, Wisconsin, USA (died in 1987 aged 67).

The Tragic Life Of Liberace (Grunge verified YouTube channel video)

1920 : Joan of Arc was canonized by Pope Benedict XV, in Rome.

1929 : The 1st Academy Awards aka Oscars took place in Hollywood, USA. Official website : Oscars.org

The 1st Academy Awards in 1929 honoring the films of 1927 and 1928 (Classic Clips YouTube channel video)

1951 : Transatlantic flights between New York City and London Heathrow Airport in London began on a regular schedule, from Idlewild Airport to John F Kennedy International Airport (then known as Idlewild Airport) via El Al Israel Airlines.

1953 : Pierce Brosnan (OBE) the Irish actor and producer was born in Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland.

1955 : Debra Winger the American actress was born in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, USA.

1969 : Venera 5, the Soviet space probe, landed on Venus.

The Launch Of Venera-5 (ArchiveFootages YouTube channel video)

1973 : Tori Spelling the American actress was born Victoria Davey Spelling in Los Angeles, California, USA.

1986 : Megan Fox the American actress was born in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA.

1990 : Sammy Davis Jr., the American singer and entertainer died from throat cancer, aged 64 (born in 1925). Website : SammyDavis-jr.com

Sammy Davis Jr – Mr. Bojangles performed live in Germany in 1985 (SammyDavisJrVEVO verified YouTube channel video)

1990 : Jim Henson the American puppeteer creator of The Muppets died from Streptococcus pneumoniae, aged 53 (born in 1936).

Jim Henson and The Muppets visited The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1975 (Johnny Carson verified YouTube channel video)

1991 : Queen Elizabeth II was the 1st British monarch to address the U.S. Congress, when she addressed a joint session.

2000s / 21st century history on the 16th of May

2002 : Alec Campbell the Australian soldier died aged 103 (born in 1899). He was the last surviving Australian soldier of the Gallipoli campaign during World War 1. Alec Campbell is the great-grandfather of Ruby Rose.

The Last Anzac – Alec Campbell shares his First World War experience (National Library of Australia YouTube channel video)

2011 : ISS assembly flight ULF6 launched from the Kennedy Space Center. It was the 25th flight, and the final flight for Space Shuttle Endeavour.

2019 : Bob Hawke the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia died aged 89 (born in 1929).

Bob Hawke – the people’s PM (ABC News Australia verified YouTube channel video)

see more interesting events on all the other days of MAY (History On This Day @ Azoosh)

This page was last updated on the 16th May 2021

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