About the day » Tuesday May 16, 1939Calender converter

• Doreen Lois Freeman, Canada († 2016)
• Berendina Blom, Genemuiden († 1997)
• Franciscus (Tom) PIETERS († 2012)
• Cor van Elk, Oeffelt († 2017)
• Geurt van Wincoop, Ermelo († 2022)
• Floris de Vooys, 's-Gravenhage († 1993)
• Ernst Seewald († 1967)
• Frans Marie van Roessel, Schijndel, Nederland († 2004)
• Gros, Rotterdam († 1939)
• Clifford Neal Wilson, Hampton, Hamilton, Nebraska, Verenigde Staten († 1939)

• Adrianus Vreugdenhil (71), Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Nederland The Netherlands
• Bartel Tramper (90), 's-Gravenpolder, ZL, NL
• Alexis LEMAÎTRE (75), Tunis, Tunisia
• Adolph Hippelstein (76), München, Bayern, Allemagne
• Alida Margaretha Broekhuizen (29), Leimuiden, Kaag en Braassem, Zuid-Holland, Nederland
• Anna Cornelia LOOS (85), Stampersgat, Noord-Brabant, Nederland
• Adrianus Blanken (77), Poortugaal ( Zuid Holland )
• Bauke Wybrens Kromhout van der Meer (83), Zwolle, Overijssel, Netherlands
• Aaltje van Voorst (60), Ede
• Abraham De Koker (87), Demotte, Jasper County, Indiana, Verenigde Staten

• 1935 » Floyd Smith, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1936 » Karl Lehmann, German cardinal († 2018)
• 1937 » Yvonne Craig, American ballet dancer and actress († 2015)
• 1938 » Ivan Sutherland, American computer scientist and academic
• 1938 » Marco Aurelio Denegri, Peruvian television host and sexologist († 2018)
• 1938 » Stuart Bell, English lawyer and politician († 2012)
• 1939 » Mario Segni, Italian professor and politician
• 1941 » Denis Hart, Australian archbishop
• 1942 » David Penry-Davey, English lawyer and judge († 2015)
• 1943 » Kay Andrews, Baroness Andrews, English politician

• 1926 » Mehmed VI, Ottoman sultan (b. 1861)
• 1936 » Leonidas Paraskevopoulos, Greek general and politician (b. 1860)
• 1938 » Joseph Strauss, American engineer, co designed The Golden Gate Bridge (b. 1870)
• 1943 » Alfred Hoche, German psychiatrist and academic (b. 1865)
• 1944 » George Ade, American journalist, author, and playwright (b. 1866)
• 1946 » Bruno Tesch, German chemist and businessman (b. 1890)
• 1947 » Frederick Gowland Hopkins, English biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1861)
• 1947 » Zhang Lingfu, Chinese general (b. 1903)
• 1953 » Django Reinhardt, Belgian guitarist and composer (b. 1910)
• 1954 » Clemens Krauss, Austrian conductor and manager (b. 1893)

• Koningin Wilhelmina (Huis van Oranje-Nassau) was from 1890 till 1948 sovereign of the Netherlands (also known as Koninkrijk der Nederlanden)
• In The Netherlands , there was from June 24, 1937 to July 25, 1939 the cabinet Colijn IV, with Dr. H. Colijn (ARP) as prime minister.
• In The Netherlands , there was from July 25, 1939 to August 10, 1939 the cabinet Colijn V, with Dr. H. Colijn (ARP) as prime minister.
• In The Netherlands , there was from August 10, 1939 to September 3, 1940 the cabinet De Geer II, with Jonkheer mr. D.J. de Geer (CHU) as prime minister.
• The Netherlands had about 8.7 million citizens.
• January 13 » The Black Friday bushfires burn 20,000 square kilometers of land in Australia, claiming the lives of 71 people.
• February 5 » Generalísimo Francisco Franco becomes the 68th "Caudillo de España", or Leader of Spain.
• March 23 » The Hungarian air force attacks the headquarters of the Slovak air force in Spišská Nová Ves, killing 13 people and beginning the Slovak–Hungarian War.
• June 24 » Siam is renamed Thailand by Plaek Phibunsongkhram, the country's third prime minister.
• September 18 » World War II: The Polish government of Ignacy Mościcki flees to Romania.
• December 27 » The 7.8 M_w  Erzincan earthquake shakes eastern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme). At least 32,700 people were killed.

The temperature on May 16, 1939 was between 7.1 °C and 15.5 °C and averaged 10.3 °C. There was 26.6 mm of rain during 8.3 hours. There was 0.6 hours of sunshine (4%). The average windspeed was 3 Bft (moderate breeze) and was prevailing from the east-northeast.