Major Events
- 27 BC The title Augustus is bestowed upon Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian by the Roman Senate
- 1412 The Medici family is appointed official banker of the Papacy
- 1547 Ivan the Terrible, aged 17, crowns himself the 1st tsar of Moscow
- 1605 The first edition of "El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha" (Book One of Don Quixote) by Miguel de Cervantes is published in Madrid
- 1793 French King Louis XVI sentenced to death by the National Convention during the French Revolution
- 1913 British House of Commons accepts Home Rule for Ireland (but the Great War gets in the way of it happening)
- 1919 The 18th Amendment to the US Constitution, authorizing the prohibition of alcohol, is ratified by a majority of US states
- 1920 First assembly of the League of Nations is held in Paris
- More January 16 Events
Jan 16 in Film & TV
- 1936 Screen Actors Guild incorporates with King Vidor as president
Jan 16 in Music
- 1938 First jazz concert held at Carnegie Hall, performed by Benny Goodman and his band
- 1963 Los Angeles night club and music venue The Whiskey A-Go-Go opens (inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2006)
Jan 16 in Sport
- 1933 Cricket's Bodyline Tour: Australian batsman Bert Oldfield's skull fractured by delivery bowled by Englishman Harold Larwood during the third test in Adelaide
Did You Know?
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is sworn in as Liberia's new president. She becomes Africa's first female elected head of state.
André Michelin
Fulgencio Batista
David McCampbell
Ethel Merman
Susan Sontag
John Carpenter
Kate Moss
Lin-Manuel Miranda
A. J. Foyt
Albert Pujols
Fun Fact About January 16
Hoax article advertising fictitious theatrical performer "The Bottle Conjuror" drew huge crowds to the Haymarket Theatre, London, whose inevitable non-appearance caused a riot. It's alleged the Duke of Montagu perpetrated the fiasco to win a bet.
Famous Weddings
- 1325 Laure de Noves, beloved of Petrarch, marries Hugues de Sade
- 1864 White chapel murder victim and possible Jack the Ripper victim Mary Ann Nichols (18) weds printer's machinist William Nichols
- 1865 Confederate Brigadier-General John Pegram marries Hetty Cary (US Civil War)
More January 16 Weddings
Edward Gibbon
Hiram R. Revels
George Dewey
Arturo Toscanini
Ted Cassidy
Laurent-Désiré KabilaArticles, Photos and Quiz
Prohibition is Ratified
The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which established prohibition
January 16, 1919
Prohibition and The Rise of Al Capone
Prohibition began in America on this day. The 13-year ban on alcohol led to resentment, gangsterism, bribery, murder and widespread flouting of the law.
January 16, 1920
