On This Day in History

January 16

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​Historical Events​

​27 BC The title Augustus is bestowed upon Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian by the Roman Senate.

​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.

The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution

​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 Historical Events

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​Famous Birthdays​

​André Michelin​ ​1853 - 1931​

​Ethel Merman​ 1908 - 1984

​Susan Sontag​ ​1933 - 2004​

​A. J. Foyt​ ​90th Birthday​

Also Fulgencio Batista and David McCampbell​

More Famous Birthdays

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​Famous Deaths​

​Edward Gibbon​ ​1737 - 1794​

​George Dewey​ ​1837 - 1917​

More Famous Deaths

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​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.

Prohibition and Al Capone