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Today in History, January 16th

On January 16, 1919, the 18th Amendment was ratified, launching Prohibition. Plus the Shah flees Iran and the Gulf War air campaign.

By Today in History Updated November 10, 2026 3 min read Sources checked

Published January 16, 2026 · Last updated November 10, 2026

January 16 is best known as the day in 1919 when the 18th Amendment was ratified, setting national Prohibition in motion. The date also saw the Shah of Iran flee his country in 1979 and the U.S.-led air war against Iraq open the Persian Gulf War in 1991.

The big story: Prohibition Is Ratified (1919)

On January 16, 1919, enough states had approved the 18th Amendment for it to become part of the Constitution. It banned the manufacture, sale and transportation of intoxicating liquor for drinking. Congress had sent the amendment to the states in December 1917. Note the date carefully: ratification came on the 16th, but the ban itself did not start until January 17, 1920, a year and a day later. In between, Congress passed the Volstead Act over President Woodrow Wilson’s veto to spell out how the law would be enforced, including a special unit in the Treasury Department. None of it worked as planned. Americans kept drinking, bootleggers kept supplying them, and organized crime grew rich and powerful. After about 13 years, the 21st Amendment repealed Prohibition in 1933. The country had learned, at some cost, that a law is only as strong as people’s willingness to obey it.

More events on January 16

Year	What happened
1547	Ivan IV, later called Ivan the Terrible, was crowned “tsar and grand prince of all Russia.” (Old Style date)
1605	Miguel de Cervantes’ novel Don Quixote was first published.
1861	The Crittenden Compromise, a last-ditch plan to avert civil war by extending the Missouri Compromise line, died in the U.S. Senate.
1883	The Pendleton Civil Service Act created the U.S. Civil Service Commission.
1938	Benny Goodman and his band played Carnegie Hall, a landmark concert that brought jazz to the famous stage.
1945	Adolf Hitler moved into his bunker 55 feet beneath the Reich Chancellery in Berlin, where he stayed for 105 days until his suicide.
1979	Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, ruler of Iran since 1941, fled the country amid mass protests. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned from exile two weeks later.
1991	The Persian Gulf War began as U.S.-led coalition aircraft launched an air offensive against Iraq. The first planes took off at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time, when it was already January 17 in Iraq.
1992	The Chapultepec Peace Accords ended El Salvador’s civil war.
2006	Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was sworn in as president of Liberia, the first woman elected head of state in an African country.
2017	Eugene Cernan, the last person to walk on the Moon, died at 82.

Born on January 16

1932: Dian Fossey, zoologist who became the leading authority on mountain gorillas.
1933: Susan Sontag, writer best known for her essays on modern culture.
1980: Lin-Manuel Miranda, actor, composer and creator of the musical Hamilton.