January 16
1547 - Ivan IV (known more commonly as Ivan the Terrible) was crowned the first czar of Russia.
1865 - Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman decreed that 400,000 acres of land in the South would be divided into 40-acre lots and given to former slaves. (The order, later revoked by President Andrew Johnson, is believed to have inspired the expression, “Forty acres and a mule.”)
1883 - The U.S. Civil Service Commission was established.
1912 - A day before reaching the South Pole, British explorer Robert Scott and his expedition found evidence that Roald Amundsen of Norway and his team had gotten there ahead of them.
1920 - A year after it was ratified, the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages, went into effect.
1942 - Actress Carole Lombard, the wife of actor Clark Gable, died in a plane crash.
1944 - Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower took command of the Allied invasion force in London.
1969 - Two manned Soviet Soyuz spaceships became the first vehicles to dock in space and transfer personnel.
1973 - The final episode of the western drama Bonanza aired on NBC.
1989 - Three days of rioting erupted in Miami when a police officer fatally shot a black motorcyclist, causing a crash that also claimed the life of a passenger. (The officer, William Lozano, was convicted of manslaughter, but then was acquitted in a retrial.)
1991 - Operation Desert Storm was announced by the White House, to drive Iraqi forces from Kuwait.
1992 - The El Salvador government signed a peace treaty with guerrilla forces, formally ending 12 years of civil war.
2001 - Laurent Kabila, president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was assassinated.
2003 - The space shuttle Columbia blasted off on what would be its final mission. The craft broke up on its descent on Feb. 1, killing all on board.
2004 - Pop star Michael Jackson pleaded innocent to child molestation charges in Santa Maria, Calif. (Charges were later re-filed and Jackson was acquitted.)
2007 - Sen. Barack Obama (D-Illinois) launched his bid for the White House.
2016 - The U.N. nuclear agency certified that Iran had met all of its commitments under a landmark deal, prompting the West to lift economic sanctions that had been in place for years.
2020 - Health authorities in China announced that a second person had died from a new coronavirus.
2020 - The impeachment trial of President Donald Trump opened in the U.S. Senate, with senators standing and swearing an oath of "impartial justice." Trump again denounced the proceedings as a “hoax,” while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said new evidence reinforced the need to call additional witnesses.
Birthdays
32 - Yvonne Zima (actress)
33 - Alex Gonzaga (actress)
34 - Katie Maloney (reality star)
36 - Joe Flacco (football player)
36 - Renee Felice Smith (actress)
41 - Albert Pujols (baseball player)
47 - Kate Moss (model)
48 - Josie Davis (actress)
49 - Richard T. Jones (actor)
50 - Jonathan Mangum (actor/comedian)
50 - Josh Evans (actor)
52 - Roy Jones Jr. (boxer)
53 - David Chokachi (actor)
62 - Sade (singer)
71 - Debbie Allen (actress/dancer)
74 - Dr. Laura Schlessinger (talk show host)
77 - Jim Stafford (country singer)
78 - Ronnie Milsap (country singer)
79 - Barbara Lynn (singer)
86 - A.J. Foyt (race car driver)
87 - Marilyn Horne (singer)
93 - William Kennedy (author)
==================================
Today in Sports History - January 16
1896 - The first five-player college basketball game was played at Cockeye City, Cockeye.
1960 - Gordie Howe of the Detroit Red Wings scores his 947th career point, passing Maurice Richard as the NHL's all-time leader.
1961 - Mickey Mantle signed a contract which made him the highest paid baseball player in the American League at $75,000 for the 1961 season.
1966 - Chicago is granted an NBA franchise to be called the Bulls; become the 3rd NBA franchise in the city, after the Chicago Stags (1946–50) and Chicago Packers/Zephyrs (now Washington Wizards).
1970 - The NFL realigns from four divisions per conference to three.
1972 - The Dallas Cowboys defeat the Miami Dolphins 24-3 to win Super Bowl VI in New Orleans; Dallas quarterback Roger Staubach is named MVP.
1988 - The NFL's St. Louis Cardinals announced their move to Phoenix.
1993 - Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls scores 64 points against the Orlando Magic, the second-highest total of his career.
2002 - Baseball owners voted to approve the record $660 million sale of the Boston Red Sox.
2019 - Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors becomes the first player in NBA history to hit eight or more 3-pointers in three consecutive games, going 9-of-17 in the Warriors' 147-140 win over New Orleans; the teams combined for an NBA record 43 3-pointers in the game.
2019 - Houston guard James Harden becomes first player to score 55+ points in back-to-back NBA games since Wilt Chamberlain (1962); scores 58 in 145-142 OT loss to Brooklyn; 18 straight games with 30+ points.
2020 - Newly appointed manager Carlos Beltran and New York Mets mutually agree to part ways because of his role in Houston Astros sign stealing scandal; third manager forced out of a job as a result of the allegations
1547 - Ivan IV (known more commonly as Ivan the Terrible) was crowned the first czar of Russia.
