1. On June 16, 1858, Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous “A House Divided” speech at the Illinois State Capitol, in which he warned of the dangers of slavery and predicted that the United States would not be able to remain half-slave and half-free.

2. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Farm Loan Act, which established a system of federal land banks to provide long-term credit to farmers at low interest rates. This helped to improve the economic conditions of many farmers in the District of Columbia and across the country.

3. On June 16, 1947, a devastating tornado swept through the city of Washington, D.C., causing widespread damage and claiming 11 lives. The storm caused millions of dollars in damage and was one of the worst natural disasters to ever hit the city.

4. In 1968, on June 16, the Poor People’s Campaign led by civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. held a massive demonstration in the District of Columbia, calling for an end to poverty and economic injustice. The protest drew thousands of people from across the country and helped to raise awareness of poverty as a national issue.

5. On June 16, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the landmark case of Obergefell v. Hodges that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. The decision brought marriage equality to the District of Columbia and all 50 states, marking a major victory for LGBTQ rights.