ON THIS DATE: MAY 16

2019: Chinese-born American architect I.M. Pei, who was known for his large, elegantly designed urban buildings and complexes, died at age 102.

2007: French politician Nicolas Sarkozy was sworn in as president of France; defeated at the polls in 2012, he became only the second French president to fail in a reelection bid since the foundation of the Fifth Republic in 1958.

1986: The action blockbuster Top Gun was released in American theatres, and it made Tom Cruise an international star.

1975: Tabei Junko of Japan, accompanied by Ang Tsering of Nepal, became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

1966: American rock group the Beach Boys released their masterwork, Pet Sounds, a bittersweet pastiche of songs recalling the pangs of unrequited love and other coming-of-age trials.

1961: The military seized power in South Korea, overthrowing the Second Republic, as General Park Chung-Hee took over the government machinery, dissolved the National Assembly, and imposed a strict ban on political activity.

1955: Soviet gymnast Olga Korbut—who won three gold medals at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, West Germany, where she captivated audiences with her charm, youth, and diminutive size—was born in Belorussia (now Belarus).

1929: The first Academy Awards were presented; Janet Gaynor and Emil Jannings won for best actress and actor, respectively.

1905: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.American actor Henry Fonda, born in Nebraska this day in 1905, created quintessentially American heroes during a career that spanned some six decades and included more than 90 films.