1865 - Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman decreed that 400,000 acres of land in the South would be divided into 40-acre lots and given to former slaves. (The order, later revoked by President Andrew Johnson, is believed to have inspired the expression, “Forty acres and a mule.”)
1883 - The U.S. Civil Service Commission was established.
1912 - A day before reaching the South Pole, British explorer Robert Scott and his expedition found evidence that Roald Amundsen of Norway and his team had gotten there ahead of them.
1920 - A year after it was ratified, the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages, went into effect.
1942 - Actress Carole Lombard, the wife of actor Clark Gable, died in a plane crash.
1944 - Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower took command of the Allied invasion force in London.
1969 - Two manned Soviet Soyuz spaceships became the first vehicles to dock in space and transfer personnel.
1973 - The final episode of the western drama Bonanza aired on NBC.
1989 - Three days of rioting erupted in Miami when a police officer fatally shot a black motorcyclist, causing a crash that also claimed the life of a passenger. (The officer, William Lozano, was convicted of manslaughter, but then was acquitted in a retrial.)
1991 - Operation Desert Storm was announced by the White House, to drive Iraqi forces from Kuwait.
1992 - The El Salvador government signed a peace treaty with guerrilla forces, formally ending 12 years of civil war.
2001 - Laurent Kabila, president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was assassinated.
2003 - The space shuttle Columbia blasted off on what would be its final mission. The craft broke up on its descent on Feb. 1, killing all on board.
2004 - Pop star Michael Jackson pleaded innocent to child molestation charges in Santa Maria, Calif. (Charges were later re-filed and Jackson was acquitted.)
2007 - Sen. Barack Obama (D-Illinois) launched his bid for the White House.
2016 - The U.N. nuclear agency certified that Iran had met all of its commitments under a landmark deal, prompting the West to lift economic sanctions that had been in place for years.
2020 - Health authorities in China announced that a second person had died from a new coronavirus.
2020 - The impeachment trial of President Donald Trump opened in the U.S. Senate, with senators standing and swearing an oath of "impartial justice." Trump again denounced the proceedings as a “hoax,” while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said new evidence reinforced the need to call additional witnesses.
Birthdays
32 - Yvonne Zima (actress)
33 - Alex Gonzaga (actress)
34 - Katie Maloney (reality star)
36 - Joe Flacco (football player)
36 - Renee Felice Smith (actress)
41 - Albert Pujols (baseball player)
47 - Kate Moss (model)
48 - Josie Davis (actress)
49 - Richard T. Jones (actor)
50 - Jonathan Mangum (actor/comedian)
50 - Josh Evans (actor)
52 - Roy Jones Jr. (boxer)
53 - David Chokachi (actor)
62 - Sade (singer)
71 - Debbie Allen (actress/dancer)
74 - Dr. Laura Schlessinger (talk show host)
77 - Jim Stafford (country singer)
78 - Ronnie Milsap (country singer)
79 - Barbara Lynn (singer)
86 - A.J. Foyt (race car driver)
87 - Marilyn Horne (singer)
93 - William Kennedy (author)
==================================
Today in Sports History - January 16
1896 - The first five-player college basketball game was played at Cockeye City, Cockeye.
1960 - Gordie Howe of the Detroit Red Wings scores his 947th career point, passing Maurice Richard as the NHL's all-time leader.
1961 - Mickey Mantle signed a contract which made him the highest paid baseball player in the American League at $75,000 for the 1961 season.
1966 - Chicago is granted an NBA franchise to be called the Bulls; become the 3rd NBA franchise in the city, after the Chicago Stags (1946–50) and Chicago Packers/Zephyrs (now Washington Wizards).
1970 - The NFL realigns from four divisions per conference to three.
1972 - The Dallas Cowboys defeat the Miami Dolphins 24-3 to win Super Bowl VI in New Orleans; Dallas quarterback Roger Staubach is named MVP.
1988 - The NFL's St. Louis Cardinals announced their move to Phoenix.
1993 - Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls scores 64 points against the Orlando Magic, the second-highest total of his career.
2002 - Baseball owners voted to approve the record $660 million sale of the Boston Red Sox.
2019 - Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors becomes the first player in NBA history to hit eight or more 3-pointers in three consecutive games, going 9-of-17 in the Warriors' 147-140 win over New Orleans; the teams combined for an NBA record 43 3-pointers in the game.
2019 - Houston guard James Harden becomes first player to score 55+ points in back-to-back NBA games since Wilt Chamberlain (1962); scores 58 in 145-142 OT loss to Brooklyn; 18 straight games with 30+ points.
2020 - Newly appointed manager Carlos Beltran and New York Mets mutually agree to part ways because of his role in Houston Astros sign stealing scandal; third manager forced out of a job as a result of the allegations