1. On May 16, 1868, Alabama was re-admitted to the Union after the Civil War. This was a significant day in Alabama history as it marked the end of Reconstruction and the beginning of a new era for the state.

2. In 1953, the Baldwin County Colored School was burned down by a group of white men on May 16. This tragic event was part of the larger struggle for civil rights in the state and the country.

3. On May 16, 1929, the Supreme Court of Alabama upheld the conviction of the Scottsboro Boys, a group of nine black teenagers accused of raping two white women on a train in 1931. This case became a symbol of racial injustice and sparked national attention.

4. The University of Alabama's School of Music was founded on May 16, 1947. Since then, the school has become one of the leading music institutions in the country and has produced many talented musicians and composers.

5. On May 16, 1979, the Alabama Legislature voted to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, making Alabama the 33rd state to do so. The amendment, which had been proposed in 1972, aimed to guarantee equal rights for women under the law.