Box-office #1
The Empire Strikes Back
1980 · dir. Irvin Kershner
Wide US release on May 23, 1980. Goes on to become the highest-grossing film of the year.
Sci-fiStar Wars $538M worldwide
On this day
May 16 Saturday, May 16, 2026
A curious almanac of what happened on May 16 across the years — history, birthdays, the songs that ruled the charts, the films that packed cinemas, and the science that nudged the world forward.
12
Events
7
Birthdays
3
Holidays
War 108 years ago
The victory military parade by the Finnish White Guard is held in Helsinki celebrating their decisive victory in the Finnish Civil War. The day also begin to be celebrated on the Defence Forces Flag Day before it is moved in 1942 to the June 4th.
The Finnish White Guard holds a victory parade in Helsinki celebrating their triumph in the Finnish Civil War, establishing what becomes Defence Forces Flag Day.
History
What happened on May 16
12 verified entries Full timeline
- 946World history
Emperor Suzaku abdicates the throne in favor of his brother Murakami who becomes the 62nd emperor of Japan.
Emperor Suzaku abdicates in favor of his brother Murakami, who becomes the 62nd emperor of Japan.
- 999War
Rebel Turkish warlord Mahmud of Ghazni defeats Samanid Emir Mansur II in battle at Merv.
Mahmud of Ghazni defeats Samanid Emir Mansur II in a decisive battle at Merv.
- 1003Religion
Patrician John Crescentius, who has seized control of Rome, selects Pope John XVII as the new pope.
John Crescentius appoints Pope John XVII, solidifying his political power over Rome.
- 1204European history
Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire.
Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders, is crowned the first Emperor of the Latin Empire, establishing Crusader rule over Constantinople following the Fourth Crusade.
- 1364War
Hundred Years' War: Bertrand du Guesclin and a French army defeat the Anglo-Navarrese army of Charles the Bad at Cocherel.
Bertrand du Guesclin leads French forces to victory over Charles the Bad's Anglo-Navarrese army at the Battle of Cocherel.
- 1426Politics
Gov. Thado of Mohnyin becomes King of Ava.
Thado of Mohnyin becomes king of Ava, uniting several Burmese states under his rule.
- 1527European history
The Florentines drive out the Medici for a second time and Florence re-establishes itself as a republic.
Florence reinstates its republican government after ousting the ruling Medici family for the second time.
- 1532UK history
Sir Thomas More resigns as Lord Chancellor of England.
Sir Thomas More resigns as Lord Chancellor, refusing to swear an oath to King Henry VIII acknowledging the king as supreme head of the Church of England.
- 1771US history
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.
The Battle of Alamance pits local militia against the rebel group known as The "Regulators" in present-day North Carolina.
- 1777US history
Continental Army officer Lachlan McIntosh fatally wounds Button Gwinnett, a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, in a duel in Savannah, Georgia.
Lachlan McIntosh kills Button Gwinnett, a signatory of the Declaration of Independence, in a duel in Savannah.
- 1812World history
Imperial Russia signs the Treaty of Bucharest, ending the Russo-Turkish War. The Ottoman Empire cedes Bessarabia to Russia.
Russia gains control of Bessarabia from the Ottoman Empire through the Treaty of Bucharest, concluding the Russo-Turkish War.
- 1918War
The victory military parade by the Finnish White Guard is held in Helsinki celebrating their decisive victory in the Finnish Civil War. The day also begin to be celebrated on the Defence Forces Flag Day before it is moved in 1942 to the June 4th.
The Finnish White Guard holds a victory parade in Helsinki celebrating their triumph in the Finnish Civil War, establishing what becomes Defence Forces Flag Day.
Born today
Famous birthdays on May 16
7 this date All birthdays
🎂 88
Ivan Sutherland
American computer scientist and academic
Ivan Sutherland, a pioneer of computer graphics who invented Sketchpad and taught at the University of Utah in the 1970s, turns 88 today.
Born
1938
Turns 88
today
Kitanoumi Toshimitsu
Japanese sumo wrestler, the 55th Yokozuna
1953 – 2015
Dafydd Williams
Canadian physician and astronaut
b. 1954 · 72
David Wilkinson
English theologian and academic
b. 1963 · 63
Tori Spelling
American actress, reality television personality, and author
b. 1973 · 53
Rick Rypien
Canadian ice hockey player
1984 – 2011
Joey Graceffa
American internet celebrity
b. 1991 · 35
Music
The number one songs on May 16
Across the years Full chart history
Also #1 on this day
- 2026"Rein Me In"— Sam Fender and Olivia Dean
- 2025"Ordinary"— Alex Warren
- 2024"Espresso"— Sabrina Carpenter
- 2023"Miracle"— Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding
- 2022"As It Was"— Harry Styles
- 2021"Body"— Tion Wayne and Russ Millions
Film & TV
At the movies
Box office #1 and premieres All releases
🏆 Sport May 16, 1975
Junko Tabei becomes the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest
The Japanese mountaineer reached the 29,032-foot peak via the Southeast Ridge route as part of the Japanese Women's Everest Expedition. Her achievement broke a significant barrier in high-altitude mountaineering.
Read the story
🔬 Science May 16, 1960
Theodore Maiman operates the first optical laser (a ruby laser), at Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California.
Theodore Maiman operates the first optical laser, a ruby laser, at Hughes Research Laboratories.
Read the storyToday is also
Holidays & observances
3 celebrated today
Mass Graves Day (Iraq)
International
Mass graves in Iraq are characterized as unmarked sites containing at least six bodies
National Day, declared by Salva Kiir Mayardit (South Sudan)
International
A national day is a day on which celebrations mark the statehood or nationhood of a state or its people
Teachers' Day (Malaysia)
International
Teachers' Day is a special day for the appreciation of teachers
❝
A display connected to a digital computer gives us a chance to gain familiarity with concepts not realizable in the physical world.
— Ivan Sutherland · born May 16, 1938