At A Glance

16 May 1971 at a glance

Day of the week
16 May 1971 was a Sunday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Joy to the World” by Three Dog Night.
Top Film of 1971
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1971 was The French Connection.
Bestselling Novel of 1971
“Wheels” by Arthur Hailey was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 1971.
Top-Rated TV Show
“All in the Family” (CBS) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1971–72 season.
Star sign
The star sign for 16 May is Taurus.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 16 May 1971 fell in the Year of the Pig.
Birthstone
The birthstone for May is Emerald.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 16 May 1971 was Waning Gibbous.

On this day: 16 May

  • 1961 Park Chung Hee leads a coup d'état to overthrow the Second Republic of South Korea.
  • 1966 The Chinese Communist Party issues the "May 16 Notice", marking the beginning of the Cultural Revolution.
  • 1969 Venera program: Venera 5, a Soviet space probe, lands on Venus.
  • 1974 Josip Broz Tito is elected president for life of Yugoslavia.
  • 1975 Junko Tabei from Japan becomes the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

Famous people born on May 16

  • Pierce Brosnan, Irish-American actor and producer (born 1953)
  • Melanie Lynskey, New Zealand actress (born 1977)
  • Megan Fox, American actress (born 1986)
  • Janet Jackson, American singer-songwriter and actress (born 1966)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.

Events of 1971 in the United States

A selection from Wikipedia's '1971 in the United States'. Not a complete list.

  • January 12 – The landmark television sitcom All in the Family, starring Carroll O'Connor as Archie Bunker, debuts on CBS.
  • March 30 – The first Starbucks coffee shop opens, in Pike Place Market, Elliott Bay, Seattle.
  • May 1 – Amtrak begins inter-city rail passenger service in the United States.

Life in the US in 1971

President

Richard Nixon

Gas (per gallon)

$0.36

Loaf of Bread

$0.25

Average House

$18,000

Weekly Wage

$145

Or

Browse by Year

Famous Faces Born in the 1970s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

About The Day You Were Born

Ever wondered what was happening in the world when you took your first breath? Our birthday lookup tool reveals the fascinating history of your special day.

About The Birthday Chronicle and where our data comes from →