About the day » Thursday May 16, 1861Calender converter

• Alice Estella BARRY, England († 1947)
• Raaijman († 1861)
• Adriana van Hussen, Utrecht, Gemeente Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands († 1942)
• Abraham Hage, Oost-en West Souburg († 1862)
• Alida Bakker, Moordrecht, Gemeente Zuidplas, Zuid-Holland, Nederland († 1863)
• Anna Bertha Schulz, Brätz, Brätz, Meseritz, Posen, Germany († 1907)
• Anna Wilemina Teeuwen, Vianen, Noord-Brabant, Nederland († 1930)
• MEIJER, Westerdiep (Veendam), Groningen, Nederland († 1861)
• Aaltje Wichers Mandemaker, Hoogeveen, Drenthe, Netherlands(Noord)
• Adriana Versnel, Gouderak († 1930)

• Albert Jan Riphagen 9 (6), Oene, Nederland
• Antonie Broekhoven (1), Dongen, Noord Brabant, Nederland
• Antoine Joseph Faure MANGOURNEL (23), Grenoble (38100) Frankrijk
• Albert Jan Riphagen (6), Oene (Gem. Epe)
• Andreas Driessen (81), Groessen, Gelderland, Netherlands
• Adriaan Brandwijk (74), Giessendam, Zuid-Holland, Nederland
• Alberdina van Essen (4), Epe, Gelderland, Netherlands
• ? Seinen (0), Avereest, Overijssel, Nederland
• Anna de Bok (0), ROTTERDAM, Zuid-Holland, Nederland
• Antje Jans Hulleman (73), Zwartsluis, Overijssel, Nederland

• 1831 » David Edward Hughes, Welsh-American physicist, co-invented the microphone († 1900)
• 1859 » Horace Hutchinson, English golfer († 1932)
• 1862 » Margaret Fountaine, English lepidopterist and diarist (d.1940)
• 1876 » Fred Conrad Koch, American biochemist and endocrinologist († 1948)
• 1879 » Pierre Gilliard, Swiss author and academic († 1962)
• 1882 » Simeon Price, American golfer († 1945)
• 1883 » Celâl Bayar, Turkish politician, 3rd President of Turkey († 1986)
• 1888 » Royal Rife, American microbiologist and instrument maker († 1971)
• 1890 » Edith Grace White, American ichthyologist († 1975)
• 1892 » Osgood Perkins, American actor († 1937)

• 1818 » Matthew Lewis, English author and playwright (b. 1775)
• 1823 » Grace Elliott, Scottish courtesan and spy (b. c.1754)
• 1830 » Joseph Fourier, French mathematician and physicist (b. 1768)
• 1862 » Edward Gibbon Wakefield, English politician (b. 1796)
• 1882 » Reuben Chapman, American lawyer and politician, 13th Governor of Alabama (b. 1799)
• 1890 » Mihkel Veske, Estonian poet, linguist and theologist (b. 1843)
• 1891 » Ion C. Brătianu, Romanian politician, 14th Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1821)
• 1910 » Henri-Edmond Cross, French Neo-Impressionist painter (b. 1856)
• 1913 » Louis Perrier, Swiss architect and politician (b. 1849)
• 1920 » Levi P. Morton, American politician, 22nd United States Vice President (b. 1824)

• Koning Willem III (Huis van Oranje-Nassau) was from 1849 till 1890 sovereign of the Netherlands (also known as Koninkrijk der Nederlanden)
• From February 23, 1860 till March 14, 1861 the Netherlands had a cabinet Van Hall - Van Heemstra with the prime ministers Mr. F.A. baron Van Hall (conservatief-liberaal) and Mr. S. baron Van Heemstra (liberaal).
• From March 14, 1861 till January 31, 1862 the Netherlands had a cabinet Van Zuijlen van Nijevelt - Loudon with the prime ministers Mr. J.P.P. baron Van Zuijlen van Nijevelt (conservatief-liberaal) and Mr. J. Loudon (liberaal).
• The Netherlands had about 3.6 million citizens.
• February 18 » In Montgomery, Alabama, Jefferson Davis is inaugurated as the provisional President of the Confederate States of America.
• March 10 » El Hadj Umar Tall seizes the city of Ségou, destroying the Bamana Empire of Mali.
• August 5 » The United States Army abolishes flogging.
• August 6 » Britain imposes the Lagos Treaty of Cession to suppress slavery in what is now Nigeria.
• September 6 » American Civil War: Forces under Union General Ulysses S. Grant bloodlessly capture Paducah, Kentucky, giving the Union control of the Tennessee River's mouth.
• December 4 » The 109 Electors of the several states of the Confederate States of America unanimously elect Jefferson Davis as President and Alexander H. Stephens as Vice President.

The temperature on May 16, 1861 was about 12.0 °C. The air pressure was 1 kgf/m² and came mainly from the west-southwest. The airpressure was 77 cm mercury. The atmospheric humidity was 76%.