May 16
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Featured Event
© Acey HarperâThe Chronicle Collection/Getty Images; Photo Illustration EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
On this day in 1944, Technical Sgt. Edward Niland parachuted out of his B-25 when it was shot down over Burma. He was presumed dead. About two weeks later, on June 6, his brother Robert was killed at Normandy fighting for the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment. A day later, their brother Preston died on Utah Beach. One more Niland brother, Frederick, was also serving in the U.S. Army, but the War Department decided that the family had now sacrificed too much, and he was sent home. Decades later, the story of this one familyâs service to their country inspired the film Saving Private Ryan. [Read todayâs edition of Today in History > >]
Featured Biography
Featured Biography
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.
American actor Henry Fonda, born in Nebraska this day in 1905, created quintessentially American heroes during a career that spanned some six decades and included more than 90 films.
Famous Birthdays
More on May 16
Piero OliosiâPolaris/Newscom
2019
I.M. Pei, a world-famous architect known for his large, elegantly designed urban buildings and complexes, died at age 102. [Test your knowledge of architecture.]
© Markwaters/Dreamstime.com
2007
Nicolas Sarkozy was sworn in as president of France. He served one term, losing office to François Hollande in 2012. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about France.]
Paramount Pictures
1986
The action blockbuster Top Gun was released in American theaters, and it made Tom Cruise an international star. [Take our quiz about A-list actors.]
© Lee Klopfer/Alamy
1975
Tabei Junko of Japan, accompanied by Ang Tsering of Nepal, became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest. [Find out whether Mount Everest is actually the tallest mountain in the world.]
Dezo HoffmannâREX/Shutterstock.com
1966
The Beach Boys released their masterwork, Pet Sounds, a bittersweet pastiche of songs recalling the pangs of unrequited love and other coming-of-age trials. [How much do you know about rock music?]
Universal History Archive/REX/Shutterstock.com
1961
The military seized power in South Korea, overthrowing the Second Republic, as General Park Chung-Hee took over the government machinery, dissolved the National Assembly, and imposed a strict ban on political activity. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about North and South Korea.]
AP Images
1955
Gymnast Olga Korbutâwho won three gold medals at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, West Germany, where she captivated audiences with her charm, youth, and diminutive sizeâwas born in what is today Belarus. [Take our quiz about the Olympic Games.]
National Archives and Records Administration/United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, www.ushmm.org
1943
Nazi troops crushed the month-long Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, in which Polish Jews and partisan fighters, led by Mordecai Anielewicz and the Jewish Fighting Organization, resisted deportation to the Treblinka extermination camp. More than 40,000 Jews were killed or deported during the uprising.
Tim BoyleâGetty Images Entertainment
1929
The first Academy Awards were presented in a ceremony at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Janet Gaynor and Emil Jannings won for best actress and best actor, respectively. [How much do you know about the history of Hollywood?]
© G. Dagli OrtiâDeAgostini/Getty Images
1920
Joan of Arc, the national heroine of France, was canonized as a saint by Pope Benedict XV. [Read about six teenagers who made history.]
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
1868
The first of two key votes was held in the Senate impeachment trial of U.S. President Andrew Johnson, who was ultimately acquitted of all charges. [Learn the history of what happens when a U.S. president canât finish his term .]
AdstockRF
1866
The U.S. Congress passed legislation that called for the creation of a five-cent piece composed of nickel and copper; the currency became known as the nickel. [Test your knowledge of the history of currency.]
Courtesy of the U.S. Signal Corps
1801
William H. Sewardâwho was responsible for purchasing Alaska (1867) while serving as U.S. secretary of state (1861â69)âwas born in Florida, New York. [Explore the history of U.S. land acquisitions.]
Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Timken Collection (1960.6.41)
1770
Marie-Antoinette married the future King Louis XVI of France. [Did Marie-Antoinette really say âLet them eat cakeâ?]
Photos.com/Thinkstock
1763
In London Samuel Johnson met James Boswell, who went on to publish his famous Life of Johnson in 1791. [Test your knowledge of the lives and works of English authors.]