Permanent historical records ยท Updated 2026-11-03

1916 in United States of America

Explore 26 historical events and records for United States of America in 1916.

Historical records for United States of America in 1916

Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 26 of 26 unique records.

26Unique records
1 of 1Page
25Named events on this page
11Named people on this page
4Places on this page

January

Schwarzschild Solution Presented to Academy

Einstein, Albert ยท Berlin ยท Physicist ยท Science / Physics

Communicates Karl Schwarzschild's exact solution of the new field equations to the Prussian Academy, demonstrating that general relativity admits important exact solutions.

June

Gravitational Waves

Einstein, Albert ยท Berlin ยท Physicist ยท Science / Astronomy

Predicts gravitational waves as propagating disturbances in spacetime within general relativity.

July

Birth of Walter Leland Cronkite

Cronkite, Walter Leland ยท Media / Press

Birth of Walter Leland Cronkite

Federal Farm Loan Act

Wilson, Woodrow ยท Washington ยท President of USA ยท Economy / Agricultural Finance

The Act creates regional banks providing long-term mortgage credit to farmers.

August

Peace

Wilson, Thomas Woodrow ยท President of USA ยท Warfare / World War, 1st

Offers the good offices of the US in the interests of peace

December

Relativity: The Special and General Theory

Einstein, Albert ยท Berlin ยท Physicist ยท Science / Physics

Publishes his popular introduction to special and general relativity.

Other events (month unknown)

Begins Anna Pavelka Inspired Novel

Cather, Willa ยท Arts / Literature

Cather began planning a novel inspired by the life of her friend Anna Pavelka.

Bound East for Cardiff Premiere

ONeill, Eugene ยท Arts / Drama

Eugene ONeill's Bound East for Cardiff was staged by the Provincetown Players, bringing the lives of ordinary sailors to experimental theatre.

Changes in the Form of NGC 2261

Hubble, Edwin Powell ยท Astronomer ยท Science / Astronomy

Hubble reports observed structural changes in NGC 2261 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, adding evidence that the visible form of the nebula changes with time.

Discovery of Pluto

Lowell, Percival ยท Science / Astronomy

Lowell continues the search for Planet X until his death in 1916 without identifying Pluto.

Energy Conservation in General Relativity

Einstein, Albert ยท Berlin ยท Physicist ยท Science / Physics

Develops the treatment of energy and momentum in the gravitational field, addressing how conservation laws operate within the generally covariant theory.

Foundation of General Relativity

Einstein, Albert ยท Berlin ยท Physicist ยท Science / Physics

Publishes a systematic presentation of the general theory of relativity and its field equations.

German Physical Society Presidency

Einstein, Albert ยท Berlin ยท Physicist ยท Science / Physics

Serves as president of the German Physical Society during the consolidation of general relativity.

Governor

Coolidge, Calvin ยท Massachusetts ยท Government / Government of USA

Appointed Governor of Massachusetts

Hamilton Principle for General Relativity

Einstein, Albert ยท Berlin ยท Physicist ยท Science / Physics

Formulates general relativity using Hamilton's variational principle, providing a compact mathematical route to the gravitational field equations and their conservation properties.

Kottler Equivalence Hypothesis Response

Einstein, Albert ยท Berlin ยท Physicist ยท Science / Physics

Responds to Friedrich Kottler's criticism of the equivalence hypothesis, defending the conceptual basis on which his route from special to general relativity depended.

Marriage

Simpson, Wallis ยท House / House of Windsor

Marries Earl Winfield Spencer, Jr

National Anthem

Wilson, Thomas Woodrow ยท President of USA ยท Arts / Popular Music

President Woodrow Wilson issues executive order making "The Star-Spangled Banner" the national anthem, Congress confirms it, 1931

New Songs of Paradise

Tindley, Charles Albert ยท Arts / Popular Music

Charles Albert Tindley, first black gospel composer to be published, releases New Songs of Paradise, collection of 37 gospel works

Peace

Wilson, Thomas Woodrow ยท President of USA ยท Warfare / World War, 1st

Offers to mediate war aims of the Allies & Central Powers, the Germans fail to answer

Peace Mediation at Washington

Wilson, Thomas Woodrow ยท Washington ยท President of USA ยท Warfare / World War, 1st

Offers to mediate war aims of the Allies & Central Powers, the Germans fail to answer

Quantum Theory of Radiation

Einstein, Albert ยท Berlin ยท Physicist ยท Science / Physics

Develops a quantum theory of radiation introducing transition probabilities later represented by Einstein coefficients.

Star Spangled Banner

Wilson, Thomas Woodrow ยท President of USA ยท Arts / Popular Music

President Woodrow Wilson issues executive order making "The Star-Spangled Banner" the national anthem, Congress confirms it, 1931

Strike

Coolidge, Calvin ยท Boston ยท President of USA ยท Government / Government of USA

Crushes the Boston Police strike

Study of the Variable Nebula NGC 2261

Hubble, Edwin Powell ยท Astronomer ยท Science / Astronomy

Hubble publishes a detailed study of the variable nebula NGC 2261, documenting changes in its appearance and establishing the object as an important example of a nebula with observable variability.

Twelve Faint Stars with Sensible Proper Motions

Hubble, Edwin Powell ยท Astronomer ยท Science / Astronomy

Hubble publishes measurements of twelve faint stars with detectable proper motions in the Astronomical Journal, contributing early astrometric work before his later concentration on nebulae.

How these records were prepared

Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.