Hello. Welcome to your weekend. We’re glad you are here!
As we start to get outside and in “summer mode” it’s likely that as the days get longer they seem to fly by even faster, which is why we take a few minutes on Saturday morning to intentionally slow down. This is just a “scroll down memory lane” to see what events happened on this day in history before we head out to make new history today. So, grab your favorite sippin’ drink and let’s scroll!
Today is Saturday, May 16th, the 136th day of the year.
On this day:
In 1770, a 14-year-old Marie Antoinette married the future King Louis the 16th of France who was 15.
In 1866, a bill was passed to allow the United States Treasury Department to begin minting the nickel.
In 1866, pharmacist Charles Elmer Hires invented Root Beer.
In 1920, Joan Of Arc was canonized in Rome.
In 1929, the first Academy Awards were presented at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood. The film “Wings” won the first Best Picture Award.
In 1939, food stamps were introduced in the U.S.A.
In 1975, Japanese climber Junko Tabei became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
In 1980, Elvis Presley’s personal physician, Dr. George Nickopoulas, was indicted by a grand jury on 14 counts of illegally prescribing drugs to Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and nine others. He was eventually barred from practicing medicine.
In 1984, actor, comedian Andy Kaufman died at the age of 35.
In 1985, actress Margaret Hamilton died at the age of 82. She is best remembered for her role as the Wicked Witch of the West in the classic film “The Wizard of Oz.”
In 1988, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that trash may be searched without a warrant.
In 1990, entertainer Sammy Davis Junior died at the age of 64.
In 1990, Muppets creator Jim Henson died at the age of 53.
In 1997, President Clinton publicly apologized for the notorious Tuskegee experiment, in which government scientists deliberately allowed black men to weaken and die of treatable syphilis.
In 2002, “Mad Magazine” cartoonist Dave Berg died at the age of 81.
In 2008, a day after the state of California ruled to allow same-sex marriages in the state, comedienne and TV personality Ellen DeGeneres announced that she and girlfriend, actress Portia de Rossi would tie the knot.
In 2010, rocker Ronnie James Dio died after a battle with stomach cancer. He was 67.
In 2011, Space Shuttle Endeavour blasted off for its final mission in space. Endeavour and its six-man crew were tasked with delivering a two-billion dollar Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer designed to illuminate dark matter and exotic forms of nature for scientists to get a look at. The mission was led by astronaut Mark Kelly.
In 2012, Mary Kennedy, the estranged wife of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., was found dead at her home in Mount Kisco, New York of an apparent suicide. Robert and Mary Kennedy were married in 1994 and Robert filed for divorce in May of 2010.
In 2019, President Trump declared a national emergency over IT threats.
In 2020, department store JC Penney filed for bankruptcy.
In 2022, Sweden formally announced seeking to join NATO in the wake of the Russian invasion on Ukraine.
In 2022, President Joe Biden approved a redeployment of U.S. ground troops to Somalia, reversing a decision by former President Donald Trump.
That brings us here to this day. So whatever plans you have for your own 5.16.2026 here’s hoping there are moments along the way to record on the pages of your own personal history books.
Thanks for stopping by!
