This Day In History, January 16th.

Five Historical Events That Happened on January 16th.

• Ivan IV is anointed as Russia's first tsar in 1547. Ivan IV, sometimes referred to as Ivan the Terrible, was the first tsar and the Grand Prince of Moscow. His reign, which spanned from 1547 until his death in 1584, was characterized by the growth and stabilization of the Russian state.

• 1920: The United States enacts Prohibition. On January 16, 1920, the US Constitution's 18th Amendment, which outlawed the production, distribution, and transportation of alcoholic beverages, came into force. Prior to the 21st Amendment's repeal of prohibition in 1933, prohibition was in effect.

• Operation Desert Storm started in 1991. The United States led a coalition of 35 nations in the Gulf War, also known as Operation Desert Storm, a military action to free Kuwait from Iraqi rule. The procedure lasted six weeks and started on January 16, 1991.

• 2003: The final mission of the Space Shuttle Columbia is launched. The Space Shuttle Columbia launched on its 28th mission from Florida's Kennedy Space Center on January 16, 2003. Tragically, on February 1, all seven crew members perished when the shuttle exploded during re-entry.

• 2014: The Geneva, Switzerland-based peace talks for Syria get underway. A series of negotiations aiming at putting an end to the Syrian Civil War were known as the Syrian peace talks. Lakhdar Brahimi, an ambassador for the UN and the Arab League, served as the mediator for the negotiations, which got underway on January 16, 2014.

Ivan IV is crowned as the first Tsar of Russia. Ivan IV, also known as Ivan the Terrible, was the Grand Prince of Moscow and the first ruler to take the title of Tsar.

Ivan IV, sometimes referred to as Ivan the Terrible, was one of Russia's most powerful and divisive tsars. At the age of 16, he was anointed the first Tsar of Russia on January 16, 1547. During Ivan's rule, the Russian state underwent a tremendous expansion, which included the conquest of the Khanates of Kazan and Astrakhan. However, Ivan's administration was also characterized by brutality and bloodshed, particularly the infamous Oprichnina period, when his secret police committed atrocities like mass murders.

Prohibition begins in the United States. The 18th Amendment to the US Constitution, which prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol, went into effect on January 16, 1920.

Alcohol production, distribution, and transportation were all outlawed from 1920 to 1933, a time period known as Prohibition. On January 16, 1920, the US Constitution's 18th Amendment, which established prohibition, came into force. Prohibition was a contentious law that fueled the expansion of organized crime and the illicit manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages. Finally, in 1933, the 21st Amendment ended prohibition.

Operation Desert Storm begins. The Gulf War, also known as Operation Desert Storm, was a military operation by a coalition of 35 countries, led by the United States, to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi occupation.

On January 16, 1991, the military launched Operation Desert Storm, which lasted for six weeks. With the intention of freeing Kuwait from Iraqi domination, a coalition of 35 nations led by the United States carried out the operation. Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990, which was perceived as a danger to both regional security and the world's oil supply, prompting the war. On February 28, 1991, the Iraqi army withdrew from Kuwait and agreed to a cease-fire, bringing an end to the conflict. Kuwait was liberated as a result of the conflict, but substantial harm to people and the environment was also done.

The Space Shuttle Columbia takes off for its final mission. On January 16, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia took off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for its 28th mission.

On January 16, 2003, the NASA spacecraft Space Shuttle Columbia launched from Florida's Kennedy Space Center for its final flight. During the 16-day STS-107 mission, experiments in biology, physics, and other disciplines were conducted. However, on February 1, 2003, the shuttle exploded over Texas as it was re-entering the atmosphere, killing all seven of the crew members. Damage to the shuttle's left wing from foam insulation that had fallen off the external fuel tank during launch was the accident's primary cause. The terrible Columbia catastrophe prompted a thorough investigation of NASA's safety standards and a two-year suspension of the Space Shuttle program.

The Syrian peace talks begin in Geneva, Switzerland. The Syrian peace talks were a series of negotiations aimed at ending the Syrian Civil War. The talks began on January 16, 2014, and were mediated by the United Nations and Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi.

The Syrian peace talks were a series of discussions intended to put an end to the continuing civil war in Syria, which began in 2011. Lakhdar Brahimi, an ambassador for the United Nations and the Arab League, served as the mediator for the negotiations, which got underway on January 16 in Geneva, Switzerland. A political settlement to the crisis, including a ceasefire and the establishment of a transitional administration, was the goal of the talks. Deep differences between the Syrian government and the opposition, as well as disagreements within the international community over how to proceed, hindered the negotiations, though. Despite years of intermittent progress in the Syrian peace negotiations, a long-term political solution to the war is still elusive.