◆ On this day

May 16

3 sourced moments from May 16 in history: The first Academy Awards ceremony is held in Hollywood (1929); Theodore Maiman built the first working laser in 1960; and Junko Tabei becomes the first woman to summit Mount Everest (1975).

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3 things happened on May 16

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1975 Earth & Climate · Geology

Junko Tabei becomes the first woman to summit Mount Everest

Twelve days after an avalanche buried her in her sleep, the Japanese climber reached the top of the world's highest peak.

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1960 Science · Physics

Theodore Maiman built the first working laser in 1960

In May 1960 a small ruby inside a flash lamp became the first laser. It made no bright beam, and a top journal rejected it.

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1929 Culture & Arts · Film & TV

The first Academy Awards ceremony is held in Hollywood

Hollywood's first Oscars night handed out twelve statuettes in roughly fifteen minutes over dinner, with winners already known.

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