
1919: Albert Cushing Read takes off on the first transatlantic flight in history. The crossing from New York State, USA to Lisbon, Portugal on a Curtiss NC-4 flying boat took 19 days.

1920: Joan of Arc, a national heroine of France, was canonized as a saint by Pope Benedict XV. The canonization ceremony was attended by more than 60,000 people, including 140 of Joan of Arcโs familyโs descendants. Joan of Arc is the patron saint of martyrs, prisoners, soldiers, and France. Her Feast Day is May 30.

1929: The Oscars are awarded for the first time. The first Academy Awards were presented at a private dinner with about 270 attendees. Today, it is the world’s most important entertainment awards ceremony.

1960: Theodore Maiman fires the first functional laser. The American physicist’s invention, an advancement of earlier research by scientists in the U.S. and the Soviet Union, was patented in 1967.

1964: Encouraged to make a pilgrimage to Africa by U.S. activist Malcolm X, world boxing heavyweight champion Mohamed Ali arrives in Accra, Ghana for a two-week โreturn to my fatherland.โ Dressed in kente cloth, he meets with President Kwame Nkrumah.

1966: In China, the Cultural Revolution begins. The publication of the May 16 notification marks the beginning of the political campaign, which was initiated by Mao Zedong and lasted ten years. Its objective was to strengthen communism by removing capitalist, traditional, and cultural elements from Chinese society.

1975: Junko Tabei becomes the first woman to conquer Mount Everest. The ascent by the Japanese adventurer came 22 years after Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first to reach the summit.

1976: Pupils boycott classes in defiance of the use of Afrikaans in their schools in South Africa.
1977: Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, wife of imprisoned ANC leader, Nelson Mandela, was banished to the dusty Afrikaner-dominated town of Brandfort in the Free State where she was unceremoniously dumped at house 802 with her youngest daughter, Zinzi. There was no running water or electricity and the house had no floors or ceilings. The people spoke mainly Sotho, Tswana, or Afrikaans and hardly any Xhosa, which was Winnie’s home language.

BIRTHS ON THIS DAY: May 16
Dele Momodu, 64 years
Nigerian journalist and publisher was born on 16 May 1960 in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. After launching publishing brands and doing award-winning TV and film work, he became one of Nigeriaโs top motivational speakers. Launched in 2008 and with earnings going to charities, his annual Christmas concert/fashion show/awards event. The Red Carol, which is attended by international celebrities, has become one of West Africa’s most popular seasonal traditions.

1966: Janet Jackson, 58 years
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer who was born on 16 May 1966. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious, and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows.

Dawda Jawara (16 May 1924 – Barajali – 27 August 2019)
First President of The Gambia (1970-1994), in Barajally Tenda, British Gambia. He was the countryโs Prime Minister from 1962, overseeing national independence achieved in 1965. He had his position changed to the presidency when The Gambia became a republic, resulting in a combined length of leadership over the country of 32 years before he was ousted in a coup dโรฉtat in 1994. He died at the age of 95.
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