History is a cause of celebration and reflection. It is a source of inspiration. There have been uncountable inventions, innovations, treaties, and other significant events in the past. All of them have something to teach us, to inspire us to keep going, and not to stop even if we fail. Start your day with a positive thought. Do something great today and we might publish it in our Daily Column in the years to come. Let us read the historical milestones of May 16:
1763 Samuel Johnson 1st meets his future biographer James Boswell in London
The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography describes Johnson as “arguably the most distinguished man of letters in English history”. He was an English writer. The book is an important source of information on Johnson. As well as an important work of literature.
1792 Denmark abolishes Slave Trade
Approximately, 85,000 slaves were carried from West Africa across the Atlantic on ships flying the Danish flag. The law to abolish the transatlantic slave trade in Denmark was made in 1792. The law came into effect on 1 January 1803.
1879 The Treaty of Gandamak between Russia and England sets up the Afghan state
The Treaty of Gandamak was to officially end the first phase of the Second Anglo-Afghan war. The official signing of the treaty was on 29 May 1879. Most of the historical writings consider the Treaty of Gandamak as the prelude to the second phase of the Second Anglo-Afghan War, 1879–1880.
1920 Rome canonizes Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc was born in a peasant family in northeast France. He was formally canonized as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church on 16 May 1920 by Pope Benedict XV. This concluded the canonization process that the Sacred Congregation of Rites instigated after a petition of 1869 of the French Catholic hierarchy. However, she believed that God had chosen her to lead France to victory in its long-running war with England.
Image by Gia Knight from Pixabay
1928 The First Academy Awards of Hollywood
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presents the first Academy Awards to honor the best films of 1927 and 1928. Moreover, the show was at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, California. Douglas Fairbanks, the President of AMPAS, was the host of the show.
1963 Gordon Cooper returns to Earth
On May 15- May 16, Gordon Cooper completed the sixth and the last one of the Mercury crewed spaceflights after circling/orbiting the Earth 22 times. He was the first American astronaut to take a nap in space and the last one to take part in a solo orbital mission.
2013 Successful Cloning of Human Stem Cells
This was a biomedical revolution. An international team of scientists announced on 16 May 2013 that for the first time ever, they were able to create new human stem cells by cloning older, fully mature human cells. Also, it allows cells to grow and fit specific functions within an individual’s body. Resulting in new, patient-specific liver cells or heart cells that actually pulse on their own, for example.
