November 16 has seen space endurance records set, international courts established, and musical legends born.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization was established to promote international cooperation through education, science, and culture. UNESCO has since designated hundreds of World Heritage Sites.
Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann first synthesized lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) at Sandoz Laboratories in Basel. Its psychedelic properties wouldn't be discovered until 1943 when Hofmann accidentally ingested it.
Métis leader Louis Riel was hanged for treason in Regina, Saskatchewan, after leading the Northwest Rebellion. His execution remains one of the most controversial events in Canadian history.
Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music opened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. The musical ran for 1,443 performances and the 1965 film became one of the highest-grossing movies in history.
Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro captured the Inca Emperor Atahualpa at Cajamarca, Peru. Despite receiving a massive gold ransom, the Spanish executed Atahualpa, effectively ending the Inca Empire.
President Bill Clinton became the first US president to visit Vietnam since the war ended in 1975. The visit symbolized the normalization of relations between former enemies.
The most powerful broadcast ever deliberately beamed into space was sent from the Arecibo radio telescope toward the globular cluster M13, 25,000 light-years away. The message encoded basic information about humanity.