Browse Historical Events by Day: What Happened on May 16th?

The U.S. Congress authorizes the creation of a new American coin: the five-cent piece composed of copper and “not exceeding twenty-five per centum of nickel.” The new coin was quickly nick named the "Nickel". It has been minted every year since then except for 1922, 1932, and 1933.  As of 2020, it costs 7 cents to produce the 5 cents coin. 

In the first vote of President Andrew Johnson's Impeachment trial; the U.S. Senate votes 35 to 19 to acquit him on article 11. Ten days later, on May 26 the Senate, with the same margin, votes to acquit on articles 2 and 3 and adjourns as court of impeachment. More

Britain and France secretly concluded the Sykes-Picot Agreement, dividing most of the Arab lands under the Ottoman Empire into British and French spheres of influence after World War I. This agreement, negotiated by British diplomat Mark Sykes and French diplomat François Picot, effectively demarcated areas of direct control and influence for both nations. More

The U.S. Congress passes the Sedition Act. The Act, enacted during World War I, extended the Espionage Act of 1917 to cover a broader range of offenses, notably speech and the expression of opinion. " Among other things, it forbade the use of "disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language" about the United States government, its flag, or its armed forces. At least 877 people were convicted in 1919 and 1920. Those convicted under the act generally received sentences of imprisonment for five to 20 years. The law was repealed on December 13, 1920. More

The first Academy Awards ceremony was held in Hollywood.

The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising ended on May 16, 1943, when the Nazi German forces, under the command of SS-Brigadeführer Jürgen Stroop, suppressed the Jewish resistance and effectively destroyed the Warsaw Ghetto. More

Three scientists from the British Antarctic Survey Joe Farman, Brian Gardiner, and Jonathan Shanklin, shocked the world when they announced their discovery of the ozone hole in the scientific journal Nature. Their findings led to the Montreal Protocol, a global treaty phasing out CFCs, Their discovery, became an important example of mankind's ability to damage the Earth's atmosphere as well as one of the most famous success stories in the history of climate activism. More

Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev visits Beijing; the the first visit by a Soviet leader in 30 years. He met with Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping formally ending a rift between the two communist aiming to normalize state-to-state ties and restore party-to-party relations. More