2025 Somerset–London tornado
A devastating EF4 tornado kills nineteen people in Southeast Kentucky, hitting the towns of Somerset and London.
What happened on May 16
35 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 1605 to 2025.
About May 16
May 16 is the 136th day of the year. These facts are computed from the calendar, not copied from anywhere.
- Day of the year
- Day 136 of 365 (137 in leap years)229 days left in the year (229 in leap years)
- Falls on
- Saturday in 2026, Sunday in 2027, Tuesday in 2028, Wednesday in 2029, Thursday in 2030
- Week
- ISO week 20 of 2026 · Q2
- Zodiac sign
- ♉ Taurus (April 20 – May 20)
- Season
- Spring in the north · Autumn in the south
- May birthstone
- Emeraldrebirth, love and wisdom
- May birth flower
- Lily of the valley / Hawthornsweetness, humility and hope
- Next occurrence
- In 201 days
- Roman numerals
- XVI.Vday.month — see the Roman numeral date tool
Anniversaries in 2026
- 75thTransatlantic flight1951
- 60thChinese Communist Party1966
- 30thLouisa Chirico1996
- 5thBruno Covas2021
- 1st2025 Somerset–London tornado2025
- 1st2025 St. Louis tornado2025
- 1stDomingos Maubere2025
Born on May 16 — ages this year
- 2002Ryan Gravenberchturns 24
- 2000Luis García Jr.turns 26
- 1996Louisa Chiricoturns 30
- 1995Elizabeth Ralstonturns 31
- 1994Kathinka von Deichmannturns 32
- 1993Karol Metsturns 33
Historical events 35
A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
2025 St. Louis tornado
A catastrophic EF3 tornado kills five people and causes over $1 billion in damages in St. Louis, MO.
Gikomba bombings
At least 12 people were killed and 70 others injured when two bombs exploded in a market in Nairobi, Kenya.
STS-134
STS-134 (ISS assembly flight ULF6), launched from the Kennedy Space Center on the 25th and final flight for Space Shuttle Endeavour.
Kuwait
Kuwait permits women's suffrage in a 35–23 National Assembly vote.
Morocco
In Morocco, 33 civilians are killed and more than 100 people are injured in the Casablanca terrorist attacks.
Mobutu Sese Seko
Mobutu Sese Seko, the President of Zaire, flees the country.
Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom addresses a joint session of the United States Congress. She is the first British monarch to address the U.S. Congress.
Surgeon General of the United States
A report by the Surgeon General of the United States C. Everett Koop states that the addictive properties of nicotine are similar to those of heroin and cocaine.
Chuck E. Cheese
The first Chuck E. Cheese location, the first family restaurant to integrate food, animated entertainment (example pictured), and an indoor arcade, opened in San Jose, California.
Kingdom of Sikkim
Based on the results of a referendum held about one month earlier, the Kingdom of Sikkim (flag pictured) abolished its monarchy and was annexed to become the 22nd state of India.
Junko Tabei
Japanese climber Junko Tabei (pictured) became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz Tito is elected president for life of Yugoslavia.
Antonov An-24
An Antonov An-24 crashes into a kindergarten building in Svetlogorsk, killing 35.
Venera program
Venera program: Venera 5, a Soviet space probe, lands on Venus.
Gas explosion
A gas explosion in Ronan Point (collapse pictured) causes a corner of the building to collapse, leading to a loss of public confidence in high-rise residential buildings.
Chinese Communist Party
The Chinese Communist Party issues the "May 16 Notice", marking the beginning of the Cultural Revolution.
Park Chung Hee
Led by Park Chung Hee, the Military Revolution Committee carried out a bloodless coup against the government of Yun Po-sun in Seoul, ending the Second Republic of Korea.
Theodore Maiman
American physicist Theodore Maiman operated the first working laser at Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu.
Tritons' Fountain
The Tritons' Fountain in Valletta, one of Malta's most important Modernist landmarks, was turned on for the first time.
Lockheed F-104 Starfighter
The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, a supersonic interceptor aircraft, set a world flight airspeed record of 1,404.012 mph (2,259.538 km/h).
Kengir uprising
Beginning of the Kengir uprising in the Gulag.
