Historical events on May 16
MAY 16, 1961
Led by Park Chung-hee, the Military Revolution Committee carried out a bloodless coup against the government of Yun Posun in Seoul, ending the Second Republic of Korea.
Park Chung Hee was a South Korean politician and army officer who served as the third president of South Korea from 1962
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MAY 16, 1958
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).
The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is an American single-engine, supersonic interceptor. Created as a day fighter by Lockheed as one of the "Century
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MAY 16, 1832
Prospector Juan Godoy discovered a silver outcrop in Chañarcillo, sparking the Chilean silver rush.
Juan Godoy was a Chilean farmer and miner who in 1832 discovered an outcrop (reventón) of silver 50 km (31 mi) south of Copiapó
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MAY 16, 1811
Peninsular War: Allied British, Spanish, and Portuguese forces clashed with French troops at the Battle of Albuera fought south of Badajoz, Spain.
The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying
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MAY 16, 1975
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.
The Kingdom of Sikkim officially Dremoshong until the 1800s, was a hereditary monarchy in the Eastern Himalayas which existed from 1642 to
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MAY 16, 1605
After a scuffle in which one cardinal had several bones broken, a papal conclave convened in Rome elected Camillo Borghese as Pope Paul V.
A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese
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MAY 16, 1866
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.
The Shield nickel was the first United States five-cent piece to be made out of copper-nickel, the same alloy of which American
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MAY 16, 1943
Second World War: The Royal Air Force's "Dambusters" squadron embarked on an attack on German dams using bouncing bombs designed by Barnes Wallis.
World War II or the Second World War was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all
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MAY 16, 2014
At least 12 people were killed and 70 others injured when two bombs exploded in a market in Nairobi, Kenya.
On 16 May 2014, two improvised explosive devices were detonated simultaneously in the Gikomba market in Nairobi, Kenya, killing at least 12
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MAY 16, 1812
The Conference of Dresden began, an attempt by Napoleon to secure support for his planned invasion of Russia.
The Conference of Dresden was a May 1812 gathering of European leaders arranged by Napoleon I of France as part of his
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MAY 16, 1925
The first modern performance of Claudio Monteverdi's opera Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria occurred in Paris.
Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi was an Italian composer, choirmaster and string player. A composer of both secular and sacred music, and a
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MAY 16, 1777
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.
Button Gwinnett was a British-born American Founding Father who, as a representative of Georgia to the Continental Congress, was one of the
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MAY 16, 1960
American physicist Theodore Maiman operated the first working laser at Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu.
Theodore Harold Maiman was an American engineer and physicist who is widely credited with the invention of the laser. Maiman's laser led
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MAY 16, 1975
Japanese climber Junko Tabei (pictured) became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
Junko Tabei was a Japanese mountaineer, author, and teacher. She was the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest
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MAY 16, 1959
The Tritons' Fountain in Valletta, one of Malta's most important Modernist landmarks, was turned on for the first time.
The Tritons’ Fountain is a fountain located in Floriana, Malta. It consists of three bronze Tritons holding up a large basin, balanced
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MAY 16, 1426
Mohnyin Thado captured Sagaing to become the king of Ava, in present-day Myanmar.
Mohnyin Thado was king of Ava from 1426 to 1439. He is also known in Burmese history as Mohnyin Min Taya after
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MAY 16, 1929
The first Academy Awards ceremony was held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, California.
The 1st Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) and hosted by AMPAS president Douglas Fairbanks,
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MAY 16, 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.
The Sedition Act of 1918 was an Act of the United States Congress that extended the Espionage Act of 1917 to cover
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