May 16th is also known as Drawing Day and Sea Monkey Day.
This day marks the 136th day of 2025, and there’s another 229 days remaining until the end of the year.
You’re about to unearth some of the fascinating historical events that all fell on the day of May 16 including music, celebrity shenanigans, sports and more.
Did you know that on this day, May 16, 1874, the first recorded dam disaster happened in the US? The Mill River Dam collapse killed 139 and wiped out 4 Massachusetts towns in an hour.
Keep reading for more fun & interesting facts about May 16th in history!
Historical Events
What memorable events happened on May 16 in history? Keep reading to find out!
NASA launched the Endeavour Space Shuttle on the penultimate space shuttle mission.
Mission STS-134's primary objectives were to ferry several new modules to the International Space Station and install them. One of the key modules was the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer 2, which investigated the origins of dark matter. The mission also carried 13 Lego kits to the ISS so the astronauts could see how the models acted in microgravity.
Famous Births
Is today your birthday? If so, did you know that Megan Fox was also born on this day? Here are more famous people born on this day.
1986
Megan Fox
American Actress
Age
39 years old
Born IN
Tennessee, USA
1990
Thomas Brodie-Sangster
English Actor
Age
35 years old
Born IN
England, UK
1966
Janet Jackson
American Singer
Age
59 years old
Born IN
Indiana, USA
1953
Pierce Brosnan
Irish Actor
Age
72 years old
Born IN
County Meath, Ireland
Birthday & Zodiac
If you were born on May 16, your zodiac sign is Taurus.
Taurus is represented by the bull and is the second sign in the zodiac. Taureans like to be in control, which makes them patient, logical, and well-grounded. They’re big thinkers and will often reflect deeply on many things in life, no matter how big or small.
For those of you born in May, you have the Emerald birthstone. The emerald symbolizes rebirth and is believed to grant the owner good fortune and youth. This beautiful green gem is also known to bring loyalty to the wearer.
If you were lucky enough to be born on this day, you were likely conceived around August 23rd, the year before.
The due date for babies conceived on this day is around February 6th, 2026.
Quotes
Who said what today throughout history? Here are the most famous things people have said on May 16.
2014
“Take risks now. Do something bold. You won’t regret it.”
Elon Musk
(South African-American Entrepreneur)
1929
“A great truth is a truth whose opposite is also a truth.”
Thomas Mann
(German Novelist)
1882
“The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm fearsome, but could never see that the dangers were a reason to continue strolling on the beach.”
Vincent van Gogh
(Dutch Painter)
Special Holidays
If you've got a few minutes spare today, why not celebrate these special holidays.
United States
National Drawing Day
Today is a special day where we can all release our amazing imagination and share it with the world. That’s because today is National Drawing Day. So take out your pencils and paper and unleash your inner artist!
United States
National Sea Monkey Day
For many of us, sea monkeys were our very first pets. Sure, they never ended up growing into anything like the creatures on the box, but that didn’t matter. We had our imagination to help us! Sea Monkey Day is a day to reflect on these glorious childhood years, or even to relive them!
Fact Of The Day
Days Until
Your countdown to 2025's upcoming special days!
-
Flag Day
29 days
-
Juneteenth
34 days
-
Independence Day
49 days
-
Halloween
168 days
-
Christmas Day
223 days