Transatlantic flight
The first regularly scheduled transatlantic flights begin between Idlewild Airport (now John F Kennedy International Airport) in New York City and Heathrow Airport in London, operated by El Al Israel Airlines.
Levant Crisis
Beginning of the Levant Crisis between Britain and France in Syria. The latter try to quell nationalist protests but backs down after threat of military action by the British.
World War II
Second World War: The Royal Air Force's "Dambusters" squadron embarked on an attack on German dams using bouncing bombs designed by Barnes Wallis.
1st Academy Awards
The first Academy Awards ceremony was held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, California.
Claudio Monteverdi
The first modern performance of Claudio Monteverdi's opera Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria occurred in Paris.
Sedition Act of 1918
The Sedition Act was passed in the United States, forbidding Americans from using "disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language" about the government, flag, or armed forces during the ongoing World War I.
John Richard Clark Hall
John Richard Clark Hall, a barrister who would go on to write a widely used Anglo-Saxon dictionary and translation of Beowulf, was admitted to Gray's Inn.
Shield nickel
The United States Congress authorized the minting of the Shield nickel (example pictured), the country's first five-cent piece to be made of a copper–nickel alloy.
Juan Godoy
Prospector Juan Godoy discovered a silver outcrop in Chañarcillo, sparking the Chilean silver rush.
Conference of Dresden (1812)
The Conference of Dresden began, an attempt by Napoleon to secure support for his planned invasion of Russia.
Peninsular War
Peninsular War: Allied British, Spanish, and Portuguese forces clashed with French troops at the Battle of Albuera fought south of Badajoz, Spain.
Button Gwinnett
Button Gwinnett, a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, is wounded in a duel with Continental Army officer Lachlan McIntosh, dying of his injuries several days later.
Cardinal (Catholic Church)
After a scuffle in which one cardinal had several bones broken, a papal conclave convened in Rome elected Camillo Borghese as Pope Paul V.
Births 20
A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
Deaths 20
A notable person who died on this day.
Domingos Maubere
Domingos Maubere, East Timorese Catholic priest and activist (born 1952)
Bob Hawke
Bob Hawke, Australian politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Australia (born 1929)
Heinrich Rohrer
Heinrich Rohrer, Swiss physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1933)
Holidays & observances 8
A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
Brendan the Navigator
Christian feast day: Brendan the Navigator (Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, Eastern Orthodox Church)
Caroline Chisholm
Christian feast day: Caroline Chisholm (Church of England)
Andrew Bobola
Christian feast day: Andrew Bobola
Gemma Galgani
Christian feast day: Gemma Galgani (Passionists Calendar)
Honoratus of Amiens
Christian feast day: Honoratus of Amiens
Germerius
Christian feast day: Germerius
Abdas of Susa
Christian feast day: Abda and Abdjesus, and companions: Abdas of Susa
Aaron (Copt)
Christian feast day: Aaron (Coptic Church)
Spread across the centuries
- 17th century1
- 18th century1
- 19th century5
- 20th century41
- 21st century27
Earliest: Cardinal (Catholic Church) (1605). Most recent: 2025 Somerset–London tornado (2025).
What the categories mean, and how the standout is chosen
- Historical events
- A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
- Births
- A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
- Deaths
- A notable person who died on this day.
- Milestones
- A first, a founding or a turning point our editors flagged as a landmark moment.
- Holidays & observances
- A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
- Standout / notable
- Editor-written entries come first, then entries covered by the most Wikipedia language editions. For the standout tile we prefer an entry that has a picture.
Nearby and related
Questions about May 16
What day of the year is May 16?
May 16 is the 136th day of the year, with 229 days left after it.
What star sign is May 16?
May 16 falls under Taurus (April 20 – May 20), a earth sign ruled by Venus. The birthstone for the month is Emerald.
How many things happened on May 16?
We record 83 entries for May 16: 35 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 1605 to 2025.
Who was born on May 16?
Ryan Gravenberch (2002) is among the notable births on May 16. The births section lists the rest.
How often is the May 16 page updated?
The day is filled the first time anyone opens it and then re-checked for new entries about every 90 days. Computed facts such as the weekday and the anniversaries update every year.
Get a daily entry like May 16
One short email a day from this calendar. Kept for this site only.
Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.