Famous people born on May 16 — and what else happened that day
If your birthday is May 16, you share it with Henry Fonda, Pierce Brosnan, Janet Jackson — and you were born under Taurus, the sign of the steady, loyal, and a lover of life’s comforts.
Birthday basics for May 16
Taurus ♉
Zodiac sign
Emerald
Birthstone
Lily of the Valley
Birth flower
136th
Day of the year
May 16 is the 136th day of the year (137th in leap years), with 229 days still to come.
Famous people born on May 16
Henry Fonda — American actor and star of classic Hollywood films (born 1905).
Pierce Brosnan — Irish-American actor best known as James Bond (born 1953).
Janet Jackson — American singer-songwriter and pop icon (born 1966).
Also sharing the day:
Liberace (b. 1919) — flamboyant American pianist and showman famed for his candelabra and sequins.
Olga Korbut (b. 1955) — Soviet gymnast whose daring 1972 Olympic routines transformed the sport.
Megan Fox (b. 1986) — American actress who rose to fame in the Transformers films.
May 16 in history
1929 — The first Academy Awards ceremony was held in Hollywood, California.
1960 — Theodore Maiman operated the first laser, a ruby laser, in California.
1975 — Junko Tabei of Japan became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
1866 — The U.S. Congress authorized the five-cent coin soon nicknamed the nickel.
1888 — Nikola Tesla delivered his landmark lecture on alternating-current electric power.
1920 — Joan of Arc was canonized as a saint by Pope Benedict XV in Rome.
May 16 birthday questions
What zodiac sign is May 16?
Anyone born on May 16 is a Taurus — steady, loyal, and a lover of life’s comforts.
What is the birthstone for May 16?
The birthstone for a May 16 birthday is Emerald, and the birth flower is the Lily of the Valley.
Who is the most famous person born on May 16?
Henry Fonda is among the best known — American actor and star of classic Hollywood films (born 1905).
What happened on May 16?
In 1929, The first Academy Awards ceremony was held in Hollywood, California.
What day of the year is May 16?
May 16 is the 136th day of the year (137th in leap years), with 229 days still to come.
Make their day unforgettable
Know someone born on May 16? See the full story of their exact birthday — the headlines, the #1 song, what things cost — and turn it into a personalized front-page newspaper they can keep.