You’ve probably seen those "National Day" calendars flooding your social feed. Honestly, most of them feel like they were made up by a marketing intern in a windowless basement. But May 16 is different. It’s not just one of those weird holidays where we’re told to eat a specific type of cracker.
It’s actually a collision of high-stakes history, environmentalism, and a very weird childhood obsession involving dried-out shrimp.
If you search for National Day May 16, you’ll find a massive list. Some of it is fluff. Some of it, however, explains why we have things like the Academy Awards or why your crazy uncle has a collection of Sea-Monkeys. Let’s get into what actually matters about this day and why it’s more than just a reason to post a hashtag.
The Weird Legend of the Sea-Monkey
Okay, let’s address the elephant in the room. Or rather, the tiny brine shrimp in the plastic tank. May 16 is National Sea-Monkey Day.
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Basically, back in the 50s and 60s, a guy named Harold von Braunhut realized he could sell "instant life" to kids through comic book ads. He called them Sea-Monkeys. They weren’t monkeys, obviously. They were Artemia nyos, a hybrid breed of brine shrimp.
The marketing was genius. The ads showed these humanoid, smiling creatures living in underwater castles. When you actually got them in the mail? You got a packet of dust and some salt. But once you hit that water, they "came to life."
It’s a bit of a weird legacy. Von Braunhut was a complicated, controversial figure, but the Sea-Monkey itself became a cultural touchstone. These little guys have literally been to space. In 1998, John Glenn took them on the Space Shuttle Discovery to see how they’d handle the trip. Turns out, they’re tougher than they look.
Why Biographers Rule the World (Sorta)
If you’re not into pet shrimp, maybe you’re into gossip. Because that’s basically what a biography is, right? National Biographers Day also lands on May 16.
This isn't a random date. It commemorates a very specific meeting in London back in 1763. James Boswell met Samuel Johnson in a bookstore. Boswell eventually wrote The Life of Samuel Johnson, which most literary nerds consider the greatest biography ever written.
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Before this, biographies were often dry, saintly accounts. Boswell changed the game. He included the messy stuff—the weird habits, the arguments, the human bits. Today, we celebrate the people who dig through the archives so we don't have to. Without them, we wouldn’t know the real stories behind people like Steve Jobs, Eleanor Roosevelt, or even the messy celebrity tell-alls we read at the airport.
Environmentalism That Actually Works
Then there’s National Love a Tree Day. Sounds a bit "granola," sure. But here’s the thing: trees are basically the lungs of our cities, and we’re losing them fast.
In the United States, we have about 766 million acres of forest land. That sounds like a lot until you realize how much we’ve hacked away since the 1600s. Trees don’t just look pretty. A mature tree can pull 70 times more pollution out of the air than a sapling.
If you’re looking for a reason to care, think about your electric bill. A well-placed tree near your house can cut your cooling costs by 20% in the summer. That’s not just "loving a tree"—that’s loving your wallet.
The LGBT Elders We Forget
One of the more profound observances on May 16 is National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day.
The LGBTQ+ community has made massive strides in the last few decades, but those gains didn't happen by accident. They were fought for by people who are now in their 70s, 80s, and 90s. Often, these elders face higher rates of isolation or poverty because they grew up in an era where they had to hide who they were.
This day was started in 2015 by the Center for LGBTQ Health Equity. It’s a reminder that history isn't just in books; it’s in the people still living in our neighborhoods.
A Massive Day in History
If we step away from the "National Day" titles, May 16 is also a heavy hitter in the history books.
- 1929: The very first Academy Awards were held. It wasn't the three-hour televised marathon it is now. It was a private dinner at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel with 270 people. It lasted 15 minutes.
- 1975: Junko Tabei became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest. She was 4'9" and weighed about 90 pounds, proving that you don't need to be a giant to conquer a mountain.
- 1985: This is a big one—scientists first reported the "hole" in the ozone layer over Antarctica on this day. It changed environmental policy globally and led to the ban on CFCs.
How to Actually "Celebrate" May 16
You don't need to throw a party for a sea-monkey (unless you really want to). But there are some practical ways to acknowledge the day without being a "holiday" person.
- Water a tree. If it's been a dry week, give that tree in your yard or on your curb a few gallons. They’re thirstier than you think.
- Read a life story. Pick up a biography of someone you actually admire. Not a "hustle culture" book, but a real account of a human life.
- Check on a neighbor. May 16 is also National Do Something Good for Your Neighbor Day. You don't have to bake a pie. Just a text to see if they need anything from the store goes a long way.
- Watch an old Oscar winner. Since the Academy Awards started today, maybe finally watch that 1940s classic you’ve been ignoring on Netflix.
May 16 is a weird mix of the profound and the trivial. It’s a day for the environment, for civil rights, and for the oddities of 20th-century marketing. Whether you're planting a sapling or just remembering that time you accidentally killed your Sea-Monkeys in third grade, it's a day that reminds us how interconnected our history and our habits really are.
Take five minutes today to do something outside of your normal routine. Even if it’s just acknowledging the person living next door, you’re participating in a much larger story.