President Harry S. Truman led the effort to establish a single holiday for citizens to come together and thank our military members for their patriotic service in support of our country. On August 31, 1949, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of an Armed Forces Day to replace separate Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force Days. The single day celebration stemmed from the unification of the Armed Forces under the Department of Defense and is observed on the third Saturday in May.
Daily Calendar for Saturday, May 16, 2026
Daily Calendar
View daily calendar information including holidays, advice, and daily features.
Saturday, May 16, 2026
Born
- William Henry Seward (politician) –
- Henry Fonda (actor) –
- Studs Terkel (writer) –
- Theodore Holmes Bullock (neuroscientist) –
- Liberace (entertainer) –
- Pierce Brosnan (actor) –
- Olga Korbut (Olympic gold medalist/gymnast) –
- Debra Winger (actress) –
- Joan Benoit Samuelson (runner, Olympic gold medalist) –
- Janet Jackson (singer) –
- Tracey Gold (actress) –
- Tucker Carlson (television commentator) –
- David Boreanaz (actor) –
- Jim Sturgess (actor) –
- Thomas Sangster (actor) –
Died
- Andy Kaufman (comedian & actor) –
- Sammy Davis Jr. (entertainer) –
- Jim Henson (creator of The Muppets) –
Events
- Marie Antoinette (age 14) married future King Louis XVI of France (age 15) –
- U.S. Congress gave authorization to mint the nickel –
- Charles Elmer Hires invented root beer –
- A dam on the Mill River in western Massachusetts broke, causing a deadly flash flood –
- Grand League of the American Horseshoe Pitchers Association was organized in Kansas City, Kansas –
- Joan of Arc was canonized –
- President John F. Kennedy began a 3-day visit to Canada –
- Fire broke out at tire dump, St-Amable, Quebec –
- In downtown Houston, Texas, large, black grackles, in an effort to protect their fallen offspring, attacked the heads, hair, and backs of pedestrians. –
- Canadian Victoria Cross unveiled –
- Discovery of 2.6-billion-year-old water in Ontario mine announced –
Weather
- Due to a dam break on the Mill River, a flash flood caused 143 deaths near Northampton, Massachusetts –
- Portland, Maine, received 4.88 inches of rain in 24 hours –
- The temperature in Blitzen, Oregon, was 108 degrees F, a record high for this date –
- Tornado in Portland, Maine –
- Sioux City, Iowa, set daily minimum and maximum temperature records within the same day—the low was 33 degrees F; the high was 91 degrees F –